‘Come and sit beside me, let me look at that eye. You shouldn’t have annoyed me, you know, Owen. I don’t like hurting my boys. I just want to look after them, that’s all.’ McDougall’s voice had the sing-song quality that Owen was beginning to loathe, along with everything else about the man. He was aware that Jimmy was trying to talk him into doing what he wanted.

‘Come on, Owen, you know it makes sense. Think of all the money you’d have if you just played along with me . . . I give Joseph ten pounds a day to spend on what he likes. And how many twelve year olds do you know on money like that, eh? Answer me that then. Over seventy quid a week I give him sometimes. And all me other boys. I’ve got loads of boys you know . . . all ages and sizes.’ Jimmy’s voice had taken on a threatening inflection. It was a veiled threat but not wasted on Owen all the same.

‘Some of my bigger boys are very nasty, you know, Owen, and if they thought that someone, especially someone young and green, was taking the piss they would be very annoyed. ’Cos they love me, you see.’

Owen was half relieved and half scared when a discreet tap came on the front door. Happy because it took Jimmy away from him, and scared in case it was some of the bigger boys that he’d just been talking about. Jimmy leapt off the sofa and pulled on a reasonably clean pair of trousers from the floor. Then, smoothing his hair with his hands, he went to the front door.

Owen heard mumbled voices and then Jimmy walked back into the room with a man in a black suit. He was carrying a briefcase and he smiled at Owen. He felt his heart sink.

‘The boy’s in here, sir. I keep the door locked because you know what children are like. Always prying into things that don’t concern them.’ Jimmy spoke as if he was a benevolent father and smiled at the visitor. He smiled back and Owen felt the sickness again. The man was going in to the little boy in the bedroom.

The house where they were had once been a large, imposing residence, now it was a mismatch of flats and bedsits. It still had the communal front door and as they were on the ground floor, their front door came into their lounge. The rooms that were once the morning room and the dining room were now bedrooms. All the windows were barred, as they had been since the houses were built. Jimmy also had the basement flat. He had set-ups like this all over London. Once Owen was established and trustworthy, he would be relocated to one of the other safe houses.