Kate nodded to him, aware he was watching her in the mirror. ‘A coffee would be nice, thanks, Willy.’

They drove in silence to a small transport cafe on the A13. He parked the Rolls where he could watch it from the window and took her inside. It was empty except for two women and one lone lorry driver, who gave Kate the once over as she sat down and Willy bought two coffees. Happier now she was within sight of people, she gradually relaxed. She lit a cigarette and sipped her coffee.

‘I wanted to talk to you about last night, Kate. Can I call you Kate?’

She nodded. ‘What about last night?’

‘Well, after we dropped you off, Pat was really down. I think he knew he had made a mistake, letting you see what was going to happen, but you must understand him, Kate - Patrick had your best interests at heart. He was trying to save your job and your relationship with him. He has a bit of sway with the big boys, as you probably guessed. Once that pra—I mean, once your ex-husband gives them the news he was just trying to stir up hag, they’ll close the case there and then, and it will never be referred to again.’

Kate sipped her coffee and lit another cigarette from the butt of the previous one.

Willy sighed. ‘Pat wouldn’t have hurt him, I know that for a fact. Sometimes you have to use a bit of friendly persuasion . . .’

‘If that’s friendly persuasion, I’d hate to see you do it to someone you didn’t like!’

‘But that’s just it - we only scared him, that’s all. It was Pat seeing him slap you in the car park, it made him mad. Madder than hell. He was just trying to help you, that’s all.’

Kate sucked on her cigarette and the smoke billowed around her head like a cloud.

‘You got to understand Pat. He comes from an area that was poor, and I mean poor. We had nothing. He’s worked his arse off to get what he’s got. He ain’t bothered about people like your old man. They’re nothing to him, nothing at all. He did that last night for you.

‘Pat hasn’t put the frighteners on anyone before who wasn’t directly involved in one of his businesses. In our game, someone gets out of order you threaten them with a bit of a slap. It’s the law of the street and you live by it. I mean, it’s not unknown for Old Bill to scare a suspect shitless until he’s put his hand up for something he didn’t commit. Look at them pub bombing blokes and that. The Old Bill beat the crap out of them. Well, with us, we just threaten.’

God forgive me for lying, he thought.