‘I’m so glad you could make it, Bailey,’ she said.

Trying not to look at the man in the chair, Bailey forced a smile and a nonchalant shrug as if this was nothing she couldn’t handle. But inside she fought against the revulsion at what she was seeing, trying to keep a lid on the simmering recall of her own experiences of torture. One thing she could not afford to do right now was let a flashback overwhelm her.

‘I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,’ she said.

‘Remember I told you I would show you how we operate,’ said Nancy. ‘Well, you’re party to a prime example of a gangland interrogation. Molloy-style.’

Bailey knew from personal experience that there were no bounds to what could be done in this kind of situation. And it looked like they’d only just got started. She wondered who the poor victim was. He looked to be quite young, maybe in his thirties, and was possibly even quite handsome, although in this state it was hard to tell. He twisted his head slowly to look up at Bailey from beneath his matted hair, his wide eyes filled with pure unadulterated fear. She knew exactly how he felt.

‘Have you even let him talk?’ said Rick.

‘Not yet. We were just softening him up for you,’ said Shane.

‘We caught up with him in Leeds,’ said Stephen. ‘He’d been lying low up there since Christmas. Some of our contacts up there alerted us to his presence.’

Bailey was starting to get an idea who this was. This was Marcus, Adrian’s scuzzy coke-dealer friend who Wendy had mentioned. The one the Molloys had been searching for in connection with the car bomb.

‘Well, let’s hear him talk,’ said Rick.

Archie stepped forward and viciously ripped the duct tape off Marcus’s mouth. He immediately expelled a snort of snot and saliva, the drools hanging down off his face. He began to whimper and babble incoherently.

Archie slapped him hard around the face, then, grabbing a handful of his hair, wrenched his head around so he was facing Rick.

Marcus instantly stopped his babbling and stared at Rick transfixed.

‘We know you were involved in Adrian’s murder,’ said Rick.

‘I… No… I wasn’t… No… I didn’t…’ Marcus’s voice came out in panting fits and spurts.

‘Why were you hiding from us then?’ demanded Stephen.

‘You’d better give us some answers,’ growled Shane.

‘Or do you want me to carry on ironing your bollocks?’ whispered Archie.

Marcus twitched convulsively and squirmed against his bonds, making an animal-like keening noise.

‘What was that?’ said Rick, cupping his ear. ‘I couldn’t quite make that out.’

‘Mist… Mister… Mister Snigiss…’

The utterance sent an ominous prickle through Bailey. Her breathing quickened.

The Molloys exchanged looks of confusion.

‘You’re not making any sense!’ said Shane, giving Marcus a sharp prod in the head.

‘Mister Snigiss!’ blurted Marcus. ‘It was Mister Snigiss!’

‘Mister Snigiss?’ said Stephen, pushing the camera into Marcus’s face. ‘Who’s Mister Snigiss?’