Theresa watched the uniformed officer return to the room. She stooped to whisper in the detective’s ear.

It was not going to be good news.

The detective nodded, turned to Imogen and said in a sombre tone: ‘We have a report that this morning your daughter boarded a ship sailing from Dover to Calais. She is now somewhere on the European mainland.’

Theresa started wishing that she had stayed in Bellevue-sur-Mer. Perhaps Chloe was heading down there. She suggested the idea to the detective who pursed her lips and replied that mentioning the Riviera hardly narrowed it down. The South of France was a big place, and Chloe could be heading anywhere. Her sisters had already mentioned three separate countries she had spoken of in connection with this man, and there was no guarantee there weren’t more: Germany, Sweden, Greece. It was easy enough to get anywhere, even without taking a plane. ‘You must concentrate your efforts on discovering the identity of this “Laurence”,’ she added. ‘Could he be travelling with her?’

The policewoman said that her colleagues were in talks with the ferry company, who were at this moment inspecting their CCTV.

Theresa vaguely remembered a case a few years ago, when grainy photographs of a child on a ferry had been shown on the news. The girl had run off with her teacher.

‘The trouble is,’ the detective continued, ‘the man might possibly have a car. Or, they might be going onward by train; that train could be heading for an airport, in Paris for instance, from whence they could fly to Alabama or Bangkok. The options are incalculable.’ The detective stood up. ‘Now, I think the best thing for you two is to get some sleep and leave this bit to us. Believe me, Mrs Firbank, we will do everything we can.’

When they had gone, Theresa made her daughter a hot whisky toddy and told her to try and rest.

In her own bed Theresa tossed and turned. Why yesterday afternoon had Chloe asked her about the French Riviera? Surely that must indicate that she had some interest in going there. Maybe her ‘friend’ was heading there with her. And if they were to visit the South of France, surely Chloe would steer him to Bellevue-sur-Mer, which she knew? If they had left for Calais this morning, and changed trains at Paris, they’d be pulling into Nice near midnight.

What if they needed somewhere to stay?

Theresa knew she had to contact someone to keep a lookout at her flat.

NINE

Sally woke with a start. The phone was ringing. She squinted at her bedside clock: 03.17. Who on earth could be calling her at this hour? Dreading it would be bad news, she stretched out to pick up.

‘Hello?’

Silence.

‘Hello?’

She cursed and replaced the receiver. Someone had clearly misdialled.

She turned over and tried to get back to sleep.

A few minutes later the phone rang again.

She could hear fragments of speech, interspersed with crackling and sonic noises that sounded as though they were coming through a tunnel.