Bailey smiled at the compliment. ‘Why, thank you. I’m just trying to earn a crust, like anyone else really. After all, there’s no pension in what I do, so I want to make as much money as I can now.’

With Nancy opening up to her in this way about her family, Bailey realised that this ruthless gangland matriarch was beginning to actually trust and like her. On the basis of her previous undercover experience, Bailey had found that she could sometimes end up developing an emotional attachment to these people, almost becoming friends with them, or at least being in the position where they perceived her as their friend. But, unbeknownst to them, her only reason for being with them was to make sure that they got locked up. After an operation finished, she was sometimes struck with a feeling of sadness at betraying them, along with a discomforting awareness that they were stewing in thoughts of revenge and hatred as they rotted away in some prison cell somewhere.

When it came to the Molloys, and in particular, Nancy, Bailey was very wary of allowing herself to feel anything approaching affection for them, but given what she knew of them, that wasn’t too much of a stretch. At any rate, if the operation did tie up as planned, she could only begin to imagine just how dangerously aggrieved and enraged someone like Nancy would be on discovering her duplicity.

‘As you’ll understand if you ever reach our level,’ continued Nancy, ‘operating a business like ours requires a great deal of nous and it takes a lot of energy. I’d reached the point where I was keen to take more of a back-seat role and I had to decide who would be best to pick up the reins… and Adrian just didn’t have the strategic wherewithal to run an organisation of our magnitude.’

Bailey listened intently as Nancy spoke in her throaty voice, absently petting her Pomeranian as she did so.

‘Of course, Adrian took it pretty hard when I put Rick in charge. Adrian felt like he should have been the one to take over, being the eldest. But I knew Rick was the best choice.

‘Adrian accused me of showing favouritism towards Rick. And I suppose he wasn’t wrong. Parents always have their favourites… and I guess Rick was mine. You’d understand if you had kids.’

Nancy paused and scrutinised Bailey. ‘Did your parents have favourites with you and your sister?’

Bailey thought about the visit she’d recently made to her parents’ house and the ‘Daddy’s Little Princess’ plaque on Jennifer’s bedroom door.

‘My father always preferred Jennifer,’ she said. ‘He was devastated when she went missing and he’s still not over it.’

‘And your mother?’

‘My mother’s gone a bit doolally.’ Bailey paused. ‘It’s a pity really, as I would like to be able to talk to her more about things.’

Nancy placed a bony desiccated hand on Bailey’s forearm. ‘I’ve often wondered what it would be like to have a daughter. I always wanted a girl. At least just one. To balance out all those men in the house. It would have been nice to have a daughter to talk to. The closest I’ve got is Rick’s dumb bint. And she’s not worth my breath. I really can’t understand why he married her…’