Jessica had to keep reminding herself of everything she had read on his record as he led her through to an equally impressive living room that was dominated by an enormous fireplace, with white pillars running floor to ceiling and a firepit built into the wall. ‘I can get this started up if you’re cold,’ Leviticus said, noticing Jessica’s interest.

‘I’ll have a tea if there’s one going.’

‘Are you going to have a poke around while I go to the kitchen?’

For a moment, Jessica said nothing – she had never been called on her trick in the past. ‘Why? Have you got something to hide?’

Leviticus smiled. ‘Milk? Sugar?’

‘Just milk.’

As the man left the room, Jessica had a walk around. The living room on its own took up roughly the same floor space as the entire flat she was living in, while she doubted she would make enough in a lifetime to pay for something as extravagant as this property.

She ran her hands along the pillars, wondering if they only looked expensive, but they were solid stone and had probably been crafted solely for this house. Although there wasn’t a lot of furniture in the room, it didn’t feel empty. There were three large brown leather sofas and two more armchairs made of the same material. Jessica sat in one, bouncing up and down, wondering if that was a good gauge of how expensive it might be. Her feet echoed on the wooden floor, which Jessica noticed seemed cleaner than any kitchen table she had ever owned.

There were strong oak bookcases in the corner but no books; instead each shelf was filled with framed photographs.

‘Do you like what you see?’

Leviticus’s voice echoed as he strode into the room, carrying a tray with two cups, saucers, a milk jug and a small teapot. He placed them on a table in the middle of the room, before walking across to where Jessica was standing.

‘Cute kids,’ Jessica said, pointing towards a photograph of Leviticus with a woman and three boys of varying heights.

Leviticus was beaming and genuinely seemed proud. ‘Whatever you may think of me, they’re why you don’t hear from me any longer. I thought my days of you lot popping over to pay me visits were long gone.’

‘What are their names?’

‘Saul, Josiah and Zechariah.’

‘Biblical kings,’ Jessica replied without thinking.

As she turned to walk towards the table, she saw Leviticus eyeing her, nodding. ‘You know your stuff.’

‘I used to go to Sunday School when I was a kid. We had to learn all the books of the Bible in order and then we moved on to the various kings.’

‘Do you still go?’ he laughed.

Jessica shook her head as Leviticus hunched forward, pouring milk from the jug into one of the cups and then using the teapot to fill each of them. He stood and passed Jessica a cup and saucer. The china was dainty, the exact opposite of what Jessica might have thought someone like Leviticus would have owned.

‘That’s a shame,’ he said, sitting on the sofa opposite her.

Jessica felt uncomfortable, so nodded towards a stuffed head hanging above one of the doors. ‘Is that from a real bear?’ she asked.

‘Indeed, a memento from long ago.’

‘I’ve got a mate who would absolutely love that.’

Leviticus allowed her words to hang, sipping delicately from his cup, the handle of which he held gently between his thumb and forefinger. It was almost laughable but Jessica followed his lead, thinking the cups wouldn’t last five minutes in her possession as they would end up either broken or chipped.

‘Nicholas Long,’ Leviticus said firmly, fixing Jessica with a stare to remind her that he hadn’t always been the kind, cuddly father he now appeared to be.

Jessica took another sip of her tea, refusing to allow him to dictate terms, then reached forward and placed the china on the table. ‘What do you know about him?’

Leviticus eyed her suspiciously. ‘Why are you asking after all this time?’

‘Something’s happened.’

He nodded an acceptance, putting his own cup and saucer on the table. ‘I bet you think we’re just the same?’

‘Your records are similar.’

Still nodding, Leviticus interlocked his fingers and met Jessica’s stare. ‘What’s on paper can be deceptive.’

‘So tell me what he was like.’

Leviticus suddenly seemed uncomfortable, pulling at the lapels of his suit, flicking away specks of dust which Jessica couldn’t see. ‘We both ran similar businesses. Clubs, pubs . . . other things. We might have seemed like natural rivals but we actually worked together for a few years, me from this side of the border, him from Manchester.’

‘How do you mean, “worked together”?’

Leviticus shrugged. ‘Use your imagination. I would help him out with certain aspects of his accounting and he’d do the same for me.’

‘What changed?’

‘I did. Whatever you may think, Nicholas Long is a very different man to me.’

Jessica didn’t disagree but she wasn’t about to say that. ‘You seem pretty alike to me.’ She opened her palms to indicate the rest of the room. ‘Vast displays of wealth, living off money made from the misery of others, violence, drugs and everything in between.’

Leviticus paused, scratching his chin thoughtfully before replying. ‘Just because I welcome you into my home and extend my hospitality to you, don’t think you know me, Ms . . . ?’

‘It’s Jessica but I didn’t hear you denying any of that.’

He said nothing but reached forward, refilling both of their cups. He sat back in his chair, again holding the cup daintily in one hand, cradling the saucer with the other. As odd as it appeared, it also seemed natural.

‘In the type of business I used to be in, there was always an unwritten rule about female family members. As much as you might hate each other, as much as you might compete, you always left people’s mothers and wives out of it.’

Jessica shuddered as a chill went down her spine. ‘What did he do?’

Leviticus sipped his tea, staring towards the ceiling. Jessica could hear the rattle of the cup on saucer before the man steadied himself. ‘My mother.’

He spoke the words in the same tone as Eleanor had told her about Kayleigh the previous day. Before Jessica could respond, Leviticus continued. ‘He’s a ruthless, brutal man.’

‘What did you do about it?’

The delicate clatter of cup on saucer began again as Jessica saw his hand shaking. ‘I was arrested on the night I was going to do something about it.’ Jessica thought of the possession of a dangerous weapon conviction she had read next to the man’s name. ‘I came out a different person,’ Leviticus added. ‘By then, things were different anyway. Most of my businesses had fallen through.’

‘Where does all of this come from?’ Jessica asked, indicating around the room.

‘I’m not a stupid man, I planned for all eventualities.’

Jessica nodded, not wanting to know anything further but Leviticus didn’t give her a moment to interrupt in any case.

‘When you hear of the way he treated his ex-wife, you understand he’s not the kind of man to forgive anything lightly.’

Jessica knew from their files that Nicholas had a former wife, Ruby, but assumed she had simply been traded in for a newer, younger version.

‘What happened?’ she asked.

Leviticus shook his head. ‘Any man who raises his hand to a woman is a coward.’

As she looked around, Jessica realised the room was a tribute of sorts to Leviticus’s family. There were photographs of his wife and children everywhere, not just the bookcases in the corner.

‘How does your wife feel about all of this?’ she asked.

Leviticus peered at Jessica and then turned away, taking in the vast room. ‘She accepts me for who I am – and who I was.’

‘That’s easy to say when you have vast wealth.’

Jessica wasn’t trying to wind the man up but he didn’t seem offended anyway.

‘What would you have me do?’

It seemed a fair question. Jessica thought of the way Nicholas had been using his money to create an illusion of respectability. The authorities had presumably investigated Leviticus at some point and not found anything to indicate they should seize his money or possessions. As if reading her mind, Leviticus added: ‘Not everything I did would have interested you lot.’