She nodded, big tears welling in her eyes. ‘They’re all over me. On me tits, arse, the lot.’

Tony stared at the criss-cross cuts all over Tippy’s thighs. Some were superficial and some looked deep. All were scabbed over. Purple and black bruises abounded.

‘I’ve been pissing blood all night, Tony. He shoved something up inside me.’ Her voice broke. ‘He tied me up and he had a knife. He kept holding it at me throat and threatening me . . .’

She began to cry in earnest and Tony, for the first time in his life, felt emotion for a working girl. He took her in his arms and cuddled her.

‘All right, Tippy. Calm down, love.’

‘How am I gonna work while I’m like this, Tone? I’ll be out of action for weeks. And supposing he comes back? He knows where I live, he knows I won’t go to the Old Bill.’ Her face was grimy with tears and Tony set her gently on the chair.

‘Listen, Tippy, I’ll give you enough to tide you over. And I’ll have a talk with the bloke, all right? Make sure he leaves you alone in future. OK?’

‘Promise.’

‘I promise. Now how about I take you to a doctor I know in Swiss Cottage. Payment on the nose and no questions asked. How’s that?’

Tippy nodded, wiping her streaming face with her hands.

‘I’ll just go and tell Emmanuel to mind the shop and we’ll be on our way.’

Tony Jones walked from the room. Who would have thought it? A polite little bloke like that with a tiger in his tank? Tony shook his head in wonderment. He’d have to sort George out in a delicate way. He didn’t want to lose a regular customer. He’d just warn him off Tippy by saying she’d got herself a big coon for a boyfriend. There was nothing like a big coon or a dose of clap to get rid of a punter.

He shook his head again. Poor old Tippy. She’d be scarred for life.

Terry Miller picked up the Grantley Times. He had just made himself a cup of coffee and sat in his mum’s kitchen smoking a cigarette. There were six Miller children, ranging in age from nineteen to seven. Terry was eighteen and his brother Charlie nineteen. To sit in relative peace and quiet in the Miller house was a very rare occurrence and Terry was enjoying it. That was until he saw what was on the front page.