‘Why are you even here?’ he said.

‘I don’t want anything worse to happen to your family.’

His mouth twisted.

‘What could possibly be any worse than my dad going outside to ask for a bit of peace and quiet, and then getting his head kicked in? What could be worse than that?’

‘You getting locked up in Feltham.’

He frowned. I wondered if he had the knife on him. Then I saw the bulge in the pocket of his hoodie and I didn’t have to wonder any more.

‘What’s Feltham?’ he said.

‘Feltham Young Offenders Institution,’ I said. ‘It’s a prison for male juveniles near Hounslow. If you stick your blade in one of those creeps who killed your dad, that’s where they will send you. Because you’re under eighteen.’

He looked at me and for the first time I thought that I might be getting through to him.

‘I understand how you feel, Steve. I understand why you want to do it. And I can even understand why they deserve it. I saw your dad the night he died.’

The boy flinched as if he had been slapped.

‘And I saw you that night,’ I said. ‘And your sister Kitty. And your mum. And I was there in the Old Bailey when those three bastards got off with a slap on the wrist. But that doesn’t mean you should take the law into your own hands. Because if you do, then the law is going to come down on you. And I promise you, Steve, you are not the kind of lad who thrives in Feltham.’

I stood up.

‘Get rid of the knife,’ I said. ‘On your way home – drop it down a drain. The first drain you see. Then go home and take care of your mum and your sister. They need you more than you can imagine.’

I began to walk away.

His voice called me back.

‘Is that it?’ he said. ‘Is that the only reason I can’t get even with the bastards? Is that the only reason I can’t stick a blade in those bastards who killed my dad? Because of what will happen to me if I do?’

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘It’s the only reason. But it’s the only reason you need.’

16

In New Scotland Yard’s Room 101, Sergeant John Caine put the kettle on while I walked into the Black Museum and stared at the hanging tree. More than twenty ropes were draped over the three-legged gallows’ pole, arranged with the loving care of decorations on a Christmas tree. Next to the hanging tree there was a framed photograph of Albert Pierrepoint and a quote from 1974.

‘The fruit of my experience has this bitter aftertaste. Capital punishment, in my view, achieved nothing but revenge.’