He thought of Sam. An unwanted scallywag who occupied a soft spot in Julia’s heart. His name was not on the list of children present at the care home. He thought of Suzie, the gentle giant of a girl who’d helped Julia protect a waif from Darren, the bully—and her name was not on the list, either. Darren’s name had been added in red by the police; he was in a secure children’s home as of a week ago, having been arrested in possession of a stolen bike and a rucksack full of his own clothes. They’d assumed he was running away—and not for the first time.

Most of these will never know where they’re from, so it’s vital for them to know where they’re going. Do you know where you’re from?

Julia’s words spun round in Jack’s head. She was doing so much for so many kids who, without her, would be abused, corrupted or even murdered. Jack could have been just like Sam if he’d not been rescued by Charlie and Penny. He didn’t feel he was chasing hardened criminals who deserved to be in prison. He didn’t feel he was making the streets a safer place for ordinary people to live in. He felt like he’d be making the world a worse place by removing these women from it. What harm were they actually doing by taking long-forgotten money and starting life again?

Darren had been in three fights during his short stay in the children’s home and had won all of them. His position in the hierarchy was strong and the older lads were already looking to recruit him to their gang. He’d prove useful on the outside, seeing as he was only eleven and, therefore, highly unlikely to get nicked for anything and definitely not in danger of getting prosecuted.

Daniel, Julia’s helper from her care home, had been to see Darren on the day he was arrested. Darren had attacked him, scratching his neck and punching him in the balls so hard that his eyes had streamed for at least a minute. Today, Darren was calm, but silent. He was a terrifyingly self-destructive mixture of depression, helplessness and fury. He didn’t listen to a word Daniel said; he hardly blinked and the tears flowed unashamedly. Darren was broken.

As Daniel walked out, Jack walked in. Having never met, they passed each other in the corridor with nothing more than a tight smile and a nod.

The Quiet Room, where Darren had been put in order to meet Jack, was very similar to the police station’s Soft Interview Room. It was plainly pleasant, with comfy sofas and a two-way mirror. Jack knew that, behind the mirror, there’d be a camera set to record this meeting. And the man standing just inside the door was there to make sure they didn’t need anything.

Jack decided not to treat Darren like a kid.

“I know she was taking you away,” he said. “And I know you screwed up by nicking a bike. I expect you thought she could just hide it for you underneath the bus.” Darren’s eyes flicked from the floor to Jack, but his face betrayed nothing. “Your rucksack was full of summer clothes, so I guess you were off to a sunny country in Europe. What was your new name going to be? If I could start again and choose any name in the world, I think I’d be called . . .” The first name to pop into Jack’s head was “Harry,” but he didn’t finish his sentence. “Listen, Darren, I know you like Julia. I like her too. But she’s making a mistake that will get her into a lot of trouble and I’m trying to help her before it’s too late.”