‘It was Librium.’ Alan’s voice was low. ‘The man was Karol Denoy. He had more drugs in his system than fucking Jimmy Hendrix and they forced more inside him. He was a mate.’

Anthony paused. ‘Well, after a week, the Governor came down on the Wing to have his usual constitutional around the nick and I caught him lovely. I went, “Sir?” And as he turned around I let him have a bucketful right in his mush. He went fucking mental! The screws was running round like scalded whores and I laughed my fucking head off.’

‘What happened then?’ Donna’s voice was frightened and all three men picked up on that.

Anthony smiled at her amiably. ‘They put me in a straitjacket and kicked the shit out of me on the block. But it was worth it. I spent eight months in solitary. They spat in my food, pissed in me tea. You name it, they did it, and I didn’t give a flying fuck. It was worth it.’

Donna’s face was devoid of colour but she nodded at him in acceptance of what he said.

‘Surely they can’t get away with all that now?’ Alan laughed out loud. ‘Don’t you read the papers, Donna? The Guildford Four, the Birmingham Six? I’ve had more than my fair share of hidings over the years. Now when I killed Won Tang it was a different ballgame. The Old Bill treated me like visiting royalty. Getting me tea, fags, magazines. They knew the score with him and I’d done them a right favour. With him off the street they knew their job was a lot easier.’

Eric smiled at Donna, sorry for her but also slightly annoyed with her at the same time.

‘You’ll learn the rules to live by when you’re on the trot with your old man, love. It really is a different ballgame. You’ll spend your whole life looking over your shoulder, wondering what the next day will bring. Whether you’ll be caught, and charged as an accessory. Whether the filth will be waiting when you get home, whether you’ll be banged up or allowed bail. You’ve got it all to come. Do you think you can handle it? Only this could get a bit rough, you know. This isn’t TV, my dear, this is real life.’

Donna realised that all three men were watching her intently. The easy camaraderie was gone. Alan and Anthony really wanted to know the answer to their question. Taking a deep breath, she finally and irrevocably put herself on the line.

‘I can handle it, Eric. The point is, can you?’

The three laughed, and Donna felt the tension leave the room. She laughed with them, while inside her bowels felt as if they were turning to iced water and her heart beat so loud she wondered how the three of them didn’t remark on the sound.