The muscles flexed in Alice’s jaw as she bit down, a sign she was trying not to cry. Patrick leaned closer and stared at her until she was forced to meet his eye.

‘Where did you hide the body, Alice?’

She flinched like he’d tried to hit her. ‘What?’

‘Frankie’s body. What did you do with it? You can’t have gone far, though I suppose she was pretty light. I’m guessing the park down the road from your house. A shallow grave. Won’t be hard for us to find now we know where to look.’

‘No!’ Alice yelled. Now the tears came. Janice tried to pass her a tissue but Alice angrily waved her away. ‘Frankie’s my little sister. I love her. I’d never do anything to hurt her.’

‘So it was Larry?’

‘Oh my God, this is so fucked up. Larry thought the world of her too. He’d never hurt her either.’ She looked from him to Carmella and back. ‘You have to believe me. Please.’

Patrick said, ‘I’m suspending the interview.’ He stood up. As he was about to open the door, he looked back and said, ‘Why do you keep referring to Frankie in the past tense?’

He and Carmella left the room, closing the door on the sound of Alice’s sobs.

Larry Gould’s demeanour was very different to Alice’s. He sat up straight, trying to keep any expression from his face. But he was scared, that was obvious. A sheen of sweat coated his face and he kept knotting and unknotting his fingers. The skin around his thumb was bleeding where he’d been chewing it. The youth worker, Colin James, well known in the community for working with teenagers and diverting them from a life of crime, was leaning back in his chair with his arms folded over his muscular chest, watching Larry intently.

‘You were at Alice’s house the night of June ninth, the night Frankie disappeared, weren’t you?’ Patrick began.

To his surprise, Larry nodded.

Patrick and Carmella exchanged a glance. Carmella said, ‘You’re admitting it?’

‘I don’t want to lie to you any more,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry I denied it before. I didn’t want Alice to get into trouble with her parents.’

Patrick paused. Either Larry was about to tell them the whole truth, or he was being clever. Confess to the stuff the police already know and make yourself look cooperative. It was a smart tactic.

‘So tell us what happened that night.’

Larry took a sip of water. ‘Alice told me her parents were going out and that she was babysitting Frankie, and I asked if I could go round. She was a bit, you know, reluctant because she didn’t want to get into trouble, but she gave in.’