‘I don’t, but I do believe in dreams and the power of the subconscious mind. I love the idea that it came up with the mosaic of your life and I think you got that idea, not just because of your love of puzzles and jigsaws but also from your trip to the City Palace in India, remember? You showed me loads of photos of the beautiful mosaics there.’

‘Of course. I never thought of that.’

‘It doesn’t matter. As you said, what you’ve been doing on a certain day can get into your dreams, and India and all the impressions you took in there are bound to be stored in your mind somewhere, so it’s not really surprising that your unconscious or subconscious used them. Anyway, here’s an idea. If you could go back to that art gallery room in another hypnosis session, study the first mosaic again, take note and remember the colours of old boyfriends, then go to the second mosaic and see if there’s any piece of that mosaic that matches with the first one, then bingo, you’ll have found him. Like those games we used to play when we were kids: match the similarities or like Where’s Wally? You have to spot the soulmate amongst all the pieces in the second mosaic, so it’s not Where’s Wally? It’s Where’s Billy?’

‘That’s brilliant, Heather. But what if I don’t ever go back there?’

‘Then your unconscious mind might serve up something else. As the hypnotherapist told you, it throws up whatever is most useful.’

‘Sounds like a cat vomiting,’ I said.

27

We were sitting in Marcia’s Volkswagen Polo outside her house the day after my hypnosis session. On my knee, I had the paper with the address that I had for William Jackson. ‘I still can’t believe you went to see Grace’s house without me,’ she said as she started up the car.

I laughed. ‘We were passing. I didn’t mean to leave you out. Anyway, you’ve been out of action with that virus.’

‘Not my fault.’ Marcia stuck out her bottom lip like a five-year-old. ‘So, which way?’

‘Kentish Town. Down the hill and I’ll direct you from there.’

‘OK, and tell me everything on the way, how’s it all going?’ said Marcia, as she started up the car.

‘I’ve accepted an offer on the house.’

‘What? Already? That’s amazing.’

‘They offered the asking price so we’ve exchanged solicitors’ details. They’re a sweet couple, newlyweds, who came to see it before it even went on the market. Although there are a few other interested parties, none of them are proceedable buyers.’

‘So will you take the house off the market?’