She had been brought up to believe that her family were blessed, and lived so well because her father worked so hard. She had never questioned that – why would she? The man she had loved was a thug who used violence to earn a living. His lifestyle had nearly caused the death of her mother and herself, but no one seemed to think that was of any importance. Now her mother was actually trying to tell her that she was disappointed in her? That she was the one in the wrong? It was outrageous. How could her mother not see her point of view?

‘I saw everything that night, Mum. You with the shotgun, acting like fucking Calamity Jane. I saw everything that went on – I was watching. You hypocrites, telling me what to do all the time, watching me like a hawk, the good girl, the good daughter, pretending we were a normal family, when it was a lie. We could have died that night.’

‘But we didn’t, did we?’

Jessie sighed heavily, unable to believe her mother’s attitude.

Josephine poured herself a large glass of wine and, taking a long drink, she sat down at the kitchen table. Lighting a cigarette, she puffed on it for a while before saying sadly, ‘So you saw everything that night. I’m sorry, I really am. But you also saw a man murdered earlier tonight, a man you were sleeping with. Fifteen years old, and already a seasoned mistress! Yet that doesn’t seem to be bothering you too much – in fact, if it wasn’t for you, he would be alive and kicking, darling. So let me ask you this – how can you justify that? It seems to me you are more like your old man than you realise, lady.’

Jessie Flynn didn’t answer her mother, she didn’t know what to say to her. She just knew she wasn’t the same girl she had been before those men had arrived on their doorstep, armed and dangerous. Her whole life had been like a dream until then, like a fairy tale, and it had been based on lies, built on quicksand. Everything she had ever believed in was without foundation, without substance. Even now, her father was out there, making sure that Billy’s body was disposed of, taking care of business, and everyone acted as if it was the most natural thing in the world.