‘I need to speak to her. No one has to know. Anything she tells me – I can find a way to pass information on without anyone tracing it back.’ A man lingered nearby, lighting a cigarette. She glared at him until he moved off. ‘Stop it happening again, Tarryn,’ she said, ‘to someone else. To your friend.’

‘I don’t know if I can – if she will, I mean. I’ll try. She won’t go to the police. I doubt she’ll say yes but I’ll ask.’

‘Thank you. And I’ll do whatever I can to help – please tell her that. Make sure she knows.’

‘I will.’

Robin nodded. ‘Did they know each other, she and Becca?’

‘No. They didn’t overlap here. And I’ve never introduced them.’

‘You’re sure?’

‘Yes. Becca’s not working as an escort, I promise you.’

She realized at once she’d made a mistake. ‘I’ve really got to go. I’ll lose my job if I’m any …’ She moved away but Robin stepped in front of her.

‘You mean, she’s doing something else. You know what she’s doing.’

She tried to dodge but Robin moved again. ‘Just tell me. Valerie, her mum – she’s out of her mind with worry; she’s a wreck, exhausted. If—’

‘It’s her mum who’s the issue.’

From the car park, she rang home to say she’d be late. ‘How late?’ said Christine.

‘Very. Midnight, even.’ Robin braced herself for the protest but none came.

‘Okay. Lennie’s upstairs doing her homework. Do you want me to call her?’

‘No, don’t interrupt her. Will you tell her I’ll ring in a couple of hours?’

‘Righto. Robin, whatever you’re doing – and I won’t ask …’ a pause long enough to tell her she got it, this was Maggie’s secret-squirrel work ‘… be careful? Please?’

‘I will.’ She hesitated. ‘Thanks, Mum.’

‘Right, now off you go.’

From Birmingham, Bath was more or less a straight shot, the M5 with a dog-leg east at Bristol, about a hundred miles in all, according to the SatNav. Of course, it was the latter half of rush hour – when was it ever not bloody rush hour? – but by the time she reached the Bromsgrove exit, the traffic began to thin and she picked up speed.

Robin had to hand it to Becca, she’d planned her exit like a pro. The first rule of disappearing: don’t go where people would think to look for you, nowhere you have friends or family or ties of any kind. She’d been clever because the tie to Bath wasn’t hers, it was Tarryn’s: the friend from Sydney she’d originally come travelling with was assistant manager of a hotel there.

‘So Becca’s staying with her?’