‘Jock, it’s me, Joycie. Have you found out where that senile old bastard is yet?’

‘I haven’t, Joycie. I ain’t heard a word from him, love.’

‘Well, I need you to do me a favour. I’ve got hardly no food here and I need to do a shop, so you’re gonna have to go to his little drinking haunts and find him for me. I need him to come home now, Jock.’

‘I don’t think Stanley’s gonna take orders from me, Joycie. The best I can do is pop up to where the pigeon club drinks and see if I can find out where he’s staying. If so, I’ll get the address for you.’

‘Thank you, and if you get no joy, let me know and I’m calling the police. The old goat could be lying dead in a ditch for all I know. Then again, I doubt I’d be that lucky.’

Jock laughed at Joycie’s warped sense of humour. ‘I’ll go and see if I can find out anything now and I’ll bell you as soon as I have any news.’

Eddie held Frankie close to his chest. Her hair had been styled, she had make-up on and, even though she was pregnant, she looked a damn sight better than she ever had when she was with Jed.

‘Wow, you look well. Been having a makeover in here, have ya?’

Frankie grinned and sat down. ‘My cellmate Babs made me up. She’s well cool, Dad. Babs is Jamaican and we get on so well. You know when you meet someone and just click? We’re gonna be friends for life, I know we are.’

Eddie frowned. Joey had told him all about this Babs bird and he wasn’t happy at all that his beautiful daughter was sharing a cell with a murderer. ‘You shouldn’t get too friendly with this girl, Frankie. Joey mentioned her to me. She’s up for murder, ain’t she?’

Frankie was instantly annoyed. She knew her dad was only concerned about her welfare, but he could be an irritating bastard at times. ‘Look, I know you’re worried about me, but give me a bit of credit, will ya? I know a wrong ’un when I meet one, living with Jed taught me that. I am currently in Holloway, Dad, so I’m hardly going to be sharing my cell with a nun or a good Samaritan, am I? Babs is truly lovely and I was gonna tell you a bit about what happened to her, but now you’re being a stroppy arsehole, I ain’t gonna bother.’

Eddie held his hands up in an ‘I surrender’ gesture. Frankie was a fiery little cow, she took after him and he hadn’t come here to argue with her. ‘I’m sorry, babe. I just worry about you, that’s all.’

‘Well, you’ve no need to worry. I am quite capable of choosing my own friends and I also know how to look after myself. You really do wind me up sometimes, Dad. When you were inside, you shared with Stuart, who was also a murderer, yet he was the greatest thing since sliced bread. And what about our family? I mean, we’re hardly the fucking Waltons, are we?’