‘Willie asked me to add a birth. See, it’s all computerised these days, but back then, all you needed to register a baby was a parents’ hospital card, which the maternity ward would issue, and for the birth to be recorded on the official hospital list, which would get forwarded to the registrar’s office as a legal requirement.

‘That Sunday, Willie asked me to get hold of a parents’ card and to forge an entry in the birth list. I initially said no, but the money was too good. It was two thousand pounds, a fortune. We were getting married, trying to save up for the wedding and a honeymoon and setting up home together.

‘I thought it was the usual: an identity scam. When I’d done it before, Willie sold it as a package, and that’s what he told me was happening that day as well. See, once you’ve registered a fake birth, you’ve got this phantom identity you can use for all sorts: claiming child benefit for a non-existent child, getting a false passport, God knows what else. I never asked.’

She took another drag, another glance towards Renfrewshire like it was the land of past regrets.

‘I said I thought it was just the usual, but I was lying to myself. You didn’t get two grand for that. I knew it was more than the usual, but I didn’t stop to ask any questions. I didn’t think about much beyond making sure I pulled it off without getting caught. It didn’t cross my mind for one second that there was a real baby involved in it somewhere. Not until your man Mr Sharp came to the house.’

‘You called him, didn’t you?’ said Jasmine. ‘It showed up on the office phone records. Did you tell him what you’ve told us?’

She nodded.

‘It was a week past on Wednesday. He came to see me at work, same as you. Wanted to talk away from Willie, I suppose.’

‘What else did you tell him?’ Fallan asked. ‘Did you give him a name?’

‘I couldn’t. I don’t remember the name. It was a boy, that’s all I know. No first name either. You don’t need that for the hospital card – just the parents’ names. It’s in case they’ve not made up their minds.’

‘You don’t remember?’ Fallan asked doubtfully. ‘This one wasn’t the usual. You got two grand.’

She looked ashamed, like she might be about to cry.