‘In my case it was debt. I took out a loan with some dodgy outfit at three thousand per cent interest and he paid it off for me. Took payments out of my wages. Took me years to pay it off. At first I felt indebted to him, but then I realised it was just a way of keeping me loyal no matter what he did. Which I couldn’t do in the end.’

‘Like, what did he do?’ Walsh asked.

‘He would blackball people who didn’t do what he wanted. He cut corners on jobs, sometimes he didn’t pay people, sometimes he got people hurt. I don’t know, really; it was a long time ago.’

‘And you worked there how long?’ Walsh asked.

‘Just over five years. He must have got wind that I wanted to leave and then this happened. My disability benefit is barely enough to keep me in fish fingers, let alone all the alcohol I want to consume. I just wish I had left a long time before I got fired.’

‘I thought you left because of the accident?’ Imogen said.

‘This is how Corrigan fires people. Makes sure you can never work in construction again.’

‘What happened? Was he always like that?’ Imogen said.

‘Yes and no. His behaviour got worse over time, but there was no definite moment when I noticed a change; it crept up on us. It’s not like he ever seemed completely “right”, if you know what I mean. He just got more brazen with his aggression. He wanted us to be scared of him.’

‘What about his wife? Did she come on site often? Did you ever witness any aggression towards her?’ Imogen asked.

‘Not very often, no, but I saw the aftermath more than a couple of times. He didn’t even bother trying to hide it. He didn’t like it if any of us even spoke to her.’

Imogen looked around the room. Thompson was hardly living the high life. While she had mostly acclimatised to the smell of rubbish in the flat, she could see that Thompson didn’t have a whole lot going for him at the moment.

‘Do you know anything we can say that might get Angela Corrigan to speak out against her husband?’ DI Walsh asked.

‘If she’s stayed there that long then no. My guess is there is only one way out of that relationship for her.’

Walsh handed him his card.

‘If you think of anything else, if you remember anything specific, then give me a ring.’

Gerry Thompson stood again and walked towards the door, opening it to let them leave.

Imogen wondered how honest he had actually been. She noticed that same apprehension and fear that Leon Quick had had. What on earth had Corrigan done to make these men so afraid of him?