‘Even so, I had the very strong feeling he was still engaged in various bits of skullduggery behind my back. But I didn’t probe too hard. Because at the end of the day you’ve got to see the bigger picture, and that’s to take down the Molloys, for good.’

‘How did you feel when he got blown up?’ asked Bailey, curious to understand more about Dale’s line of work. She herself hadn’t worked anywhere near as closely with informants as he had.

Dale sighed. ‘Well, technically, as his handler, I was responsible for his well-being as a confidential source. But I can’t say I was all that cut up about it. He wasn’t a great human being or anything. I’m just glad no innocent people were hurt in the blast.’

‘Apart from that girl who was with him.’

‘Who? Tiffany?’

‘Was that her name?’

‘Yes. It was a shame that she died of course. I suppose she was innocent. But then, if you’re going to hang around with a villain like Adrian…’

‘She probably didn’t know any better. Probably just thought he was a bloke with a fancy car and lots of money.’

They lapsed into momentary silence. Bailey took a sip of her drink and found that she’d finished it.

Once more she caught Dale scrutinising her scars and she had the feeling he wanted to raise the subject in some way. Again she attempted to deflect his interest.

‘So… are you in a relationship at the moment?’ she said, guessing that he probably wasn’t.

He fixed her with a gaze for a few long moments and she wondered if she’d asked too personal a question, then he smiled. ‘Not at the moment. Haven’t been for a while. I was engaged… a long time ago. But she broke it off. She wanted kids and all that, but I wasn’t ready.’

Bailey raised her eyebrows at the similarities to her own situation. ‘Same thing with me,’ she said. ‘I dated a guy called Mark for two years. He’s a detective sergeant. We were also engaged. He wanted to have kids… and that basically meant me having the kids, and having to give up the work I loved, whilst nothing essentially changed for him.’

‘So you ended it?’

‘I just didn’t see myself as a stay-at-home mum of two.’

‘Are you seeing anyone currently?’ he asked.

Bailey shook her head. She’d been more or less single ever since she’d acquired the scars. The torture had left a vicious legacy: on one level, she was riddled with insecurities about her physical appearance, and on a deeper level, the violations she’d suffered had crippled her ability to form intimate relationships. Sitting here now, on what might be a date, she felt somewhat awkward and out of practice with the whole idea of getting to know someone. But despite all that, she knew inside herself that it was good for her to be going out like this. It was a step towards overcoming her negative experiences. Anyhow, she found she was enjoying Dale’s company.