He came back that evening saying he’d taken out the lease on one of them. I felt disappointed for myself and my mother. She was looking forward to a baby in the house. And, though I could barely admit it to myself, I was afraid of being completely alone with Douglas. With my mother there at least we had to speak.

I took a small flask of coffee from my bag, and poured it carefully against the motion of the train. It tasted nastily of the Thermos, but after it I felt a little restored. My thoughts returned to Olivia. I dreaded what I was going to find. I wanted to give her some reassurance that I could help her.

Joyce Salter had told me that though Alec Kemp did not come to see her very regularly, when he did it was always on a Tuesday evening. Lisa confirmed for me that this had also been the case with Jackie Flint.

‘I’m going to have to come here on Tuesdays,’ I said to Lisa. I had no clear idea in my mind of how I was going to find Alec Kemp even, let alone confront him. But it had to be there. I wanted as strong a hold on him as possible: first Olivia, and now this.

‘It’s like something out of the pictures, isn’t it?’ Lisa giggled, suddenly girlish, even with Daisy in her arms. Then she frowned. ‘You can come when you like, you know that. But you know where ’e lives. Why don’t you just go up to the ’ouse if you’ve got summat to say to ’im?’

‘Because he could say anything then, couldn’t he? He’d laugh and tell me the girls are making it all up. I need to be here – to see him here.’

‘Catch ’im with ’is trousers down, you mean?’

‘Perhaps not literally.’ I laughed, holding out my arms to take Daisy. ‘Come on, my lovely.’ The little girl came to my arms, gripping me with her strong fingers.

‘Jackie Flint was ever so bad after losing that babby. Couldn’t go out to work or nothing for weeks. She’s ’opping mad with ’im. Come to think of it, she’s got bits of family all over the place round ’ere who could keep an eye out. I’ll ’ave a word if you like, Kate.’

‘Would you? That would be terrific!’

Lisa stood my me, buckling one of Daisy’s little boots. ‘What you need is one of them private detectives.’

I smiled. ‘I seem to be fast turning into one myself!’

Three Tuesdays had passed and I’d had no luck, and none of this was helping Olivia. Although I tried to sound certain about what I was doing in front of Lisa, I was in an agony of doubt all through those weeks. Would this work, and even if it did, was I actually doing the right thing for Olivia? When I did see her, I felt I would do anything to get her out of there, away from the horror of those electric shocks. And how could I face her month after month if I was achieving nothing?