‘Yes. Of course. That poor girl needs help, though, not punishment.’

‘She can’t receive either unless we find her.’

Once the door had closed behind them, Mary picked up the phone and rang her son.

Tom listened in horror. When the call ended, he couldn’t think what to do next, didn’t realise he’d been standing with the phone still in his hand in the middle of the room until Donna came across to him.

‘Tom? Are you all right? Is there some bad news?’

He blinked and her anxious face came into focus. ‘It’s Gail. She’s had a car accident. She’d been drinking, was well over the limit, apparently. Only she ran away from the hospital and no one knows where she is now. The police are looking for her.’

‘Oh, no!’

‘She went off her trolley in court, abusing me and cursing. Horrible to see. If she could have got to me, she’d have clawed my eyes out, I’m sure. I can’t believe how she’s changed lately. She used to hate drunken drivers, we both did.’ He looked at Donna again. ‘I don’t know what to do.’

She gave him a quick hug and he held on to her for a few moments, burying his head in her shoulder, relieved when she didn’t push him away.

‘I’m so sorry, Tom.’ She pulled away. ‘We’d better tell Jez and Kevin.’

‘Give me a minute, will you?’

‘Of course. Shall I get you a cup of coffee?’

‘Tea would be better. Do you mind?’

‘No, of course not.’

He watched her walk briskly away and couldn’t help making the inevitable comparison between her and his wife. Hugging Donna had been – unsettling, had woken feelings inside him. She was, after all, a very attractive woman, and it had been a long time.

Don’t go there! he told himself.

At least, not yet. Not till he’d got his life sorted out, then maybe …

When Donna came back, she brought a cup for herself and sat with him, not annoying him with chatter, not expecting anything, just being there. When he’d finished, he put the empty mug down reluctantly. ‘I’d better go and tell Jez now.’

‘And Kevin. I’ll send him to join you. Is there any chance she’ll come after the kids?’

‘It’ll be me she comes after. Gail would never hurt the kids, but she’s not much interested in them. It’s like a fortress here, though, and she’s not the brightest button in the universe. She’d never find a way in.’

Jez listened to his son’s tale with a sinking feeling. Something else to complicate Tom’s life. He looked at Kevin. ‘The kids will be safe here, won’t they?’

‘Oh, yes,’ his chief of security said confidently. ‘It’d take someone with a lot of skill to break in, and even then there are hidden giveaways that would alert us. We’ve got the whole surveillance system up and running now. It’s state-of-the-art. But just in case, I suggest you tell Jane to keep the children within the grounds. I know they like the park down the road, but for the moment they should stay close.’