Eddie treated Stuart to a nice slap-up meal in a steak-house in Canning Town, then drove towards the Flag. He had no intention of going in there. His pal, John, had retired years ago and the pub itself brought back so many memories of his dad, Harry, that any time Ed had been in there since his death, he’d felt like bloody well crying.

‘See that boozer, Stu? That’s the Flag where me, me dad and me brothers used to frequent. The old guvnor, John, ain’t there no more, but we had some top nights in there years ago. It was sort of our headquarters in a way, I suppose.’

Stuart nodded. Eddie had mentioned the Flag a few times in prison and he remembered the name. ‘Have you found out any more news about your dad, Ed?’

Eddie shook his head sadly. Even after six years, his dad’s murderer still hadn’t been found. ‘No one knows fuck-all, mate. I sent Gary and Ricky sniffing around again a few weeks back, but it’s a stone-cold trail. As for the Old Bill, they won’t admit it, but I’m sure they’ve closed the case. My old man was a thorn in the filth’s side for years and I personally believe they were glad to see the back of him.’

Stuart put a comforting hand on Eddie’s shoulder. Even in the nick, Ed had found talking about his dad’s death difficult and Stu could see how upset he was now. ‘Let’s find a quiet pub and have a beer, eh, mate?’

Eddie took the handbrake off and pulled away. He shouldn’t have come here, but he had wanted Stuart to see the gaff. ‘There’s a whore house down the road. Shall I take you there?’

Stuart looked at Eddie to see if he was serious or mucking about. He was serious. ‘Fuck off, Ed. I could do with letting off a bit of steam, but I ain’t that desperate. To be honest, I’m quite choosy when it comes to birds and I’d rather bide my time till I find one I like. Made a right ricket with the last one, didn’t I? And I can’t afford to do that again. I’d rather just concentrate on work from now on.’

Eddie glanced at Stuart and was glad to see him smiling. Stuie had done bird for killing a geezer who had raped his ex-girlfriend, Carly. The boy had expected to do his bit of bird then spend the rest of his life with Carly, until one day she’d sent him a ‘Dear John’ letter telling him she’d met someone else and was up the spout by her new beau. Stu had been devastated and it had taken him a while to snap out of his depression, but he seemed OK about it now, thank God.