Briony stood up and greeted him with a nod. ‘What can I do for you, Mr Limmington?’

He was struck by the sadness in her husky voice. In the wake of her nephew’s death she seemed to have aged considerably, and looking at her, so tiny, so diminished in her grief, he felt a moment’s shame at what he was about to do.

Willy Bolger had been nothing but a dealer in porn and child prostitution, not exactly a pillar of the community. But Limmington’s deep-rooted desire to take this women off the streets overrode the moment of compunction.

‘Miss Briony Cavanagh and Mr Thomas Lane, I have a warrant here for your arrests...’

Briony’s eyes widened. She heard Tommy’s voice as if from a distance.

‘What the bleeding hell are you arresting us for?’

‘For the murders of William Bolger and Ronald Olds.’

Tommy laughed outright. ‘Fuck me, couldn’t you go back no further? Why don’t you chuck in the murder of Abel and all while you’re about it!’

Limmington smiled. ‘If you’d both like to accompany me to the station?’

Tommy shot out his arm and grabbed him.

Two DCs grabbed him in his turn, expertly forcing his arms behind his back.

Briony sighed.

‘Come on, Tommy, we’ll be home before the day’s over: She looked at Limmington with hooded eyes.

‘I’ve never heard so much old bollocks in all my life. You’re living in a fantasy world, Mr Limmington, and you’ll find out soon enough what happens to people who annoy me. I’ll sue you and the police force for every last halfpenny you possess. I hope for your sake you’re ready to take us on, because I can tell you now, we’ll have cast-iron alibis.’

Limmington watched her warily as she went out to the hallway for her coat.

‘I have everything I need, Miss Cavanagh.’

Briony faced him and smiled.

‘Shall I tell you something, Mr Limmington? A lot of people have tried to get one over on me, an awful lot. But I’m still here.’

Limmington smiled back.

‘Yes, but for how much longer?’

Before Briony could answer, Molly was shouting her head off.

‘You fuckers of hell! You dirty bastards! My grandson’s not cold and you’re haunting the rest of me family.’

Bernadette took her mother in her arms and gave her a kiss.

‘We’ll be home before you can say knife!’

Limmington watched the scene and said in a low voice: ‘Would that be double-bladed boning knife by any chance?’

James McQuiddan was supposed to be the best as far as barristers went. Or so Briony had been told. She sat in chambers with Tommy as the man argued their case for bail.

McQuiddan was enormous. Even the man’s hands were huge, and he had an undeniably menacing presence.