‘It’s okay,’ he said, when she hesitated, ‘it’s freshly washed. Just old, that’s all.’

‘Thanks.’ She took it and used it to wipe her face, thinking she’d worry later about whether or not he was telling the truth.

‘And now you need to go.’

‘Will you tell her I’m looking for her?’ she said.

‘I can’t do that.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I already told you, love. She’s gone. Too many people looking for her. You’d do well to do the same. Because you won’t find her, but if you keep trying, you’ll end up dead.’

‘Who are you?’ Emer asked.

But he’d already gone back into the flat and closed the door.

‘Hey!’ She banged on the door, shouting at him to open up. But he stayed behind the closed door, ignoring her.

‘She’s been too long,’ Dee said. ‘I’m going up there.’

They were waiting outside the building. The smell had started to get to Dee and she’d suggested they stand outside. She kept an eye on the entrance to the stairwell, watching the people going in and coming out. She’d seen plenty of people but, so far, none of them were Emer.

‘No need,’ Leonard said, nodding at the entrance to the block of flats. ‘Look, here she comes now. Although judging by her face, she didn’t have the joyful reunion she’d been hoping for.’

He was right. Emer looked devastated as she walked towards them.

‘What happened?’ Dee asked.

‘Can we go somewhere else?’ Emer said. ‘I can’t bear to spend another second here.’

‘There’s a pub a few streets away,’ Leonard said. ‘Not too bad, considering the neighbourhood. We can go there.’

Emer waited until they were in the pub and had ordered their drinks. They found a table in the small beer garden outside and, once they were all sitting down, she told them about her encounter with the elderly man.

‘The weird thing is,’ she said, ‘I got the impression he knew who I was.’

‘But you didn’t recognise him?’ Dee asked.

Emer shook her head.

‘Maybe you just remind him of Annie,’ Leonard said. He looked at Dee. ‘They’re the spitting image of each other, aren’t they?’

‘You do look a lot like her,’ Dee agreed.

‘So what?’ Emer said. ‘Looking like her isn’t going to help me find her. He told me she’s gone and she’s not coming back. Too many people looking for her, he said.’ She glared at Dee. ‘He meant you, didn’t he?’

‘Possibly,’ Dee said. ‘But I only started looking for Annie because someone asked me to, remember? God, what a bloody mess. Is it worth trying to speak to him again?’