Realising Raymond was right, Eddie threw the knife on the gravel, sank to his knees and cried tears of pure anger.

Less than half a mile away, Jed paced nervously up and down his trailer. His old man had gone away to a horse fair for the weekend and his mother was staying at her sister’s.

‘What’s the matter, Jed?’ Frankie asked, giving him a hug.

‘Us travellers are psychic, Frankie, and I’ve got a bad feeling about us staying here alone. If me dad was here, we’d be all right, but he ain’t.’

‘What we gonna do then? I need some clothes, Jed, and underwear.’

Jed squeezed Frankie and rocked her from side to side. ‘I think we should get out of here. Me dad’s got a trailer in his salvage yard in Tilbury. We can stay there till he gets back from the horse fair. I’m not frightened of no one, Frankie, but we should get away and let things calm down a bit. Don’t worry about clothes and stuff. I’ll stop on the way there and take you shopping. Trust me, my nan sensed stuff happening and I’m the same.’

Frankie smiled. Life was one big adventure with Jed and he made her feel so safe and loved. ‘Are you sure everything’s gonna turn out all right, Jed?’ she asked him.

Jed tilted her chin. ‘I know everything’s gonna be OK, but I also know the quicker we get out of here the better.’

As they drove out the gates, neither Jed nor Frankie noticed the woman clocking them in the little black Micra.

Oblivious to what was happening to his sister, Joey was trying to iron out his own problems. Unable to stop his emotions, he hugged Dominic for what would probably be the last time and could only watch as he walked away. As Dominic turned around and waved, Joey stood rooted to the spot for a few minutes. Devastated, he then found the nearest pub to down his sorrows.

‘I want a triple vodka, with ice and a dash of lemonade,’ he told the barman.

Finding a quiet table, Joey flopped onto a seat. What his father had done to Dominic was despicable and unforgivable.

Joey had never been that close to his dad. He had always known deep down that his dad preferred Gary and Ricky. It didn’t really bother him. Even when he was a child, he had sensed that his dad saw him as a disappointment, the weakest link, and he had just got on with things in his own little way.

Another thing that Joey was always aware of was that his father was a villain. Frankie and he had both clocked on when they were about ten years old and spent many a night giggling about what their school teachers might say.