Paddy stood up, and for a few seconds his sheer size frightened her. She had to shake herself mentally and tell herself that this was Big Paddy whom she’d known for years, not some stranger out to mug her. He walked purposefully towards her.

‘I’m losing me fecking patience, Dolly. Now tell me where she is!’

She pushed him away with both her hands. ‘Are you threatening me, Paddy Donovon?’

Davey stood up, his open face troubled. ‘Come away from her, Paddy, there’s a good man.’

Paddy turned his head to face him. ‘Keep out of this, Davey, right?’ He whipped round to Dolly and with one large meaty hand, grabbed her hair at the nape of her neck and pulled her head back painfully.

‘Tell me where she’s gone, old lady, or I swear before God I’ll beat the shite out of you.’

Davey’s voice was shocked. ‘Paddy, for fuck’s sake!’

‘Enough! Now tell me what I want to know. I told you - I’m losing me fecking patience.’

Dolly stared up at Paddy with terrified eyes. This was a man she had never seen before, a brute who frightened her witless. Her voice was frail as she said weakly, ‘She’s gone to Liverpool, that’s all I know. Where she went before.’

Her mind was working overtime to find a destination and now she had found one, she hoped against hope he’d believe her.

Paddy’s face screwed up in consternation. ‘Liverpool? What on earth for?’

Dolly began to cry softly, her voice drenched with tears as she said, ‘I don’t know, I swear to you. She told me not to tell a soul about it. She tells me nothing and now you know why. I can’t be trusted, I can’t be trusted! Oh Paddy, please let me go, you’re hurting me.’

He released his hold on her hair and snarled into her face, ‘If you’re lying to me, you old cunt, you’ll regret it.’

He stormed from the kitchen and Dolly slumped against the worksurface, holding her hand to her bruised neck.

‘I’m sorry, Dolly love, I didn’t think he’d—’

Dolly cut him off. ‘Go away, Davey. Whatever this is all about, I hope to Christ you both lose out by it, I really do. There’s something rotten going on and I hope to Christ you get your comeuppance. That’ll be me prayer from this day on.’

She turned away from him. Davey looked at the bent old back for a few moments before hurrying out of the house and to the car.

Paddy was already behind the wheel, his face like thunder. ‘If she’s gone to Liverpool, she’s gone to JoJo or Coyne.’

Davey nodded imperceptibly.