Now that he had Sharon Scott he felt a very blessed man indeed. In fact, he was whistling as he went into the small offices in East Ham where they ran the loan business.

He smiled as he looked around him; it was obvious that a woman worked in here. For a start it was spotlessly clean and the plants, which were numerous, were well watered and healthy-looking. Even the venetian blinds were dust free. It always made him smile; it was like being in a small home office where the lady of the house did her accounts and wrote to her friends. He always felt too big for the place, especially the oak desk, even though Sharon had replaced the chair with one that allowed for his height and bulk.

He sighed pleasantly. Soon the workers would be in with their usual complaints about late payers and other gripes. But he was well able for them, as his old mum used to say, and deep down he enjoyed his work.

Sometimes the past came back to haunt him, but those moments were getting less as the time wore on. Prison, especially a lump of a sentence, could do that to a man. It was the isolation from the outside world that was the worst. Once you got your head around that it made life easier. Some men became paranoid; others who missed their families became depressed, while men like him just felt that they were in some kind of suspended animation.

He shook the thoughts from his mind and sipped at his thick, strong coffee – careful, as always, to use the coaster provided! He was smiling once more at Sharon and her foibles. Most loan offices looked like a scene from War on Want. As the business of the day began he felt himself relax properly; he loved his work and that was half the battle.

Chapter One Hundred and Ten

Sharon was enjoying having a day off. She had cleaned the house from top to toe and she was about to get into a nice relaxing bath when her doorbell rang. Sighing in annoyance, she slipped on a dressing gown – a thick, warm, towelling one – and went down the stairs to answer the door. It was Big Lenny. She saw that he was well away and letting him in was the last thing she wanted to do. She tried to slam the door in his face but he was already halfway into the house. This was the one time she cursed that no one could see them from the road.

He shoved the door shut clumsily behind him and said angrily, ‘Why are you treating me like this? I was there for you after Lenny died and you weren’t so fucking fussy then, were you?’