Eddie didn’t bat an eyelid. The old man had always had an eye for a pound note and three mill didn’t shock him at all. In fact, knowing his dad, he wouldn’t be surprised if there was more. When he was a kid, he had once caught his dad digging a hole and putting big silver tins in it. ‘What’s that, Dad?’ he’d asked innocently.

‘Money, son. Never let the authorities know what you’ve got. Always bury the bastard. You might not understand now, Eddie, but you will one day, when you’re older,’ was his dad’s reply.

‘You don’t seem very shocked, Eddie. I mean, considering the size of the house your dad lived in, it’s a rather large amount, don’t you think?’

‘The old man could have bought a big fuck-off mansion years ago, Lal. If I had a pound for every time I tried to persuade him to move, I’d be the richest man in England. He would never leave that house in Canning Town because me mother had lived there with him. Said it made him feel close to her, he did. When he got murdered that night, do you know what the bastards did? Dad kept the house as a shrine to Mum. Whoever done him in smashed every photo he had of her, and Paulie reckons they even took a couple as souvenirs. That’s what makes me think it wasn’t kids. I’ll catch whoever it was one day, Lal, and I swear on my parents’ grave, I will fucking kill ’em with me bare hands.’

Over in Rainham, Joey felt uncomfortable as his sister and Jed behaved like the lovesick teenagers they were. He had never really seen his sister kiss a boy before, and watching Jed stick his tongue down her throat was making him shudder. ‘Are we ready to order?’ he asked, agitated.

Jed laughed. ‘You’re not jealous, are ya? Don’t wanna kiss me yourself, do ya?’

Joey looked at Frankie in horror. Surely she hadn’t told him.

Jed stood up. ‘I’ll go and get another round of drinks and order some food,’ he said.

‘You ain’t fucking told him, have you?’ Joey spat at Frankie.

‘Of course not, you idiot. He asked if you and Dominic were at it the other night and I denied it. I told him you’ve had loads of girlfriends. He’s just mucking about with you, ’cause you shared the room with Dom.’

‘If you ever tell him, I will never speak to you again,’ Joey hissed.

Jed swaggered back to the table. ‘I ordered about ten different dishes. You can just take your pick,’ he said, laughing.

Frankie thought Jed was joking until the barmaid kept coming up with plates of food. ‘Why did you buy all this? It’s such a waste of money,’ she told Jed.