Donald grinned. ‘Nah! You stay put. I often get a little annoyed, you know. I don’t mean nothing by it.’

Wally relaxed in his seat. ‘I don’t mind, Mr Lewis. I know you don’t mean it.’ He smiled widely at the man beside him.

Lewis frowned. ‘Oh I meant what I said, Wally. You are a ponce. But at the moment that fact isn’t bothering me. I’ll let you know when it does.’

He turned his attention back to the pitch. Georgio scored a goal and everyone cheered. Lewis bit his lip in consternation. Trust Brunos to be the one to do that.

Lewis’s posse was silent at the goal and that pleased him. He liked being in control of things. At the moment he wasn’t in control of Georgio Brunos, and that fact dismayed and aggrieved him. But after his little wife had had a visit from a mutual friend, he was sure Georgio would open up. Once he told Lewis where the money was, and once the money had been recovered, it would be goodbye Georgio.

Lewis smiled at the thought.

Timmy Lambert watched the conversation between Lewis and Wally with interest. He sat across the football pitch from them, but could see them both clearly. Beside him sat Sadie Gold, real name Albert Moore. Sadie was wearing blue eyeshadow, brown mascara and bright red lipstick. His prison shirt was tied under his chest and his jeans were decorated with embroidered flowers. His dark hair was showing an inch of white roots, but it was backcombed out and lacquered.

Timmy and Sadie were an item in the prison. Sadie kept herself to herself and didn’t run around on Timmy, and everyone kept out of their way. Lewis had countenanced the relationship. Being homosexual himself, he wasn’t shocked by it. Some of the younger men were disgusted, shocked, or found it highly amusing. In different circumstances they might have taken pleasure in baiting Sadie. But this was Lewis’s wing and so it was accepted and the two were left in peace. Not many would have taken on Timmy Lambert anyway; Sadie, however, was a different ballgame. They might have approached her for oral or anal sex when the need grew strong, but as it was she was left in relative peace.

Sadie enjoyed being looked after by Timmy; it helped her to do her time, allowed her a modicum of respect and guaranteed her a bit of peace. Sadie had murdered a customer while under the influence of barbiturates and alcohol. Her plea of self-defence might have been taken seriously had not the punter been a famous playwright noted for stunning dialogue and lovingly crafted screen-plays about heterosexual relationships and the trials of adolescent first love. Sadie had been sentenced amid a blaze of public outcry and media attention.