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Chapters (62)
  1. Title
  2. Copyright
  3. Contents
  4. About the Author
  5. About the Book
  6. Dedication
  7. Your Worst Nightmare
  8. ONE
  9. TWO
  10. THREE
  11. FOUR
  12. FIVE
  13. SIX
  14. SEVEN
  15. EIGHT
  16. NINE
  17. The Answer to All Your Prayers
  18. TEN
  19. ELEVEN
  20. TWELVE
  21. THIRTEEN
  22. FOURTEEN
  23. FIFTEEN
  24. SIXTEEN
  25. SEVENTEEN
  26. EIGHTEEN
  27. NINETEEN
  28. TWENTY
  29. TWENTY-ONE
  30. TWENTY-TWO
  31. TWENTY-THREE
  32. TWENTY-FOUR
  33. TWENTY-FIVE
  34. TWENTY-SIX
  35. TWENTY-SEVEN
  36. TWENTY-EIGHT
  37. TWENTY-NINE
  38. THIRTY
  39. THIRTY-ONE
  40. Somebody Else’s Child
  41. THIRTY-TWO
  42. THIRTY-THREE
  43. THIRTY-FOUR
  44. THIRTY-FIVE
  45. THIRTY-SIX
  46. THIRTY-SEVEN
  47. THIRTY-EIGHT
  48. THIRTY-NINE
  49. FORTY
  50. FORTY-ONE
  51. FORTY-TWO
  52. FORTY-THREE
  53. FORTY-FOUR
  54. FORTY-FIVE
  55. FORTY-SIX
  56. FORTY-SEVEN
  57. FORTY-EIGHT
  58. FORTY-NINE
  59. Sunlight on Water
  60. July
  61. September
  62. Acknowledgements

‘Evan, you must listen to me. The police need your help to find him. You know things that could help him, could bring him home much faster than . . .’ He thinks of Dora’s words when Evan was found, her dismay at their negligence in not spending all their time between his leaving and returning in searching for him, in not dedicating themselves to that quest. Ever since she said that, Jack has felt the same. Why did they do nothing? Why did they rely on the authorities? ‘Well, faster than you came back to us.’

Evan is crying, and Jack finds it hard to bear. He pulls Evan’s hands from his ears, and hugs him close.

‘I know, I know. Sssh now, ssh. There’s another thing about this place of ours I forgot to say, and that is that it breeds Ferrers men who are brave as lions. When something has to be faced, we tackle it square on. Don’t we, old man? Don’t we? If I could do this for you, you know I would, and your dad and your mum and your grandma would have done too, but only you can do this. What they need to know is locked away in your funny old brain-box.’ He taps Evan on the head. ‘It’s all locked away in there, and it’s time for some of it to come out. They’ll be nice people who’ll want to talk to you, but they won’t be coming here. They’ll have a special place where you’ll go, a safe place, and I wouldn’t doubt for one second they’ll be supplying all the chocolate digestives you can eat. But we have to think of that boy Liam. If we don’t try and help him and help his mum and dad get him home safe, then are we good people? I think if we don’t help him, we might come one day to regret it. Do you want some time to think about it?’

Tucked away under his grandpa’s arm, Evan nods.

‘All right then. You be having a little think and you let me know what you decide. Now, are you ready to take on your mighty grandpa at that game?’

Evan shakes his head.

‘We’ll save that for another time then, shall we? Is there something good to watch on the old goggle-box?’

Evan doesn’t move, so Jack takes the controller and finds an episode of Dad’s Army they’ve watched a couple of times before, vintage humour from an era Jack remembers well but which seems distant and out of reach, as remote in time as the dated clothes and set furnishings and even the characters. Do people like that still exist? Did they ever? Was it a more innocent time, really? he wonders. Weren’t the same horrors out there that are out there now?