Lowry took a deep breath. ‘Jesus, that is one hell of a coincidence because Kendall, God rest her soul, is Stoneham’s niece. She’s Kendall Mullins, the MP’s daughter, no less.’

Staffie gasped. ‘What the fuck!’

‘So, my friend, Stoneham, as much as he’s the bigwig, feels he’s made a wrong move. I can only guess right now, as he comforts his grieving sister, that he’s feeling as guilty as hell.’

‘Christ, that poor kid. What the fuck those animals did to her, only she will know.’

There was a pause and a sigh before Lowry went on. ‘I guess the rules have changed now. I can only assume you lot won’t just be smacking a few heads together? And I know it was probably a bit of a game to you guys, a few rucks for your liberty, but I can bet my bottom dollar you’ll want blood now.’

Staffie stared into the man’s eyes, sussing him out. ‘And I assume you’ll turn a blind eye to a war that may well take place?’

Lowry nodded. ‘Your DNA and fingerprint records have been destroyed, so the world’s your oyster, therefore no worries on that score. I’ve been in the force for most of my life and never have the crimes been so disturbing. We don’t have the powers through the courts or the manpower needed to take all these scumbags off the streets for good. So, the cycle of nick and release continues while innocent people get hurt. I really don’t care anymore how these thugs end up, just as long as they aren’t in a position to fuck people over or sell that evil shit and build up a small army creating druggies willing to commit murder for their next fix.’

‘Simon, when we got released early, the truth was we were gonna threaten a few scallies like you asked us to and try and put a stop to the drug sellers’ pitches like the Daylight Inn’s gents’. But, honestly, and you were right, we weren’t taking it too seriously. Working with the law, it sort of goes against the grain. But now, it’s personal. We are in a whole different ballgame. So, I will promise you this. We won’t stop until we find out who the fuck is responsible for our Ricky’s injuries and that poor girl’s death. However, you have to be upfront with us and give us everything you have, and I mean everything. We may not be detectives, but we can get blood out of a stone.’