At the mention of Tina, Lizzie noticed Billy’s face lose its colour. She’d been right. When she’d seen how close they were standing in the photo, she’d known there was more to them than anyone else knew. It was her name that now seemed to be the magic word to get Billy Cawley to begin his story.

‘Right. Okay. So, Muriel Fisher started it. The whole campaign to drive me from the village came from her. She was the force behind it all. At first, I thought her heart was in the right place. You were a strange child.’ Billy looked into her eyes, putting his head to one side. ‘Sorry, but it’s true. Not that it was your fault …’

‘It’s fine. I get it. Go on,’ Lizzie said.

‘I think she saw the damage inside you before I really understood it. But instead of looking for the real reason, she assumed I was … abusing you …’ He struggled to say the words. ‘Once she’d got that notion in her head, there was no stopping her. She looked for evidence of it, but when she didn’t find any, she decided to make it up instead. I’d already given her the ideal background – you know the kids of the village had decided I was a weirdo and hounded me?’

‘Yes. I don’t have any memory of it, but I heard all about the Knock, Knock, Ginger games and how you were always the main target.’

‘Yes, and after a while – bearing in mind I was grieving and a mess – I gave in to it and played along.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘It got so tiring, the constant banging on my door, the stones thrown at the windows. The copper wasn’t going to do anything – the kids outran that fat bugger every time.’

‘Pat Vern? He’s with Tina Hayes now,’ Lizzie said.

‘Yeah, I know.’ Billy shrugged. ‘Anyway, I thought if I couldn’t beat the little shits, I may as well have some fun with them. So, I began chasing them myself. Ran after them down the cul-de-sac screaming blue murder, threatening to give them a hiding they’d never forget. Hearing them scream like babies gave me an element of satisfaction. Sometimes I’d have a giggle when I got back home, puffed out and red-faced. Those ended up being the only times I ever laughed!’

‘But it added to your scary persona. Reinforced everyone’s belief you were a weirdo and the kids should be afraid of you. All it did was make you more of a target because you became a challenge. If a kid could get close to the bungalow – or even inside – it gave them greater kudos with their mates.’

‘Exactly. Which all came back to bite me on the arse when Jonie Hayes went missing.’ Billy leant forwards, resting his clasped hands on his thighs. ‘She’d been one of the kids who’d regularly played Knock, Knock. Her and the liar.’

‘The liar?’