Tom wiped one arm across his eyes and nodded. ‘Look, my little hobbits, we need to get you home as quickly as we can. I bet you’re hungry, eh? I can’t carry two of you, so the policeman is going to carry you, Hayley. Will you let him do that, darling?’

She looked at him pleadingly, but Ryan was still sobbing against his father’s chest.

‘You’re my big, clever girl to hide like that,’ Tom said softly. ‘But I think Ryan is too upset to let a stranger carry him.’

‘You’re not mad at me?’

‘I’m proud of you.’

She gave him a watery smile.

The officer knelt down beside her. ‘I’ll stay near your daddy all the time.’ He held his arms out and she went to him.

When they walked outside, everyone nearby gave a cheer. As they moved through the darkness lit by occasional lamps and floodlights, towards the police car that had driven across the lawn, Andi persuaded an officer to let her through.

Hayley yelled, ‘Andi, come and carry me.’

With a quick smile at the police officer, she took the child into her arms.

Tom watched his daughter lay her head on Andi’s shoulder and remembered Gail’s distorted face, her shrill voice, her lack of care for the children. He didn’t even ask what had happened to his wife. He never wanted to see her again as long as he lived. ‘Thanks,’ he told Andi.

She smiled at him. ‘I love your children.’ She looked down at Hayley, whose head was close to hers. ‘I’m looking forward to hearing about all your adventures, darling, but first let’s get you a warm bath.’

‘And something to drink? We’re thirsty and hungry too.’

‘As much as you want to eat and drink,’ Tom said, trying to hide a new surge of anger at his ex, who couldn’t even bother to feed the children. How hard was it to buy a sandwich? ‘Now, let’s get you home.’

‘We really ought to have them checked by a doctor,’ the officer said again.

‘I want to go home,’ Hayley said, cuddling Andi even more tightly and starting to cry. ‘Daddy, take me ho-ome.’

‘If that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll do,’ Tom told her. If a doctor was needed, then one could come to the house.

The three men began to go through the downloaded photos. Jez chose a memory card whose date was close to when he’d been attacked. Perhaps Talbin knew something about the incident that the police didn’t.

‘Stop! Go back.’ Jez leaned closer to study the photo, unable to believe what he was seeing. ‘That’s my bedroom – and the guy is holding a knife to my throat. How the hell did Talbin get a photo of that?’

Silence seemed to throb around them for a few moments.

‘Only way Talbin could have taken that shot,’ Craig said at last, ‘was if he was there too.’

‘I never saw him,’ Jez said.

‘Were you in any state to see him, with a knife at your throat?’