Thinking that Ella was more likely to be home early in the day, Geraldine resisted Ian and set off. Ella lived on the ground floor of a dingy house in a row of terraced properties near the Holgate Road. When Geraldine rang the bell, no one answered the door. She peered in the window, trying to see through a gap in the grey net curtains, but the flat appeared to be deserted. It was not yet eight o’clock in the morning, so she supposed Ella was not yet up. Whatever the reason, she wasn’t answering the door, so Geraldine drove to the police station to do some work and returned two hours later. Once again no one opened the door when she rang the bell and rapped on the door. She tried tapping at the window, but the place appeared to be empty.

The following day, when she arrived to try again, a neighbour from the flat upstairs flung open a window and demanded to know who was calling. Geraldine explained she was looking for Ella.

‘Ella? Are you talking about that skinny girl who lives downstairs?’

‘Yes. I don’t suppose you happen to know when she’ll be in?’

The woman shook her head, ‘I haven’t seen her around for a few days.’

‘When did you last see her?’

‘I don’t know. Last week, maybe. Did you say you know her?’ The neighbour glared suspiciously down at her.

Geraldine decided it was time to introduce herself. The woman upstairs looked startled, then slammed her window shut. As Geraldine was wondering whether to ring the bell for the upstairs flat, the front door opened and she saw Ella’s neighbour, arms akimbo, squinting inquisitively at her. Wearing a towelling dressing gown, she looked as though she had just got out of bed.

‘What’s she done?’ she demanded.

‘I’m afraid I can’t discuss that with you.’

‘Listen, I live here and if there’s something going on I have a right to know. That woman lives right underneath me and if the police are coming here I want to know why. What’s she done?’

‘Would you like to go inside so we can talk more discreetly?’

The woman grumbled loudly but did not move to let Geraldine enter.

‘Well?’ she demanded. ‘You haven’t told me what this is about yet.’

Standing on the doorstep, Geraldine explained that the police thought Ella might be able to help them with an enquiry, adding vaguely that they were investigating one of Ella’s acquaintances. Geraldine was keen to keep the neighbour talking, in case she had anything useful to add to what little the health visitor had told her about Ella.

‘Who’s that then?’

‘I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to say any more than that. I probably shouldn’t even have told you that much, so please keep this to yourself,’ Geraldine added, lowering her voice.