‘Had you had any kind of disagreement in the previous days – weeks even? Not about leaving her things lying around, where she went, her friends, her schoolwork, all of which is usual, I know that, but anything more serious, maybe something that had flared up, or else perhaps been an ongoing issue.’

‘No. We didn’t have anything like that. We were close. We had to be.’

‘Mr Tonks?’

Jeff started. ‘Yes?’

‘When did you last see Olivia?’

He seemed not to understand the question, took minutes to react, more to reply. ‘Oh . . . the other day. She came to my house.’

Greta looked at him.

‘Just turned up. The twins were a bit colicky . . . my wife . . . well, it wasn’t the right time, we told Oli she should phone in advance. My wife . . .’

‘Can you tell me which day this was?’

‘Saturday.’

‘What?’ Greta sat forward.

‘Didn’t she tell you? she said she’d asked you first, she said . . . anyway, she came from town, in a taxi, fourteen pounds that cost me, and then her phone woke the boys, we’d just got them to sleep. My wife . . .’

‘You mean Saturday? Last Saturday? Jeff? And if fourteen pounds for your daughter is too much, don’t worry, I’ll give you your fourteen pounds.’

‘Mr Tonks, would you say that you had a quarrel, you and your daughter?’

‘I don’t know. No. It wasn’t that serious.’

‘Had this happened before, that she turned up at your house unexpectedly?’

‘No. She never had.’

‘So were you surprised?’

‘Yes. It was the usual chaos, the boys are only a few weeks old, it wasn’t the best time.’

‘Maybe she felt she wanted to get to know her brothers.’

‘Half-brothers,’ Greta said. ‘We knew nothing about them, didn’t know they even existed, it took a friend to tell me, she’d read it in the paper, he didn’t even tell Livi.’

Serrailler nodded but continued to talk directly to Jeff.

‘Did you see or speak to Olivia after you’d brought her back home that afternoon?’

He shook his head.

‘Had you been in any sort of touch with her between then and this afternoon?’

‘No.’ He could barely be heard.’

‘Thank you. Can either of you tell me about Olivia’s friends? Any who were specially close to her?’

‘They were a gang – no, that’s not the word . . . group. Four or five of them, one might drop out, another might join, but not a gang, no.’

‘Was this both girls and boys?’

‘I never heard of any boys. Olivia was fourteen.’

‘She was at a mixed school?’

‘Sir Eric Anderson, yes . . .’

‘And she didn’t mention falling out with anyone?’

‘No.’

‘If you remember anything, any chance remark she may have made, will you let me know? I want to find out if there was something that might have particularly upset your daughter.’

Jeff looked at her. ‘You’re the one who knows all that.’