‘Let him follow, he’ll know the score soon enough. They all will, The Aunt included. Don’t worry about her, Danny. She’s shrewd and she’s crooked, like us. She’ll come round once today’s over and all this is finished once and for all.’

Danny carried on driving while Boysie made sure he had everything they needed for the final part of their exercise.

Briony went to the house in Hyde Park where she knew she would find Mariah. As she walked into the offices behind the main part of the house, Mariah raised her head and the two women locked eyes.

‘Hello, Mariah. I’ve ordered us coffee.’ Briony’s voice was normal. It was her way of saying sorry and Mariah knew this.

‘Great, I could do with a cup. We had a good night last night in all the houses. I had the receipts brought over this morning and I’ve been going through them.’

They chatted about business until they had their coffee in front of them, then Mariah spoke.

‘What happened with the boys?’

Briony smiled brightly, too brightly.

‘Not a lot. They shot McNee all right, today they’re going after the Rileys and the Moneys. But apart from that they’re great.’

‘I’m sorry, Briony.’

‘What for? They’re nearly twenty-one, old enough to look after themselves now. I mean to say, if you’re big enough to shoot a known lunatic with a sawn-off shotgun, you’re old enough for anything, ain’t you?’ It ended in a question and Mariah went round the desk and put her arm around her friend’s shoulders.

‘Do you think they can handle it?’

Briony nodded. ‘Oh, they can handle it, all right. I think that’s the trouble.’

‘Come on, drink your coffee. Like you say, they seem to know what they’re about.’

Briony sipped the coffee and put the cup back in the saucer with a clatter.

‘You know what really bothers me about it all? What Eileen would have thought. She entrusted them boys to me, on her death bed. “Look after my boys”, those were her words. I feel that if she could see them now, she’d be disappointed. You knew our Eileen. She hated any skulduggery. She was straight as a die. You know, I see her in them sometimes, the movement of their heads or an expression when I talk to them. She wouldn’t have allowed them a free rein like I did. She would have chastised them more. Seen to it they kept up their schoolwork. I protected them from so much...’