As Stuart walked back in the room, Frankie told Katie to repeat what she’d just said. Stuart felt his hand tremble slightly as he poured out the brandies. If what Katie was saying was true, and Terry Baldwin had shot the wrong person, Eddie would go fucking apeshit.

Frankie studied the piece of paper that Katie had given her. ‘Who’s Babby Bower?’ she asked, confused.

‘It’s the pub in Glasgow Jimmy O’Hara drinks in. I dunno if I got the name exactly right, I ain’t much good at spelling, but that’s what it sounded like.’

Stuart handed the girls their drinks and snatched the piece of paper from Frankie. ‘Who’s Mickey Maloney?’ he asked Katie.

‘He’s the bloke that owns the land where Jed and the kids are meant to be living. Jimmy and Alice live there as well, so Trish reckons.’

‘So, why did this Trish tell you all this?’ Stuart asked suspicously.

‘Because she knows that Sammy raped me and I had his kid. She wanted me to know that I ain’t ever got to worry about him turning up again. It was my cousin Danny that told her Sammy was the one that got murdered and Jed is still alive. Trish might have been drunk when she told me, but I know she weren’t lying. The truth comes out in drink, don’t it?’

‘Where you going?’ Frankie asked, as Stuart got up.

‘To get me phone out the car. We need to tell your Dad all this, Frankie.’

‘No, you can’t tell him. He’ll go mental; he’ll do something stupid and get himself locked up again. Ring DI Blyth instead, I’ve got her number in the address book, she’ll know what to do,’ Frankie insisted.

Usually Stuart allowed Frankie to get her own way with things, but on this occasion he couldn’t. Ignoring her advice, Stuart picked up his car keys and walked out of the room.

Over in Rettendon, Eddie Mitchell was winding up his wife. When they’d stopped the motor earlier, she’d thoroughly enjoyed their spur-of-the-moment liaison, but since returning home she’d had her appalled head on instead.

‘Don’t you ever do that to me again, Eddie Mitchell. It wasn’t even that dark. Say the police would have pulled up or something? They’d have definitely reported us to social services for leaving the kids unattended.’

Eddie laughed out loud. ‘A bit of spontaneity never hurt anyone, and you certainly weren’t complaining earlier.’

‘I’ll answer that while you pour me another glass of wine,’ Gina said haughtily as the phone rang.

Ed took a bottle of Pinot Grigio out of the fridge and was about to open it when Gina dashed into the kitchen. ‘It’s Stuart. He said it’s really urgent.’