‘That sounds like a really wise investment,’ she said, nodding her head earnestly.

‘I could sort you out with one off-plan if you’re interested.’

‘Ooh, tempting… although perhaps I should wait until we’ve concluded our forthcoming deal. Then I’ll have a bit more money in my pocket.’

He gave her a magisterial smile. ‘Carry on doing business with me, Bailey, and I’ll make you rich.’

He left Bailey to ponder these words as he turned his attention to Shane, who’d come up that moment to ask him a question.

‘Can you pass the salt, please?’ said Wendy, breaking Bailey’s train of thought.

‘Sure,’ said Bailey. She passed her the salt shaker, noticing as she did so that Wendy now had bright pink nails.

‘What beautiful nails,’ remarked Bailey. ‘Again!’

Wendy fluttered her long eyelashes at the compliment. ‘I deliberately wear pink to annoy her.’ She nodded towards Nancy. ‘She hates it. It’s her worst colour. I mean, look at her. She’s all blacks and dark purples. So oppressive.’

‘I take it you two don’t get on then?’ said Bailey, probing a little, well aware that antagonism between individuals within criminal groups could be exploited to gain information or influence their activities.

Wendy lowered her voice and leaned in towards Bailey. ‘Let me tell you, she’s not the kind of mother-in-law you’d want to wish upon anyone. No one’ll ever be good enough for her darling son. Him being the youngest and everything, they’re always mummy’s favourite. She scared away all his other girlfriends.’

‘But not you?’

‘Nah. I’m not scared of her, even if she does think I’m just some dumb blonde who’s into beauty products.’ She paused. ‘I know exactly what their game is though. I know they’re a bunch of villains through and through. I know my husband’s no angel. Not that he ever tells me anything. But who cares? It’s all boring anyway. Money, money, money.’

‘Shame about Adrian, though,’ said Bailey, angling for some further insight.

Wendy curled her lip in disdain. ‘I can’t say it surprised me that he came to a sticky end.’

‘Oh? Why?’

Wendy peered over Bailey’s shoulder to check that Rick wasn’t listening. Bailey glanced around to see that he’d got up and was now standing at another table chatting to some other members of the gang.

‘Well…’ Wendy whispered conspiratorially, ‘he was a bit of a nob. Always talking himself up. A bit too flash. A bit of a Champagne Charlie. Liked the nose powder a little too much, if you ask me. Always getting into trouble. Picking fights with people. Slagging people off in public. Something like that car bomb was bound to happen sooner or later.’

Bailey nodded to herself. It more or less corroborated what Dale had told her about Adrian.

‘The problem was that he thought he was a proper player,’ said Wendy. ‘But that was just the drugs made him believe that about himself. Rick, for all his faults, doesn’t touch them and he always despised Adrian because of his addictions. Saw him as weak.’