‘Home?’ says Jake. ‘You’re joking. It’s just getting interesting. Come on. Let’s split up. You go that way towards the pond; I’ll take the path to the play area. Okay?’

‘Okay,’ I sigh and hope that Jake will lose interest soon.

‘Text me if you find him.’ Jake holds up his phone. ‘And if we don’t, meet me on the other side.’

I nod as Jake turns away towards the play area. For a moment I watch him as he crouches down and creeps along the path. Every once in a while he stops and hides behind a bush, peers out, then moves on. It’s like he thinks he’s in the special forces.

I turn along the path towards the pond, but I don’t bother hiding because it’s getting silly now.

My phone vibrates in my pocket.

Anything?

I look around the pond.

Nothing. Just ducks.

Keep looking. Gotta be here somewhere.

I walk on around the pond, and then over the bridge that leads to the exit. A man in a dark coat enters the park. For a moment I think that it’s Granddad, but this man is taller and is smoking a cigarette.

Jake emerges from a bush in front of me.

‘Don’t know where he got to. He could be anywhere.’

‘Maybe he just went back home like we should,’ I say.

‘Or the toilets,’ says Jake. ‘I didn’t check them.’

‘He does go to the toilet a lot,’ I say, ‘but he doesn’t go for twenty minutes.’

‘Unless he is thinking that someone is following him, Felix!’

I jump at the voice. Jake looks at me, bug-eyed.

We turn around slowly.

‘Granddad,’ I say. ‘Where did you come from?’ My heart beats like he’s caught me at the biscuit tin.

‘I am thinking the same thing.’ Granddad looks at me sternly.

‘We were just . . . We were just . . .’ I glance at Jake, thinking, Help me out!

‘We were just walking,’ says Jake.

‘Yeah, we were just walking.’

‘And watching you, because we think you might be a spy.’

What? No, Jake!

‘A spy?’ asks Granddad.

‘Jake.’ I glower at him. ‘Stop!’

‘But you think it as well, Felix. It was you who said he might have a microphone and a camera hidden in those flowers.’ Jake points at the bunch in Granddad’s hands.

Granddad frowns at me. ‘Is this what you are thinking, Felix? That I am a spy?’

‘It’s just pretend, Granddad,’ I say. ‘A joke.’

‘A joke?’ Granddad steps towards me. ‘You think this is funny? You do not know how bad what you’re saying is. Especially today.’ His eyes sparkle as tears gather in his eyes. I glance at Jake, but he’s looking at the ground, like he’s been told off by Mr Mclugash.

‘Granddad—’

‘No.’ Granddad shakes his head. ‘I am thinking that we should not talk for a while.’