Tony sat silent, wishing that Karen might get involved, might express a view. If she backed out, he’d gladly have followed her. But if she was set on going ahead, he didn’t want to be the one she’d blame for it stalling.

Truth be told, he thought, he’d never really considered the reality of what they were doing. Sitting in the car, watching the house, talking with Karen, spending time in her company, going back to the flat afterwards, the sex, it all seemed like some game, a diversion from his life. He’d never considered really what would happen the man they watched, his sparrow movements, his precise nature. The truth was, he didn’t particularly hate the man; in fact, he felt nothing but indifference.

Unbidden, he saw Danny in his mind’s eye – crushed, broken, his limbs at angles from his body. He thought of Karen, cradling her dead father, a blood-stained kiss on his forehead. He couldn’t make this choice for her, deprive her of this, if this was what she wanted. Would she resent him if he backed out now?

‘I’m in,’ he said.

Karen sat back, letting the pieces of broken card fall from her fingers.

‘Good man,’ Duggan said. ‘We’ve things in place. Sunday will finish it. I’ll take care of everything else. For now, just keep an eye that there’s no sudden change in movements, change in habits. Anything that would suggest someone is talking.’

‘What are you going to do?’ Tony asked, and knew instantly it was the wrong thing to say.

Duggan looked at him askance. ‘Better you don’t know. You’ll find out soon enough.’

‘Be innocent of the knowledge till thou applaud the deed,’ he muttered.

Duggan looked at Kelly, who shrugged. ‘Whatever the fuck that means.’

‘It’s Shakespeare,’ Tony said, a little petulantly.

‘Fancy,’ Duggan said. ‘You’re raising the IQ in this booth by about two hundred per cent son.’

Tony knew Duggan well enough now to recognise the insincerity of the comment. For the first time, he felt totally out of place.

‘And youse need to split up, now,’ Duggan said. ‘No more paired surveillance. He’ll have had a chance to see you both together enough. Split up.’

Karen nodded, but did not speak, nor did she look at Tony. Across the table, Kelly extended his hand. ‘We good?’

Tony regarded him with disdain, and would have refused to shake had it not been for Duggan glaring at him.

‘Man up a bit, son, Shake his hand. What’s done is done.’

Tony wondered whether the quote was deliberate, decided it wasn’t. He took Kelly’s hand, briefly. His grip was light, his skin soft, yet Tony could not but feel an urge to wash his hands after touching him.

Duggan nodded with satisfaction. ‘Good man.’

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty