The street is blocked by groups of people standing around chatting. When I park the car and push my way through, I can’t believe what I’m looking at. An ambulance, with a body on a stretcher being slid into the back by two paramedics. Something has happened to Bert.

‘What’s going on?’ I ask the paramedic who is stepping back out of the vehicle, closing the door.

‘Who am I speaking to?’ he says, not bothering to look at me.

‘I’m Rebecca Wall. Bert’s friend.’

‘You’re not family then?’

‘No, but I’m his best friend.’ I hear the words and suddenly realize they are true. I am Bert’s best friend, ever since Edith left.

‘I’m sorry, but this man has passed away.’

‘What?’ I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Bert’s dead? He’s being taken to the coroner’s office for a post-mortem. Freda, the girl who cleans his house once a week, found him in bed this morning. Freda is standing in the front yard with tears in her eyes, telling me what happened. When she arrived, she knew something was wrong because Bert is always already up and waiting to give her orders. Bert never mentioned Freda to me before. I wonder what else he never told me. She went to his room thinking he was asleep but when he didn’t answer she knew he was dead. Suspected heart attack.

‘How long has he been dead for?’ I asked but she didn’t have the answer. I realize Bert could have been dead for days. Apart from the weekly visit from Freda, no one else except me ever calls at the house, and I haven’t been here since he gave me the pink coat last week. That’s why I got no answer last night: while I was prowling around outside hoping to talk to him, he was lying dead inside. Oh sweet Jesus, why didn’t I call the cops when I got no answer? And Danny – what the hell was he doing at Bert’s?

I look around to see if my dad is amongst the crowd of neighbors gathered in packs to discuss the terrible news. He isn’t. He’s standing in his doorway on the other side of the street, looking straight at me. A shiver runs down my spine.

The smell in here belongs to hell. Rolling my tongue around my mouth, I suck up some saliva, anything to quench the thirst.