They walked a little way back into town before talking, letting their impressions settle. As they passed the coach station on the other side, Robin thought about Corinna again, the eleven-year-old she’d been when they met, the later one who hadn’t known where her dad was to tell him her A-level results or introduce him to Josh. Come on. The pressure was there in her chest, she could feel it, but she still couldn’t feel it. Why the hell couldn’t she cry? What was wrong with her?

‘All right?’ Maggie came alongside, stuck her arm through hers. ‘Come on, give me your body heat, I’m older than you.’ They waited for the lights then crossed the road. ‘So, what did you make of him?’

‘I liked him,’ Robin said.

‘Yeah. Me too.’

Valerie didn’t have Nick’s number but when Robin texted Lucy, she pinged it over straight away. Robin opened Becca’s Facebook page and scrolled down to the picture of the man in the Adidas jacket, the short back and sides with the dark curls on top. She rang the number and waited.

‘Hello?’ Music in the background – sounded like Pearl Jam.

‘Is this Nick?’ She told him who she was. ‘I wondered if I could talk to you about Becca Woodson.’ It was Pearl Jam – ‘Yellow Ledbetter’. Old school.

‘Becca? Why?’

So he hadn’t heard – or was pretending. ‘No one’s seen her for several days, I’m afraid. We’re making enquiries, to see if we can track her down.’

‘Several days? Is she all right?’

‘Honestly? We don’t know. We’re still trying to work out what’s going on.’

‘God.’ A few seconds’ silence as he processed it. ‘Why do you want to talk to me?’

‘You went out together last year, didn’t you? For several months.’

‘Yes, but I haven’t seen her since we broke up. October.’

‘Why was that, if you don’t mind me asking? The break-up?’

‘She dumped me. She was nice about it, said she didn’t have time after this new evening job she started.’

‘Was that true, do you think?’

‘Yes and no. Really, her heart just wasn’t in it. I don’t think mine was, now. I mean, I liked her, I don’t want to play it off like I was totally cool with it at the time, but a lot of it was wounded pride, you know?’

‘Did she ever talk to you about going away? Leaving?’

‘I don’t think so. No. I mean, why would she? She seemed happy with her life, as far as I could tell.’

‘Did you ever meet Harry Norris?’

‘Her mate with the business? Yes, of course. He’s one of her best friends, isn’t he? He fancied her, too, I thought.’

‘Yeah?’

‘He used to look at me all like, I’ve got my eye on you, you know?’