‘Oi, Manuel, bring us another bottle of champagne over, mate.’

Gina giggled and playfully punched Eddie. The waiter really did look like the one out of Fawlty Towers, but instead of sharing the joke between themselves, Eddie had to go that extra mile.

‘You’ll get us bloody barred in a minute,’ she scolded him.

Ed held his hands up. ‘I know nothing,’ he said in a mock foreign accent.

Raymond and Polly both burst out laughing. They were like love’s young dream at the moment because Polly had just received confirmation that she was eight weeks pregnant – hence today’s celebration.

Eddie winked at Raymond as ‘Manuel’ topped up their glasses.

‘So, have you told Joycie and Stanley the good news yet?’

Raymond squeezed Polly’s hand. ‘No. We haven’t even told Polly’s mum and dad. We’re desperate not to tempt fate after waiting so long, so we’re gonna get the twelve-week scan out the way before we make any big announcements.’

Eddie tutted with annoyance as his phone started ringing again. He’d told Gary and Ricky that he was busy today and they were making a fucking nuisance of themselves as per usual.

‘Answer it, Ed, it might be urgent,’ Raymond advised him.

Eddie snatched the phone off the table. ‘This had better be important, Gal. What the fuck do you want?’

Gary was not in the best of moods. Stevens, the bent cop they had on their payroll, had contacted him earlier with some disturbing news and he was pissed off that his father had been ignoring his phone calls.

‘Why ain’t you been answering your poxy phone? It is bastard well important! Our Frankie’s been arrested. From what I can gather, she’s stuck a knife through Jed.’

‘Hello, Frankie. I’m DI Blyth, do you remember me?’

Frankie stared at her and nodded.

‘That’s good. Now I’ve just been speaking to DC Burkinshaw, who tells me that you have refused legal advice and want to start the interview now. I’d rather you didn’t do that, Frankie, because in the long run, it could prove beneficial to you to have a solicitor present. You are allowed one phone call. Have you used that privilege yet?’

‘Yes, my friend Kerry is the only person I want to speak to. She isn’t at home right now, so can I call her again later?’

DI Blyth nodded. ‘What about the legal advice, Frankie? We have a duty solicitor who is happy to represent you.’

Frankie smiled and shook her head. ‘No thank you, I really don’t need one. I’ve already told everybody the truth. It was me that stabbed Jed and I hope the bastard dies a slow, painful death.’

‘I think I’ll have a glass of sherry. Do you want a beer, Stanley?’

Stanley nodded dumbly. He had been a bit wild today, by his standards. He’d gone to another woman’s house, had unholy thoughts, divulged his marital problems, and if Joycie ever found out what he’d been up to, she would bastard well kill him.

Joyce smiled as she handed Stanley a can of bitter. He had been up to no good – it was written all over his ugly clock.

‘So, where did you go earlier? Anywhere nice?’

Stanley felt his face redden. ‘No, dear. I popped to the pub,’ he mumbled.

Joyce glared at him. She had smelt a strong whiff of women’s perfume on his jumper and even though she was positive that most women in the world would find her Stanley repulsive, there was always the one old bag that was desperate. Joyce exercised her fingers and then, with a vicious look on her face, grabbed his meat and two veg and squeezed them.

‘What you doing?’ Stanley squealed in agony.

‘If I ever find out you’ve been unfaithful to me, Stanley Smith, I will personally castrate you and feed your bollocks to them pigeons of yours. Do you understand me?’

‘I ain’t done nothing, Joycie, I swear I ain’t,’ Stanley pleaded with a pained expression.

Hearing a car pull up outside, Joyce let go of Stanley’s private parts and ran over to the window. ‘It’s Frankie’s car. Go and answer the door, Stanley. Chop-chop.’

Still holding his groin, Stanley did as he was told. He recognised the caller immediately.

‘Hello. You’re Frankie’s friend, aren’t you? Where is she? Is she with you?’

Kerry burst into tears. ‘No. Frankie’s been arrested. She tried to kill Jed.’

Jimmy rarely took Alice anywhere with him, but today was her birthday and she deserved the occasional treat.

‘Nice pub this, ain’t it, Jimmy? Can you bring me ’ere again for lunch one day?’

Jimmy shook his head. ‘I’ve told you before, Alice, pubs are for the men to talk business and relax, a woman’s place is the home. You know that, love.’

As Alice took a sip of her pint, she was suddenly overcome by a feeling of dread.

‘What’s up?’ Jimmy asked, as he noticed the colour drain from her cheeks.

Alice took her psychic powers extremely seriously. Her nan had read tea leaves and her mum was a dab hand with a crystal ball. She stood up and urged Jimmy to do the same.

‘We’ve gotta go home. Something terrible’s happened, I know it has.’

Jimmy didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Alice was usually right when she had one of her funny turns, but he still had a full pint left.

‘Can’t we finish our drinks first? Another five minutes ain’t gonna matter, is it?’

Alice grabbed his arm. ‘There’s no time to waste, we need to go now, Jimmy.’

When Kerry’s mother, Val, answered the door, Sammy pushed her into the hallway.

‘Get out of my house, else I’ll call the police,’ Val screamed.

Having now recovered from his earlier concussion, Sammy pulled back his right fist and smashed Val viciously on the jaw. ‘Where are my fucking chavvies?’ he yelled.

Val sank to the floor, cupping her chin in her hands. ‘I don’t know, honest I don’t,’ she wept.

Sammy pulled back his right leg and booted Val full in the stomach. As she screamed, he bent down, grabbed her by the hair and forced her to stand up.

‘Me and you are going for a little ride,’ he told her.

‘Where are you taking me?’ Val sobbed.

‘You’re gonna show me where my boys are, and if you refuse, I’m gonna fucking burn you alive.’

Knowing his wife’s fear of the police, Jimmy opened the driver’s door. ‘You wait ’ere if you like. I reckon our Jed’s been nicked.’

Desperate to put herself out of her misery, Alice ignored Jimmy’s advice and followed him towards the police car. Two officers got out and walked towards them.

‘Are you Mr and Mrs O’Hara, the occupants of this property?’

Deathly white, Jimmy clenched Alice’s hand and nodded.

The older officer continued. ‘You need to come with us. There has been a serious incident and your son is at Basildon Hospital. We’ve been ordered to accompany you there.’

‘What son? I’ve got three,’ Jimmy said in a shocked whisper.

‘It’s Jed. Jed O’Hara. He’s fairly poorly by all accounts, so the quicker we get you there, the better.’

Jed was her youngest son and, even though as a mother you shouldn’t have favourites, he had always been the apple of Alice’s eye. She let out a wail and felt her legs go from under her.

‘Not my chavvie, not my beautiful Jed,’ she sobbed.

‘Your nan rang. She sounded a bit upset and asked if you could call her back. She said it was urgent,’ his colleague informed him.

Praying that his grandfather hadn’t fallen ill, Joey nervously dialled her number.

‘What’s up, Nan? Is Grandad OK?’ he asked, fearing the worst.

‘Oh, Joey, thank God you’ve rung me back. Me and your grandad are in a right old state. Frankie’s friend has just been round here and she reckons Frankie has stabbed Jed and been arrested for it. She said he might even be dead.’

Joey couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It couldn’t be true – there must be some mistake. ‘Christ Almighty! Just stay there with Grandad, I’m on my way over now.’

Eddie was determined to be at the front of the queue. ‘Sorry, but I’m gonna have to go in first, this is really important,’ he said to the other two people waiting.

‘Well, that’s tough shit. I’ve been waiting ’ere for half an hour and I’ve gotta sign on soon,’ said a junkie-looking creature.

Ricky glared at the creature and as he stood up, pushed him back down on his seat. ‘My sister’s locked up in here, so we’re first. Got it?’

Seeing Gary also glare at him, the junkie nodded. He didn’t fancy an argument with these geezers, and the woman sitting next to him was too busy staring at her newspaper to argue the point.

Eddie repeatedly pressed the buzzer in reception. As soon as he’d found out that Frankie had been carted off to Chelmsford nick for questioning, he rang his solicitor, Larry, and told him to meet him there ASAP.

‘Come on you cunts, open up,’ Eddie cursed.

The bloke behind the desk had disappeared out of sight and Eddie was becoming more impatient by the minute. He turned to Raymond.

‘I tell you something, if Frankie did try to kill that pikey piece of shit, he must have done something pretty bad to make her flip and when I find out what it is, I will personally destroy the little fucker.’

‘Let’s go and get some fresh air, eh? If you keep shouting and screaming, you’re gonna make yourself ill, love.’

Alice flew at him and pummelled his chest with her fists. ‘Fresh air! I don’t want no fucking fresh air, I wanna get my hands on that no-good whore, and beat the fucking granny out of her. And I tell you something else I want, I wanna know where them chavvies are. Georgie should be ’ere with us. She’ll make her daddy better, I know she will.’

As Alice began crying hysterically, Jimmy wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly to his chest. If Jed died or ended up with some kind of disability, as a proud travelling man, he would be expected to get revenge for his boy. Reigniting his feud with Eddie Mitchell was something that Jimmy didn’t relish, but blood was thicker than water and if Jed did not recover, he would have no choice but to kill for his memory.

Val held her throbbing jaw and pointed. ‘Next left, then first right,’ she mumbled.

Sammy was stony-faced as he followed Val’s directions. He had no idea if Jed had pulled through, but he was determined to get his kids for him, find out what hospital he had been taken to, and take them up there. Even if Jed had died, the kids had every right to say goodbye to their wonderful father.

‘Where now?’ Sammy shouted, as he pulled into a cul-de-sac.

‘Park here. It’s that house over there, number four.’

Sammy turned to Val. ‘Right, you go up to the door and knock and I’ll be right behind you.’

Neither Frankie’s Fiesta nor Kerry’s car were anywhere to be seen and Sammy just hoped that if she was out, the kids weren’t with her.

As Sammy put his hood up, Val walked unsteadily up the path.

‘Who is it?’ her daughter Joanne shouted.

Val flinched. She had been hoping the kids weren’t there, but she could hear their little voices. ‘It’s me, love.’

As Joanne opened the door, Sammy knocked Val out of the way, swung out an arm and pushed Joanne backwards into the hallway.

Sammy Junior was the first to appear. ‘Daddy, don’t hurt Auntie Joanne!’ he screamed.

Freddy just burst out crying.

‘Boys, go and get in the truck now,’ Sammy ordered them.

As Joanne stood up and tried to hit him, Sammy kicked her in the crotch.

‘Uncle Sammy, stop it,’ Georgie said, hugging his legs.

‘Where’s your brother?’

‘He’s asleep on the sofa.’

‘Go and wake him, Georgie, and take him out to the truck. Your daddy’s not well and we’re going to see him.’

Petrified by her uncle’s behaviour, Georgie obediently led Harry outside the house. Sammy pushed the door to, and smiled at the fright on Val and Joanne’s faces.

‘So, where is the slag?’ he asked Joanne.

Joanne shrugged. ‘I don’t know, honest I don’t.’

Sammy edged closer to the two terrified women and waved his finger in both their faces. ‘Don’t even think of calling the gavvers, will ya? ’Cause if you do, I swear I will come back and mutilate the pair of ya.’

Laughing at the looks on their faces, Sammy winked and walked away.

‘Thanks for seeing me. Frankie’s my only daughter and I can’t help her if I don’t know exactly what’s happened. I recognise you – didn’t you have something to do with my trial?’

Blyth nodded. ‘Yes, I was the one that ferried Frankie to court. For personal reasons, I was transferred over to Chelmsford two years ago.’

‘So, is Jed alive?’ Eddie asked nervously.

‘Jed is currently being operated on in Basildon Hospital. He was stabbed twice with a bread knife and his injuries have been described as life-threatening.’

Eddie ran his fingers through his hair and leaned back on his chair. ‘Listen, I dunno if you’ve got kids yourself, but I know what my Frankie’s all about. My daughter wouldn’t hurt a fly and she wouldn’t even know how to stab a steak, let alone her boyfriend. She ain’t violent, it’s not in her nature.’

DI Blyth shrugged. ‘Frankie has already admitted to attempting to murder Jed and I just hope for her sake that he doesn’t die.’

Eddie stood up and paced up and down the room. ‘Is she here? I need to speak to her.’

‘She was here, but she isn’t now. She was in shock and didn’t feel too well, so she has been escorted to Broomfield Hospital for the sake of her baby.’

Feeling both anxious and incompetent, Eddie slammed his fist against the wall. ‘My solicitor will be here in a minute. He’s gonna represent Frankie, sit in with her while she does her interview.’

As Eddie Mitchell looked at her, DI Blyth felt a slight twinge of guilt. She had insisted that Frankie wasn’t in a fit state of mind to be interviewed, but she had been overruled by her not-so-sympathetic DS.

‘I am so sorry, Mr Mitchell, but the interview has already been concluded. I advised Frankie not to speak without a legal representative, but she was very insistent that she didn’t need to be represented.’

Eddie crouched down and held his head in his hands. ‘Frankie, what the fuck have you done?’ he whispered.

‘Cursed this family is and it’s all my bloody fault,’ Joyce ranted, as she topped her glass up with yet another sherry.

Stanley raised his eyebrows at Joey and put his forefinger to the side of his head to insinuate Joyce wasn’t the full shilling.

Joey sighed. He had phoned his father but there was no answer, and he had also rung Basildon police station, which he believed was the nearest one to Wickford. They informed him that his sister wasn’t there. He was at a loss as to what else to do for now and he had no number for Frankie’s friend, Kerry. The only thing he could do was wait for Dominic to arrive. His boyfriend had just left work, was always good in a crisis and he would know exactly how to handle matters.

Joyce took a gulp of her sherry. ‘If only I hadn’t opened the door that day, my Jessica would still be alive and Frankie wouldn’t have murdered Jed.’

Stanley had had a gutful of his wife spouting rubbish. He almost wished he was still round Pat the Pigeon’s house.

‘Whatever you going on about? You silly old bat.’

‘The gypsy. The one that cursed me on the doorstep years ago when I refused to buy her lucky heather. Gone downhill ever since, my life has, that and the day I married you, you bald-headed old bastard.’

‘Don’t have a go at Grandad, Nan. None of this is his fault,’ Joey said, annoyed.

Joyce snorted. ‘Don’t be sticking up for him. He’s got some old tart on the firm. Coming home here smelling of some old whore’s perfume. I ain’t putting up with it, I deserve better.’

Joey looked at his nan in amazement. ‘Don’t be silly. Who would want Grandad?’

‘That’s what I thought,’ Joyce said, bursting into tears.

Stanley stood up and stomped out of the room. He would rather spend the night in his pigeon shed than have to hear one more word from Joycie’s argumentative mouth.

As DC Burkinshaw followed her along the corridor, Blyth turned to him. ‘I’m going to drive Frankie back to the station alone; you go with one of the other officers. We need to chat, woman to woman.’

About to argue that driving a potential murderer back alone wasn’t in the rule book, Burkinshaw quickly shut his mouth. DI Blyth had that ‘don’t mess with me’ look on her face.

Once inside the car, Blyth explained to Frankie that her father had been to the police station and had spoken to her.

‘What did he say when you told him that I’d stabbed Jed?’ Frankie asked.

Blyth glanced at Frankie. She was fiddling frantically with her hands and rocking slightly in her seat and Blyth couldn’t believe that the doctors had passed her as fully fit.

‘He was shocked, and very upset that you hadn’t taken my advice and had a solicitor present for your interview. I don’t think you are very well, Frankie. If I turn this car around now and drive back to the hospital, you can tell the doctors that you feel strange and muddled and we might be able to scrap that interview you did and do a new one when you feel a bit better.’

Frankie shook her head. ‘I’m fine, honest. Can I ask you something?’

Blyth nodded.

‘Is Jed dead yet?’

Blyth looked at her. ‘No. Why? Do you want him to be?’

Frankie shrugged. ‘I just want my children to be safe and they will never be safe while Jed’s alive.’

Knowing she was now getting somewhere, Blyth bumped the car onto a kerb. ‘And why is that, Frankie? What has Jed done to your children?’

Frankie gnawed at her already bitten fingernails. ‘Can I ring my friend when I get back to the police station? You did promise me.’

Blyth handed Frankie her mobile phone. She was desperate to understand what had turned a sweet, innocent girl into a violent lunatic.

‘You can use this, but you mustn’t tell anyone back at the station. I’m not allowed to let you use it and if you tell on me, you’ll get me into all kinds of trouble.’

‘I promise I won’t tell,’ Frankie said, snatching the phone off her.

It was Joanne who answered.

‘Don’t tell her Sammy’s took the kids,’ Kerry whispered, frantically waving her arms. Frankie had enough on her plate and she wanted to break the news that the children had been snatched as gently as she possibly could.

Kerry grabbed the phone. ‘Frankie, I’ve been worried sick about you. Where are you now?’

‘I’m still with the police, but don’t worry, I’m fine. Jed’s not dead yet, which is a shame. Where are the kids? Are they OK?’

Frankie sounded strange, very unlike her normal self, and instinct told Kerry not to say she had no idea where the kids were.

‘The kids are fine. Listen Frankie, you have to tell the police about the tape, you’ve got to tell them everything.’

‘No, I can’t. And you must promise me, Kerry, that you never mention it to anybody.’

Kerry was bemused. Frankie sounded as though she was high on drugs or something. ‘You must tell them, Frankie. If you don’t, they won’t understand what you did and why you did it.’

‘I’m not going to tell ’em, I can’t, and one day I will tell you why, but I can’t really talk properly now. You won’t say anything about it, will you? Promise me, Kerry, that you won’t.’

‘I promise that I won’t say anything unless you want me to,’ Kerry replied sadly.

Frankie smiled. ‘Put the kids on, I want to talk to them.’

Kerry looked at Joanne. They had rung the police, told them that Sammy had taken the children and they were waiting for someone to come round. The police hadn’t seemed particularly concerned when they had heard that Sammy was the father of two of the kids and the uncle of the other two. Kerry and Joanne didn’t mention that Sammy had been violent earlier. They were too frightened of any repercussions.

‘The kids are out,’ Kerry said.

‘Where? Who with?’

‘Me mum. She’s took ’em to McDonald’s,’ Kerry lied.

Frankie was bitterly disappointed. She had been so looking forward to speaking to her children; she needed to tell them how much she loved them. Her eyes filled up with tears.

‘I need you to look after them for me until everything’s sorted, Kerry. Can you do that for me? I will give you my dad’s number, he will give you some money and help you out.’

Kerry started to cry. ‘Of course I can. Can I come and see you, Frankie? When are the police letting you go?’

Frankie ended the call without giving an answer or saying goodbye. She tearfully handed the phone back to Blyth.

‘What do you not want your friend to say anything about, Frankie? Please tell me, I want to help you.’

Frankie stared out of the window. Blyth seemed trustable, but what was the point of telling her about the tape when Sammy had run off with it? Without any evidence it was her word against Jed’s and, unless the bastard died, he would easily convince everyone that she was lying.

Frankie put her head in her hands. Telling her dad about the tape was not even on her radar. He would definitely believe her, but Jed was dangerous and she couldn’t risk her dad doing life in prison or, worse still, ending up dead like her mother had.

‘Talk to me, Frankie. Please tell me what’s bothering you,’ Blyth said kindly.

Frankie shook her head. ‘The only thing I can tell you is that Jed is a traitor. The rest is a secret and for my dad’s and my children’s sake, that’s the way it will have to stay.’