She knew his work email by heart, but what would she say? Any correspondence to the FCO was monitored, and how would he react to her contacting him there?

The truth was, she didn’t need to contact him. She didn’t need to email him or write a letter, corner him in a dark alley to tell him that she had changed her mind, that she was not going to tell. Because whatever she did or did not do, he already knew.

For a moment, she imagined running out into the street and screaming a very different message to him, into the wind. Daubing her home with the words she dared not type. Instead, she moved to the cupboard and pulled out a wine glass and sat at the table with a drink before moving to the sofa sometime around two, considering her next steps.

She was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee when Tom came down the next morning.

‘Did you not sleep?’ he asked and Gabriela shook her head.

‘Me neither. I’m going to call the police this morning, follow it up.’

‘What’s the point?’ she snapped, desperate to stop thinking about it, or at least for Tom to. Terrified that he would put two and two together, ridiculous as that seemed. Of all the conclusions he might jump to …

‘What’s the point? Really? Well, maybe that they catch the guy so he doesn’t try to abduct another little girl, Gabs. That could be a reasonable point.’

‘Don’t say that,’ she said, looking away. ‘I mean, fuck’s sake, Tom, why weren’t you watching her?’

‘Excuse me?’ He turned to her so that she wished the words back in her mouth, but she couldn’t stand down.

‘You heard me.’

‘Fuck you.’ He practically spat the words. ‘What a fucking thing to say. Do you have any idea how full on it is trying to watch two of them with the playground that packed? No, of course you don’t, because when was the last time you took them out on your own?’

‘I beg your pardon?’ She pulled herself upright, her cheeks burning with combined fury and the knowledge that he was right. But she’d been working, up until a few weeks ago. She was earning money to pay for the roof over their heads. His architectural wet dream.

‘Oh look, just leave it, yeah?’

‘No,’ she said, standing up, knowing it was a bad idea to pursue this, but unable to stop herself. ‘Say what you think, Tom – you think I’m …’

They were in the doorway to the hall and when she looked up, Sadie and Callum were standing on the stairs watching them.

‘Hey darlings. Mummy and Daddy were just talking about something. Did we wake you?’