Adele also wanted to help her mother and she would be better placed to do that if she was earning. It would be her way of trying to make things up to her. Adele had no doubt, from the flash TV sitting in her mother’s living room, that Peter helped her in his own way. But she would help her with the more practical things, like providing decent food and taking her shopping for some new clothes.

She collected the envelopes that were lying on the table, then got herself ready to go out to the post box. Despite her growing self-doubt, she would send her applications off and continue to hope that, sooner or later, she would strike lucky and land herself a much-needed job. And if she didn’t, well, she’d do whatever had to be done when the time came.

Chapter 29

David was having a drink with his old friend Alan in the Lord Nelson, which was situated at the end of a row of overpopulated houses. It was in one of the less salubrious areas of Manchester, surrounded by cut-price supermarkets, second-hand furniture and white goods stores, and a market selling cheap goods of dubious origins.

‘So, what have we got lined up next?’ asked David. ‘Are we doing another house break-in?’

‘Not sure,’ said Alan.

‘What d’you mean?’

‘I mean, I think it’s time for us to step things up a bit.’

‘What are you thinking?’ asked David.

‘Well, I went to see our old mate the other day. Pete.’

‘No fuckin’ chance!’ stormed David. ‘I ain’t working with that tosser. Not after he sold me out on fuckin’ big-shot Glynn’s say-so.’

David had told Alan all about his falling-out with Peter a few years previously, and Alan hadn’t been impressed with Peter’s actions. What David hadn’t told him, however, was that he had spent most of the weeks prior to the falling-out high on drugs. This had affected his behaviour and hadn’t helped with Peter’s judgement of him.

But the split with Peter had shaken David up a bit. For the next few weeks he had carried on taking cocaine. Then he had realised that all he was doing was robbing to pay for his drugs and that part of the reason Peter would never have trusted him was because he was taking drugs. He finally came to his senses and booked himself into a programme to get clean.

David hadn’t taken drugs since, although he still liked a drink and he hadn’t lost his impulsive personality or his lust for adventure. He had guessed that Glynn was the one who had put him in the frame when Peter sacked him, and he still hadn’t forgiven either of them.

‘Wait your fuckin’ sweat!’ said Alan. ‘I haven’t finished telling you yet.’

‘OK,’ said David, jumping back in an exaggerated fashion.