The next two hours were spent drinking Eddie’s single malt. Jack put Eddie at ease by mentioning people like Ken Moore, Jimmy Nunn’s old racing buddy, and Tony and Arnie Fisher. He made out that he knew snippets about Harry’s criminal past and how that didn’t bother him at all. He never mentioned once that he was a police officer.

“After the underpass raid Harry hid out here with me for a time.” Eddie was now drunk and so relaxed that he forgot to edit himself. He was out to impress, bigging up his role. “I know he always looked down on me, but when the shit hits the fan, family’s family. It was awful watching Dolly go through what she did. The police showed her Harry’s watch, ’cos there was no body to identify. The driver was Jimmy, not Harry. Harry was here with me, drinking single malt like this.” Eddie took another sip. “I’ll give you a DNA sample if you think you need one,” he said. “But your eyes, Jack—dark, like stones. They’re Jason’s eyes, Harry’s eyes.”

Jack looked over again at the smiling picture of Liam and Jason. Did Jason miss out by not having Harry in his life? Or was he happier with his adopted dad, just like Jack had been with Charlie?

“Did Harry know Jason was his?” Jack asked.

A smile came over Eddie’s face. “The only thing I ever had in my life, that Harry didn’t, was a son to be proud of. So, no, I didn’t tell him. Jason came along just after Dolly’s first miscarriage. Harry got a man with a van to come round here with everything from their nursery. Gave it all to me. He just needed it out of his house. No baby, no memories, move on—that was Harry. It tore Dolly apart to see it all go, but she put his pain above hers and let him do what he needed to. By their third miscarriage, he was numb to it all, but Dolly . . . Her pain was just as deep and just as cruel. That’s why, when they both said ‘no more,’ she left that nursery like a shrine to all the little ones they could have had. So, there he was, on my doorstep, supervising a couple of grands’ worth of baby stuff being unloaded and brought in here for mine—oblivious to the fact that he was actually providing a new nursery for his own.” There was that smile again. “Can you imagine what he’d have done to me if he’d known? He’d have torn my heart out with his bare hands. See, Harry could father kids—as we know—but what he never had was a boy to teach about life. A legacy.”

Jack stared at Eddie, not really knowing how to respond to any of what he was hearing. What Eddie had done sounded so cruel, and yet, he seemed so proud of it.

“You sound as if you hated Harry.”

“No, no, no. I loved him. But he was a selfish man. Harry would have ruined Jason, like he would have ruined you. Let me put you straight. Harry Rawlins fucked my wife, Jack. Fucked her with no regard for me. When he was on the run, he went to my Jackie for help—clean clothes, money and the like—so don’t judge me for taking what was his, ’cos he took what was mine first!”