Ignoring his mother, Callum gave his final warning. ‘Don’t you forget what I said. Go blabbing and you’ll only have yourself to blame for the consequences,’ he growled before slamming the door behind her.

Roz didn’t need telling twice. Without so much as a backward glance, she ran down the steps and didn’t stop running until Crooked Lane was far behind her. As she ran, she wondered where was best to go. Callum had mentioned Felix, but nothing about Mabel – could it be that they knew nothing of their friendship? Or was Callum wary of Mabel’s brothers? She noticed he hadn’t threatened Felix, but instead focused on a defenceless animal. As for Mabel’s brothers, well, they were more than capable of taking on the likes of Callum. On the other hand, she had no wish to drag Mabel into her trouble, and despite Callum’s threats, there was no way she was going to keep her friends in the dark. Felix needed to know what had been said so that he could keep a careful eye on Coconut. Her mind made up, she continued until she reached the carter’s house on the Scottie Road.

Back at Crooked Lane, Callum sank heavily into a chair.

‘Do you think she was telling the truth?’ asked Suzie, as she stared out of the window after Roz.

‘I don’t care as long as she keeps her gob shut,’ said Callum sullenly.

‘What happens now?’ said Lilith. She was sitting in the chair opposite Callum’s, a stern expression etched into her wrinkled face.

He shrugged. ‘Nowt. We keep our heads down and carry on as normal until we hear different.’

Suzie looked from her father to her grandmother. Her father had heard rumours that a body had been found down the docks, but that was all. He had come tearing back to Crooked Lane and told them of his news just before Roz had arrived back. Suzie hadn’t thought much about the discovery until her father’s reaction to Roz having turned up just at that same moment. Why had he reacted so violently? Even if they had discovered a body down the docks it had nothing to do with the Haggartys. Or at least that’s what she had thought until Callum’s outburst. Now, she wasn’t so sure, and with old rumours stirring in her mind, she had to ask herself the question she wouldn’t have dared to ask her father. Could it be her mother? A shiver ran down her spine and she tried to dismiss the idea from her thoughts, but found it impossible to do so. Bodies were often found down the docks, so why had her father reacted so badly to this discovery? Surely there could only be one reason. Keeping her back to her elders, Suzie felt a tear trickle down her cheek as she stared out the dirty window in the direction of the docks.