Mike pulled off the main road, where there was a small gap among the parked cars, and he nodded. ‘I wondered if you would. Ya see, I have this gift. I can tell when someone’s holding something back. I would’ve smashed it out of you eventually, but if I’d done that, you’d be no good to me with no face to talk to.’

Woodrow gulped. ‘I’ll tell you who hurt your son and killed that girl, in return for my sister’s life. She’s kind-hearted – works at King’s College Hospital – and she’s got a baby of her own. She looks after me muvver as well. She does all her shopping. Ya know, just . . . ’ He stopped when the tears tumbled down his cheeks. ‘She doesn’t deserve to be hurt for us. I mean, me and me brothers. It wouldn’t be fair.’

Mike remained poker-faced. He wouldn’t lose his temper with Woodrow. He wanted the truth, and now he felt that at long last he was going to hear it, even though he’d had a strong suspicion who’d hurt his son. ‘Go on!’

Woodrow stared, looking for some compassion in Regan’s eyes, but he should have known there wouldn’t be any. ‘If I tell you, will you leave her alone?’

Mike nodded. ‘You give me their names and not any cock-and-fucking-bull story either, and I won’t touch her.’

Woodrow slowly closed his eyes as more tears plummeted down his cheeks. The words almost choked him to death. ‘If you must know, it was Dez. He did it. I never knew he’d killed the girl that was with Ricky, but I do know he raped one a while ago. Well, he’s raped more than one. He did it by shoving drugs down their throat, so I guess he did it to her as well. I heard what’d happened on the grapevine, and I told him to leave it. I never knew all the details, only that he’d had a beef with you and Ricky in prison.’

‘And who was the other bloke with him?’

Woodrow shook his head, with regret clearly showing on his face. ‘That, Mr Regan, I really don’t know, but I know it wasn’t Randy.’

‘Why are you so sure?’