‘To be with Will.’ Hugo turned his small dark eyes on Aaron. He had pie crumbs in his beard. ‘She packed a bag and went. It’s been quite the day for it.’ Then, perhaps seeing by Aaron’s expression that now was not the time to muck him about, he expanded his explanation. ‘There’s been an accident. Clancy left to be with him. I heard her say Homerton Hospital. Some of the friends she used to work with were in the crash too.’

‘Right,’ Aaron said numbly. His stomach felt as if he were tumbling down a lift shaft. After taking his leave from Hugo, he jogged back up Long Lane, pausing only when Nelson dragged at his lead in a polite hint that he’d actually like to stop and cock his leg.

When he reached De Silva House he went straight in, finding Yvonne and Aunt Norma drinking tea in the kitchen. Yvonne leapt up as soon as Aaron appeared.

‘Hugo says Alice has left him,’ Aaron said, slipping an arm around his mum. ‘I don’t think we should read too much into it but …’

‘But Lee’s vanished with Daisy at exactly the same time.’ Yvonne sat back down suddenly, lifting piteous eyes to his. ‘What are we going to do?’

Aaron sat down across the table. ‘I don’t think there’s anything we can do. In a way, I hope he is with Alice.’

Yvonne’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Why?’

Aunt Norma was the one to answer. Her plaster cast had been taken off now but she was still walking with sticks. ‘Because if he’s run off with Alice, then presumably he’s not feeling suicidal, despite that note.’

Yvonne made a strangled sound, clamping a hand over her eyes. ‘I just want to know he’s safe.’

‘Me, too.’ Aaron patted his mother’s arm. ‘I’ll keep trying his mobile, and if I don’t get him I’ll send a text asking him to get in touch with one of us ASAP.’

‘Thank you,’ Yvonne sniffed.

As soon as Aaron got home, he called Lee’s mobile, receiving an ‘unavailable’ message and an invitation to leave voicemail. He waited impatiently for the beep. ‘Lee, this is Aaron. Can you get in touch with me, or with Mum or Dad, as soon as? It’s important.’ He decided not to say that everyone was worried about him in case that made him remain silent. He texted a similar message for good measure, then he abandoned everything Lee-related for a moment and called Clancy’s mobile.

That call went to voicemail too.

All of a sudden, his legs felt like lead. He tried again with exactly the same result, then sent a text. Are you OK? Hugo tells me there’s been an accident. Please contact me as soon as you’re able. xxx

He fed Nelson and fetched a guitar, settling at the kitchen table, his mobile phone in front of him and close to the landline phone too, waiting for one of them to ring. It was hard to play with sweaty, trembling fingers though.