‘Well, you gotta promise me, then, that if anyone annoys you or won’t do what you tell ’em to do, then you clump them. You got that?’

‘What, punch them, Daddy?’ Harry asked innocently.

‘Yep, that’s right, son. Whether it be a boy, girl, man, woman, or even a fucking animal, if it gets in your way, you crack it one.’

As Harry jumped out of the car, grabbed hold of her long dark hair and dragged her to the ground, Georgie stopped giggling. ‘Stop it,’ she screamed, as Harry started to punch her.

When Georgie clutched her face and began to cry, Harry immediately realised the error of his father’s instructions. ‘I’m sorry, Georgie,’ he said as he kneeled down beside her and put his chubby arms around her. ‘I love you, I didn’t mean it. Daddy told me to do it.’

Frankie hugged her twin brother and then sat down opposite him with a false smile on her face. Reliving the memories of what Jed had done to her grandad had made her feel physically sick, but she knew she had to put on a brave face. Joey knew her better than anyone and she didn’t want him clocking that anything was amiss.

‘So, where’s Dom? I thought he was coming with you,’ she enquired brightly.

‘He’s waiting for me in the pub. I thought it was best I came alone, so we can talk, Frankie. There’s stuff we need to discuss.’

‘Talk about what?’ Frankie asked, as innocently as she could.

Joey leaned across the table. ‘Like why you wanted to speak to that DI Blyth woman. What’s going on, sis?’

‘Nothing! I just wanted to tell her some stuff about Jed, that’s all.’

‘Like what?’ Joey asked suspiciously.

‘Like that he used to fucking rob old people. You don’t know the ’arf of it, Joey. Him and that Sammy used to get them to make wills out in their names and all sorts. They were pure evil, the pair of them.’

‘Really! How did they do that, then?’

Frankie explained how Jed and Sammy earned a crust by conning pensioners who were living alone and was relieved when Joey seemed to relax.

‘So that’s the only reason why you wanted to speak to the Old Bill then, is it?’ Joey asked her.

Frankie nodded. She really didn’t need the Spanish Inquisition from Joey, not after the morning she’d had already. ‘Who told you about the Old Bill coming to see me? I take it it was Dad, and Larry had told him?’

‘Dad’s just worried about you, that’s all. I wish you’d make up with him, Frankie.’

Frankie chuckled sarcastically. ‘So how is our wonderful father and the old tart doing? Painted the nursery yet, have they?’