‘Don’t get out, she might be a fucking loony,’ Stuart said apprehensively.

Frankie ignored his advice and, as he got back in the car, she got out and nervously faced Katie.

‘What’s a matter? Is Mummy OK?’ Brett asked, crying. All the shouting had woken him up.

‘Your mother’s fine. She’ll be back in a minute,’ Stuart reassured him.

‘What do you mean, you know where my kids are?’ Frankie spat, as she walked towards Katie.

‘They’re in Scotland. They’re living on a private site in Glasgow with Jed, Jimmy and Alice.’

‘You fucking liar. Jed’s dead,’ Frankie screamed.

Katie glared at the angry girl she was so desperately trying to help. ‘No he ain’t. Jed’s alive and if you’d just trust me for once, I can prove it to ya.’

Chapter Thirty-Four

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Frankie was shell-shocked as she stared at Katie in a gobsmacked silence.

‘I ain’t lying. I swear on my chavvies’ lives, I ain’t lying,’ Katie said.

Stuart lifted Brett out of the back of the car and walked towards where Frankie and Katie were standing. ‘What’s goin’ on?’

‘She reckons Jed’s still alive and is living in Glasgow with Georgie and Harry,’ Frankie replied. She felt sick and her legs and hands were shaking uncontrollably.

Stuart glared at Katie. If she was building Frankie’s hopes up and playing some sick joke, he would personally kill the fucking girl himself. ‘Let’s go inside. We can’t talk properly out here,’ he commented sensibly.

‘So, what’s the address? Have you seen my kids? What do they look like?’ Frankie rambled. She had so many questions, she didn’t know where to start.

‘What’s a matter, Mummy?’ Brett asked, tugging Frankie’s arm.

‘Can you put him to bed for me and then pour us all a large brandy or something?’ Frankie asked Stuart.

As Stu left the room, Katie answered some of Frankie’s questions. ‘I went to a family funeral a few weeks back and my cousin Danny was there with his wife, Trisha. When Trish’s pissed, she’s a bit of a blabbermouth and she was the one that told me about Jed. They’d been loads of rumours flying about over the years as to why the O’Haras had disappeared. Some people thought Jed had been murdered, but Trish reckons his cousin Sammy was killed, not him. That’s why the O’Haras left, apparently, ’cause they knew the bullets were meant for Jed.’

‘Have you got an actual address for him?’ Frankie asked. She was still very sceptical.

‘No, I couldn’t ask too much, ’cause I didn’t want people to get suspicious, but I wrote down all the info I managed to get out of Trish for yer. I was worried I’d forget it if I didn’t.’