‘You can do what you like to me, Eddie. After what I’ve been through, nothing or no one can hurt me any more. I’ve lost my grandson, my daughter – my life’s all but over, anyway. One thing I will say, though, is you would have done the same thing as I did. I had no choice as a proud man other than to get your brothers killed. They blew my grandson’s brains out and what would you have done if that had happened to one of your grandkids, eh?’

‘I’d have probably done exactly the same,’ Ed replied honestly, admiring the man more and more as each minute ticked past.

‘As for my Sally, my only regret about you getting to me is that I ain’t got revenge for her yet. That’s what I’ve been doing for the past week, stalking that cunt Jed. I was gonna shoot him, blow the pikey bastard’s brains out, and if I’m gonna die tonight, I hope you can at least do that for both of us. I mean, he fucked your daughter’s life up an’ all, didn’t he? Do what you want to me, Eddie, but man to man, swear to me you’ll get revenge for both of our daughters by killing Jed. Can you promise me that? I’ll never rest in peace if you don’t.’

Stuart was at the wheel, driving towards the warehouse. Gary, Ricky and Raymond were sitting in the back and were virtually struck dumb, not only by Baldwin’s honesty, but also the balls the man had.

‘So if you were gonna kill Jed, where’s your gun?’ Gary asked, breaking the silence.

‘In a garage over in Dagenham. I bought a motorbike, and rented a lock-up where I’ve been stashing both. My wife Anne’s due home from Australia next week, she’s been over there ’cause her mother died recently. I was gonna kill Jed in the next couple of days before my Anne came home. If she’d have clocked what I was up to, she would have killed me more violently than yous lot probably will.’

Eddie looked into Terry Baldwin’s eyes. He was sure the man was genuine and, even though he was responsible for Paulie and Ronny’s deaths, Ed couldn’t hate him. Paulie and Ronny had dug their own graves because of their own stupidity, in a strange sort of way. ‘Pull over,’ Ed ordered Stuart.

‘What you doin’, Dad?’ Ricky asked, perplexed.

Eddie ignored his son’s question. ‘You got the keys on you to this garage of yours?’ he asked Terry.

Terry nodded and gave Eddie the address.

‘Best I drive; I know where it is,’ Raymond said, winking at Ed. It was the same road in Dagenham to which he’d followed Baldwin recently.