‘OK, but I want five grand up front and I want your assurance I ain’t got to deal with Albie. That boy gives me the creeps.’

Nick grinned now, a friendly grin.

‘You’ll get three grand up front and you’ll suck Albie’s cock if I tell you to. Now first things first. Anything you hear on the street comes straight to me. I’ll give you my mobile and car numbers - I want everything hot off the press. Anything else you find out, no matter how irrelevant, I want to know about. Any big scams going down, anything where guns or a crew are involved, especially if it’s down south. I want to know when JoJo O’Neil shits and eats, I want to know all about his businesses, I want to know what size bra Jack Coyne’s old woman wears, where he’s been seen, who he’s talked to. In short, I want to know everything.’

Dicky nodded. ‘Does that include Alan Cox?’

Nick laughed at the older man’s innocent expression. ‘I also want to know why you know all this already! Who’s the weak link, Dicky? Tell me that now and I’ll give you the other two grand up front.’

‘It was Jonnie H.’

Little Dicky watched Nick’s face fall and then grinned. ‘But don’t worry, Jonnie hasn’t said a word. It was just something I overheard in a club. Jonnie H. had a visit from a big man and a good-looking woman in a flash car. It didn’t take me long to suss out who it was, with all the other talk going round. When you been listening as long as I have, you don’t need much to make up two and two. Cox was a fool. He should have known better than to visit on the Clyde. Christ, someone paying their milkman two weeks on the trot is talk over there! I ain’t heard Cox’s name mentioned anyhow, so stop worrying. Your secret’s safe with me. I also heard that Jonnie H. was looking for the McAnultys. Knowing Jonnie, he found them. I hear everything, man, everything, and if I don’t hear about it, then it ain’t worth knowing.’

‘But you can also keep a secret, can’t you?’

Little Dicky finished off his rum and poured himself another.

‘Like the grave, man, like the fucking grave. Especially when I’m getting paid up front. A lump of money is a good hearing aid, know what I’m saying. It also helps me to remember what I heard and who I should be telling it to.’

Nick wasn’t offended by the older man’s speech. He had always respected the power of money. Without money you were powerless; with it, you could at least have an inkling of what was going to befall you.