‘If you gave any kind of a shit, you’d be helping me find her.’ She looked round the table. ‘That goes for all of you. This is serious, don’t you get it?’117

They all looked at their drinks or down at their laps.

‘Just a minute,’ Bradley said. He was on the nearest stool, and he stood up and towered over her. ‘We all care about Mel, but what can we do?’

Hannah turned to him. ‘I think you’ve done enough.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ His fists were at his sides, but he was wavering.

‘You really want to go there?’

Bradley seemed to get a second wind. ‘Was that your mum came to see me the other day? Are you crazy, sending your mother to harass innocent people?’

‘Innocent?’

She turned to Xander, pointed a thumb at Bradley. ‘Did you know he sent dick pics to Mel?’

Xander’s face flushed and he pushed past Louise’s legs as he came round the table. ‘What?’

‘That’s bullshit,’ Bradley said, standing his ground.

Hannah spoke to Xander. ‘He admitted it to Mum, said he fancied her and thought he would try it on.’

Xander frowned. ‘What’s your mum got to do with this?’

Bradley lifted his chin up. ‘She sent her psycho mother round to threaten me.’

Hannah laughed. ‘Intimidated by a middle-aged woman?’

‘Obviously being a nutter runs in the family,’ Bradley said.

Hannah ignored that, turned back to Xander. ‘Mum’s helping me with the investigation.’

‘What investigation?’ Bradley said. ‘You’re not a fucking cop.’

‘No, but I’m going to find Mel, even if morons like you don’t give a shit.’

‘I give a shit,’ Xander said.

Hannah raised her eyebrows at him. ‘You’ve got a funny way of showing it.’ She pointed at Bradley. ‘This arsehole sent photographs of his penis to your girlfriend, don’t you have anything to say?’118

Xander took a step towards Bradley, Hannah in between staring up at the two of them.

‘Is that true?’ Xander said.

‘Of course not.’

Xander turned to Hannah. ‘He says he didn’t do it.’

‘He would, wouldn’t he?’

‘Do you have any proof?’

Hannah held her hands out. ‘He admitted it.’

‘You have the pictures?’

‘No.’

‘I thought you had Mel’s phone?’

Hannah wrinkled her nose. ‘She had another phone.’

Xander stood down from high alert. ‘I didn’t know about another phone.’

‘Vic told me,’ Hannah said. ‘She got disturbing messages on it.’

She looked at Bradley for that last bit.

‘Do you have that phone?’ Xander said.

Hannah looked from one to the other, then at the rest of the group watching slack-jawed in their seats. ‘No.’