Hurt, Alfie shook his head. ‘How can you say that? I would rather be at home, having a beer, having a laugh with my mates. Do you really think if I had any other choice that I’d come looking for the man who nearly destroyed my life? Every time I think of him, I get sick. I can’t tell you how many times I was up in the night, throwing up. I’m terrified, Fran, and that’s something I’d never admit to most people. I feel ashamed of my fear. I feel ashamed I haven’t dealt with it before, but I just couldn’t … Though I can’t let it beat me, because if it does, then Barry’s won and that little boy, and Mia, and all the others suffer. I won’t let that happen, not if I can help it. So don’t you think for a minute I don’t care about what happens to Mia, because I do. I’m just not good at talking about this.’

Franny pulled herself together. She gazed steadily at Alfie as she spoke with genuine remorse. ‘I’m sorry, Alf, I shouldn’t have said that. So why don’t we go and find out exactly where this scumbag is?’ She went into her pocket and pulled out a small gun. And with that, Franny walked towards the door.

Standing either side of the flat, Alfie and Franny had put on gloves. Alfie held his gun against him, knocking on the door with his foot as he nodded to Franny. There was no reply, so he tried again. This time harder.

A moment later, they heard a woman’s voice. ‘Piss off!’

He banged once more with his foot, not saying anything, and once more the woman shouted through the door. ‘I said, piss off!’

Alfie called back, checking up and down the corridor as he did so. ‘Alan sent me. I need to speak to you – it’s important.’

The woman’s voice held a strong Yorkshire accent. ‘I don’t know anyone called Alan, so it can’t be that important, can it?’

‘Well, he sent me. He said maybe you could help.’

The woman coughed. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, so if you don’t mind, piss off!’

There was a pause before Alfie, choosing his words carefully, said, ‘I just wondered if you had any spaces in … your crèche.’

There was silence then the sound of several locks opening. A second later, the woman put her head around the door. She was small, and looked to be in her mid-fifties. She was grey-haired with a tight perm and her face had deep wrinkles running all over it. Her eyes darted down the hallway and she spoke to Alfie, who hid his gun behind his back.