The other person she still needed to speak to was Shannon. She was sure she knew something more than she was letting on. To her, Shannon was the weak link, and if she could get her to talk, maybe she could glean some more information, though one way or another, she was determined Shannon deserved payback.

‘You can go in now if you like, but try not to be too long. He’s very tired. I think the operation took a lot out of him.’ The small, Filipino nurse spoke warmly to Franny and then walked down the corridor carrying a large sluice bag.

Without bothering to answer, Franny walked into the whitewashed hospital room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

A computer monitor sat on the wall behind Charlie, connected to a multitude of coloured wires that ran over his bed. A green oxygen wire ran to his nose. He was covered in clean, white sheets, but Franny could see through the silhouette of them that the lower part of one of his legs had been amputated.

Silently she walked up to Charlie, leaning down to his ear. ‘Hello, Char, I need a little word with you.’

Charlie’s eyes flicked open. A look of fear crossed his face but disappeared quickly as it turned into a snarl. ‘What the fuck are you doing here?’

‘Now that isn’t nice, Charlie, and especially when I’ve brought you some flowers.’ Franny threw the bunch of white lilies on Charlie’s stomach. ‘When I told the florist they were for someone ill in hospital, they told me not to buy them, cos apparently lilies are associated with someone’s funeral … so I thought I’d bring them along just in case.’

Charlie swiped at the lilies, throwing them onto the floor. ‘Get out! Get out!’

Franny shook her head. ‘That’s just not going to happen, and you don’t look like you’re in any position to throw me out … So why don’t we just make this quick?’

‘What do you want?’

‘I want to know where your bastard of a father is.’

Charlie seemed shocked. ‘I haven’t seen him for years.’

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Franny stared hard at Charlie. ‘Not good enough, Charlie. I need more than that.’

‘Listen, I’ve got nothing else to say to you. Does Alfie know you’re here?’

Franny nodded. ‘He does actually.’

Defiantly, Charlie, who looked pale and in pain, angrily said, ‘Well you can tell him from me, he’s a dead man. You hear that, Fran. He’s a fucking dead man!’