‘Girl,’ he said, his voice cracking on the rope, staring at her. ‘It’s been so long. Why didn’t you come sooner?’ She hadn’t expected that. She felt absurdly guilty to have someone else here to hear that. But now Alf was looking across at Costain, startled. ‘What’s he doing here?’

‘He’s—’

‘You’re telling me that you and him—?’

Costain could only stare. He’d taken a couple of steps backwards, Ross realized. He was now almost flat against the wall. He’d put a hand up to cover his nose and mouth. His expression was terrified.

Ross quickly turned back to her father. ‘We’re not here about that.’

‘I know you work with him, I keep an eye on you. But you know he was one of Rob’s men—’

‘Yeah. He was undercover—’

‘But he really was one of Rob’s men. Rob was like a dad to him. You haven’t seen him – I have, girl.’

‘I’ve heard the tapes—’

‘You haven’t heard everything.’ Her father had actually started to cry. ‘Don’t trust him, girl.’

‘She doesn’t!’ That had come from Costain, a shout from behind his hand.

She didn’t know how to deal with all this. This wasn’t what she’d come here for. ‘Dad, I came here to ask about the case we’re on—’

‘The Ripper. I know, I watch you. You don’t come to see me, but I see you.’

‘Do you know anything about what it is?’

‘I can see any bit of London I want to. You can see everything from up here. They like us to see what we’re missing. But I don’t have no bloody way of watching out for something when I don’t know what I’m looking for, do I? I follow you. I follow you too, boy! But I don’t see every time someone’s murdered.’

‘So—’

‘But don’t you go thinking I’m useless and leave me alone here! It’s all up here! What’s that they say, “Hell is other people”? The things I can’t tell you! Don’t you know, boy? You’ve had a glimpse of it.’

Costain closed his eyes and appeared to be controlling his breathing, didn’t seem able to reply.

‘What do you mean, Dad?’