‘Yes, my neighbour Sarah is coming to cook me dinner, and our book club friends on Facebook are being really kind.’

‘Good, it’s important to know you’ve got people there for you. I’ll be back as soon as I have more information.’

When Susan has gone, Maddy gently wakes Emily. She’ll do as she suggests and make sure the TV and radio are off today. But she will need to tell Emily he’s not been found yet. His smiling face in the photo she gave the policeman flits through her mind. Their holiday on the Isle of Wight feels like an age ago. It doesn’t seem possible that all four of them were a happy family and now two are gone.

After breakfast, Maddy takes Emily’s school project down from the windowsill. ‘Let’s have a look at your caterpillar,’ Maddy says, peering in the clear container. Emily shrugs. They need to keep busy, stay hopeful that Max will still be found alive, but every minute is like wading through wet sand. All she longs to do is go back to bed.

‘Do you think it’s grown?’ Maddy gives her the caterpillar check list and pen.

Emily nods.

‘Has she eaten any food, do you think?’

Emily peers closer at the pile of leaves and nods again.

‘Do you think it will turn into a moth or a butterfly?’

‘Moth.’ Emily purses her lips, pushes them out in her sulky way, meaning she didn’t mean to speak.

‘It says here that when the caterpillar is ready to change it will climb to the top of the jar and hang upside down from the paper on the inside of the lid.’

Emily gives a little smile. Maddy hugs her and puts the jar and check list back. Exhaustion tips her off balance, like a ship in a storm. She reaches out for the counter to steady herself.

‘How did Daddy get lost?’ Emily asks.

‘We’re not sure, sweetheart. Sometimes things happen that we can’t control. They really are doing their best to find him.’ She takes the caddy of used teabags she’s collected and empties them in the compost bin outside the back door, next to two drums full of cardboard and wine bottles that Max was supposed to take to the recycle centre. Tears prick her eyes. Why is this happening? What was he even doing on that bridge so close to home?

‘Please can we help the police?’ Emily asks.

‘I don’t think we’ll be much use.’ The dogs follow her back inside.

‘Why not?’ Emily shouts and pulls her hair.

‘The police have special equipment. We’ll get in their way.’ She kisses the top of Emily’s head. She imagines Max sinking in the deep black water, his clothes ballooning.