Jack Johnson was in shock but he was a man who worked well under pressure. He racked his brains for someone he knew in the area where Sharon lived and he came up with a huge bouncer called Dougie Stewart.

Dougie was a big Scottish lump from Glasgow who had married a very pretty and available Essex girl. She had produced two beautiful children – and then run off with Dougie’s best friend. Dougie now brought his kids up with the help of an au pair and spent his spare time hunting down his errant wife.

He listened carefully to what Jack Johnson said, kissed his kids and smiled at the au pair. Then he left the house and was on his way in seconds. He was disgusted with what Jack had told him; that a man could go after his son’s widow was just about the lowest of the low. Reading between the lines it seemed that Big Lenny, the piece of shite, was looking for a right-hander. Well, he would not have to wait for long.

At Sharon’s house, he parked the car, walked around the back and kicked the door in with one swift movement. He could hear the commotion upstairs and made his way up the stairs with great speed considering his bulk.

He was still hammering Big Lenny when Reggie arrived. It took all Reggie’s considerable strength to pull him off.

Chapter One Hundred and Twelve

Gerry was sitting with Sharon, refilling her wineglass when needed and just listening to what Sharon had to say. Gerry was scandalised at the horrific treatment of her friend. And by her own father-in-law! That was what she had trouble getting her head round. She had tidied up as best she could, disposed of the dressing gown, helped her friend into the bath and arranged for the boys to go to Sharon’s mother’s house.

Big Lenny had been taken away by Reggie and Dougie, and they had heard nothing from anyone since. The girls agreed that the last person Sharon needed now was Ivy. She would just tell her husband what had happened to their daughter and that would cause even more aggravation. She would have to be told but not yet.

The other person in the dark about the night’s events was Lesley, though why Sharon was trying to spare that religious maniac, Gerry didn’t know. But Sharon could be funny like that; she knew how much the boys meant to Lesley since the murder of her son. Sharon was a better person than she would ever be, Gerry knew that much.