“February,” I said. “They went away from wherever they lived a few days before my birthday.”

All those people talking about it at the lunch party Max and Selina gave for me, and Silver’s parents there, only I knew nothing of whose parents they were then, or what he would mean to me.

Wim shrugged. Who knew how long they had been there? The point was that they were there now.

“Are you quite certain it was them?” Silver asked.

“If you mean, would I swear to it in a court, no. But it was them, just the same.”

“Well, they’re all right there at the moment, aren’t they? They’re safe there. We won’t worry about it. We’ll go and take a look tomorrow. Not tonight but tomorrow.”

“They switched the light off before I left,” Wim said. “They went to the door together and the guy turned the light off.”

It was at this point that Jonny arrived. We heard his feet on the stairs and his key in the door, but before he had even appeared we all knew, by some silent sharing of thoughts, that it would be best for him to know nothing about it. As usually happens in a case like that, no one could think of anything to say. Jonny smelled of drink. His face was red and climbing the stairs had made him sweat. His eye rested contemptuously on Liv, who by now had managed to press herself against Wim’s legs.

“Polly, put the kettle on,” he sang in a slurred voice. “We’ll all have tea.”

Liv didn’t move.

“Don’t think,” Jonny said to her, “that sleeping in that room on your tod is going to save you. I can get in there anytime I want. You put the chest of drawers against the door and I’ll bash the fucking chest of drawers to bits.”

“Make your own tea, Jonny,” Silver said. “You’re pissed out of your mind.”

“Pissed,” Jonny admitted, making a fine distinction, “but not out-of-my-mind pissed. My mind is clear. I know what I’m doing.”

Wim yawned. I thought I could read what he was thinking. For two pins I’ll go in there with her, and by the time you come bashing down the furniture I’ll be fresh for a fight. But Jonny forgot about his tea and went off to bed. The stairs had winded him and he staggered, grabbing the door handle to save himself from falling. I told Silver that I was going home. He came downstairs with me, leaving the other two—to what? Nothing, probably. Too many things happened the next day for me ever to find out.