Jeff’s also got a plan. I retreat to the bedroom and shove on some makeup to cover the red blotches and disguise the trouble in my eyes. The clothes scattered on the floor by my bed are called on to do another shift. My hair is still wet so I run the hairdryer over it and tie it up in a braid. When I get back, Jeff has already located Thomas Collins on my laptop.

‘He’s an army man,’ he says. ‘Stationed in Belle Chasse, which is a naval base… I don’t see a contact number for him here, but we could always try the army camp, give them a ring.’

I’m feeling nervous again. As Jeff continues his search on the laptop, it all becomes more real. We are actually going to do this. For some reason I feel stronger and weaker at the same time.

When I feel ready, I sit down beside him. He’s now Googling Katie Collins’ home town, a place called Algiers, a little island in New Orleans you can only reach by ferry. Katie Collins left her one-year-old baby to travel over a thousand miles in search of me. One thousand miles. Now that deserves a ballad.

‘That’s a long way to come to talk to someone,’ I say.

‘She must have something very important to tell you,’ Jeff says, without taking his eyes off the screen. He finds the number for the naval base and turns his big green eyes on mine. I can do without the distraction. He smells good too, Armani, I think. Taking a deep breath, I say, ‘Shall I ring it?’

‘Can’t do any harm, though I doubt he’s on duty if his wife is missing,’ he says, lifting the phone and dialing the number before I have a chance to.

After a few seconds he gets an answer. Sitting forward, I bite my nails.

‘What are they saying?’ I whisper. Jeff waves his hand at me and stands up, but the call doesn’t last long.

‘Well?’ I say.

‘No joy. He would not give me Collins’ number or tell me where he lives.’

I slump back into the sofa, drained.

‘But there has to be a way to get the information,’ he says. ‘Leave it with me, I’ll be back later.’

It’s only when he’s gone that I realize how happy I am that Jeff is helping me. Pushing me to take action. I never expected to open up to him like that, sharing my deepest fears. Well, maybe not my deepest. I haven’t yet told him what Mom said.

Chapter Fifteen