Carol passed her the crowbar and walked from the lock-up, her heart in her mouth.

Whatever they found, even if it was nothing, Carol knew it would be the final nail in her marriage to Davey, because she would never, ever forgive him for putting her through all this.

As she shut the door of the lock-up, all her fear of Paddy and Davey evaporated . . . overshadowed by the fear of finding the remains of a child.

Georgio watched the minute hand of the clock reach ten. Then Big Ricky went to the camera in the corner of the room and, standing on a chair, he placed a sweatshirt over the lens.

Georgio watched and then Lewis walked towards him and he smiled. Lewis didn’t smile back.

All eyes were on Denning and Hall, and the two men sensed that their lives were in grave danger. The rec room was ominously quiet as the men waited for the first blow to fall.

Ricky took out of the waistband of his trousers a long-handled knife. It was made from the remains of a broom-handle, and fixed into the end of it was the blade of a steak knife stolen from the kitchens. He waved it in front of his face with a deep laugh.

Denning grabbed Hall’s hand as if the action could save them and the men in the room sniggered.

Ricky and Georgio walked towards them. Georgio pulled out his own blade, a smaller, scaled-down version of Big Ricky’s.

‘Thought we didn’t know who you were, didn’t you?’ Georgio’s voice was low.

Then Ricky stabbed Hall in his stomach, pulling the blade across the beer belly, a deep red gash appearing as if by magic. Hall grabbed his stomach in both hands, mortal fear on his face. Denning watched in fascinated silence as did the rest of the men in the rec room. First blood had been drawn, and it seemed as if that caused the men watching to go mad.

Chopper picked up a chair and smashed it against the pool table. Grasping a chair leg, he began to lay into Denning, putting all his considerable strength into the blows he rained down on the man’s body. Denning dropped to the floor at the first assault and then the men were all over him and Hall.

Lewis walked calmly over to Georgio, who was watching the spectacle, fascinated.

‘Aren’t you going to help your friends out?’ Lewis said.

The words were lost in the shouts and the screams of the two men being attacked.