Deep inside he believed it too, but he had already lost one son and he was loath to lose another, to believe his first born was capable of such treachery. His Petey was a gambler, and he would never change. He was no fucking better than the people they fleeced on a daily basis, who spent their days dreaming about the big win, the big payout. They could never see that they lost far more money to the bets over time than they could ever recoup. His son had so much already, all of which had been handed to him on a plate. He didn’t need to gamble; he had a fucking good earn – an earn that most people would have got down on their knees and thanked God for. But his son had a sickness; like his Jack, young Petey was a waste of space.

Peter blamed himself; he had protected his eldest boy, given him chances he wouldn’t have allowed anyone else. That this child of his, who he had trusted, seen as his heir, could be capable of such hate was beyond him. His boy had been there the night of the bombing, he had been celebrating in the club with them. And all the time he had been waiting for his father to go out to his car and die.

It was one of the few times in his life that Peter Bailey wanted to cry. Treachery was always worse when it concerned a blood relative; it was hard for a parent to admit they had bred someone so heinous and disloyal.

Danny was heart-sorry for his uncle, but he was adamant that the truth had to be revealed no matter how much it might hurt. It would be far more fucking dangerous if he kept his trap shut – that was the bottom line. There was far too much at stake here, and not just money-wise.

‘I can’t believe this, Daniel, it’s too much.’ Peter looked at his brother, hoping that he would come to his aid, tell him that it was a mistake and his son loved him, and could never hurt him. He tried another tack; clutching at straws now. ‘I saw all the police reports, and so did your father, didn’t you, Daniel? They said nothing about any of this.’ Peter Bailey could hear the desperation in his own voice; he knew that he had to face this head on, but it was so much harder than he would ever have believed.