Emily sleeps through the night and is so much better the next morning and wants to go to school. Maddy drops her off and drives into town because she can’t bear another day stuck at home, waiting for news. She stops at the supermarket and collects milk, a loaf of bread, and a pack of chocolate digestives for Emily. She eyes up the Jammie Dodgers, Chloe’s favourite. She’s been buying them every week for so long it’s hard to stop herself picking them up. She takes the escalator up to the home department. As she rises to the top, she sees him. Max’s face fills a row of television screens on the back wall – the photo of him she gave to the police. A reporter from the local news is standing in front of a bridge. He turns and points. The TV camera pans in close to the grey, fast-moving water. His words appear as text at the bottom of each screen.

Could the tragic death of his young daughter have led Max Saunders to jump from this bridge?

Heat flashes through Maddy’s head. Max’s duplicated face stares back at her, his unmistakable smile. Putting down the basket, she stumbles out of the shop, back to the car, where she sits gripping the wheel, her hands shaking.

Chapter Five

Maddy sits at the kitchen table with her coat on, shivering. Does this mean he’s dead? They’ve not told her he is. Not in so many words. It’s strange that John’s not called her yet. Surely, he must be wondering where Max is by now? She should call him. He might know something. But she can hear him now: What are you going on about? Max is right here. Hang on, I’ll pass you over.

She rummages in a kitchen drawer for her address book and flicks through the pages. She’s scribbled it somewhere. There’s hardly ever been an occasion when she’s needed to call him, except that time Max had food poisoning. There it is. She picks up the phone and dials.

‘Can I speak to John Sutton, please?’

‘Speaking.’

‘It’s Mrs Saunders, Max’s wife. I don’t know if you’ve heard the terrible news?’

‘No, what’s happened?’ The shrill sound of an electric drill or some other power tool almost drowns out his voice.

‘Max is missing.’ She’s almost shouting so he can hear her over the racket.

‘What do you mean?’ he shouts back. The drilling stops.

‘The police think he’s fallen into a river.’

‘Fallen? You’re kidding, right?’

‘Or jumped. They don’t know. They’ve not found him yet. It was in Uxbridge.’

John is silent.

‘Did he mention where he was going after work last night?’

‘Nothing, I’m sorry. He was heading home as far as I knew.’

‘But he didn’t come home.’