‘Because I had no bloody choice,’ he grumbled. ‘Alan Palmer is trying to take over the security in a lot of my pubs and clubs. He’s even got his own fuckin’ men on the doors of Angels and Bramleys. So we had to send him a message not to fuck with us.’

‘Alan Palmer?’ she asked. She hadn’t heard his name for a long time.

‘Yeah, Dave works with him,’ said Peter.

Adele’s mouth dropped open in shock. No wonder David and that other guy had threatened her. ‘Jesus, Peter!’ she said. ‘Why do you get involved with these people? Those two have always been bad news!’

Peter hung his head in shame but didn’t say anything.

‘Was it really worth doing something so stupid just to stop them from taking over?’ she persisted. ‘Why don’t you just give up the security business if those are the sort of people you’re dealing with? Surely you’ve got enough with the Golden Bell and your other businesses.’

‘Because I can’t,’ he said. ‘You don’t understand, Adele. If I backed away everyone would think I was a right fuckin’ mug. They’d take the door of the Golden Bell and might even go for my other fuckin’ businesses, too.’

He hesitated a moment before continuing, ‘Besides, I don’t want to walk away. Can’t you see? It’s what I do. It gives me a buzz. I’m a fuckin’ big name and I get respect because of it.’

Adele stared at him, incredulous. After all this time she still didn’t really understand her brother and what made him tick. For a short while she was stuck for something to say; then a thought occurred to her.

‘Is that where the van was going that night?’ she asked. ‘To attack one of the nightclubs?’

‘What van?’

‘The white van that Mike was inside.’

‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘That one was going to Bramleys.’

‘And why did Glynn decide not to go?’ Even though Glynn had already told her, she wanted to check that his story was consistent.

‘He had to go and see his sick aunty in hospital,’ said Peter. ‘She’d taken a turn for the worst.’

‘And you believe him?’

‘Yeah, course I do. I already knew about his sick aunty.’

‘And it just so happens that she took a turn for the worst on the very night that he was due to raid Bramleys,’ she said sarcastically.

Adele watched as Peter’s eyes narrowed and a deep furrow formed between them. She knew she’d sown a seed of doubt in his mind.

‘Look, Glynn’s a good guy,’ he said, but his words seemed to belie what he must be feeling inside. ‘Just because you don’t trust him any more doesn’t mean I shouldn’t.’

‘It’s nothing to do with how I feel about him, Peter. Just look at the facts.’