‘Hopefully you can soon, but you have to do what I tell you to do, is that OK? Will you do that for me?’

Georgie and Harry both nodded excitedly. They couldn’t wait to see their mum.

‘In a little while a man and a lady are going to come here. You must tell them that you ran away from home because you miss your mum so much. The lady will ask you some questions and you must tell her that you don’t like living with your dad, Nanny Alice and Grandad Jimmy. Tell her you want to live with Nanny Joyce, Uncle Joey, or me.’

‘Will she take us to see Mummy then?’ Harry enquired.

‘Not tonight, but hopefully very soon,’ Eddie replied.

‘Why did Mummy leave us?’ Georgie asked sadly.

Eddie stroked her long, dark hair. ‘Your Mummy didn’t leave you. She would never do that because she loves you and Harry more than anything in the world. Something happened between your mum and dad and the police took your mummy away for a little while.’

Georgie chewed her fingernails. ‘Is Mummy in prison? Daddy says she is and Nanny Alice says she’s an old shitcunt.’

Eddie could barely believe what he was hearing. He was no angel, but how could any grandmother teach her four-year-old granddaughter that type of language? ‘Your Nanny Alice needs her mouth washed out with soap. Tell the lady that as well, Georgie, tell her what Nanny Alice said about your mum. Don’t forget, will ya?’

‘She said Mummy is an old shitcunt,’ Harry repeated proudly. Neither child was old enough to understand the meaning of such awful language.

‘Good boy,’ Eddie said, patting Harry on the head. Larry and the social worker would be here soon, and they needed to get this right. ‘Now, I want you to pretend that I’m the lady and when I ask you a question, you are to answer it like I told you to. Can you do that for me?’

Both children nodded.

‘So, why did you run away from home?’ Eddie asked.

Joyce, Joey and Dominic all smiled at one another as the children repeated what Ed had told them to say. Georgie was especially convincing, as she answered every question in detail with the answers her grandfather had given her.

‘Was that your idea or Larry’s, Dad?’ Joey asked, impressed.

‘A bit of both really, but it was Larry’s idea to get the social worker involved. She’s got a lot of sway, apparently.’

‘I can’t believe the O’Haras ain’t knocked here. I mean, surely they know the kids are missing,’ Joyce said, perplexed.

‘They’re scum, what do you expect?’ Eddie replied.

Dominic turned to Georgie and Harry. ‘Where was your dad, nan and grandad when you ran away? Were they all at home?’ he asked.

Both children shook their heads. ‘Nanny Alice and Grandad Jimmy went out and Daddy was in the front room with Sally, making funny noises,’ Georgie replied.

Eddie glanced at Joey, shook his head and knelt down again. ‘Tell the lady that as well. Tell her that when you ran away, Daddy was making funny noises with his girlfriend in another room.’