A group of children, aged between six and nine, were playing in the rubble. They wore threadbare clothes, and their looks, as we approached, ranged from fear in the younger ones to defiance from the older, as if we had come to throw them off the only playground they knew.

Tibbot had a quick glance around to make sure there were no police nearby before addressing the boy who seemed to be the eldest. ‘You look like a sharp gang,’ he said. ‘We’re trying to find a friend of mine called Rachel Burton. Do you know her?’ They shook their heads, glaring at us. ‘There’s a few bob in it if you do.’ By some unseen signal, they turned around and marched away in single file. Tibbot called after them but they just ran. He shrugged his shoulders and pointed to a call box. ‘Let’s give it another go.’ I nodded in agreement. We had tried the number twice more on the way without luck but weren’t about to give up. We had to get lucky sometime.

I pulled out the numbers that we had taken from Lorelei’s list and tried the sixth one. There was the usual rattling, then the long ringing. Just as before, it rang and rang without answer. I began to place the receiver back on its hook.

‘Hello?’ a tinny voice said through the line.

I jumped, pressed the button to talk and held the receiver so hard to my ear that it hurt. I had prepared something to say but it had spilled from my mind. Tibbot gestured to me to calm down, and I did my best to bring my speech under control. ‘Hello. I … I’m sorry to disturb you,’ I stammered. ‘But may I ask who you are?’

There was a pause. ‘You called here.’ It was a woman’s voice, suspicious and careful. I moved the earpiece so that Tibbot could hear too.

‘Yes, I know.’ I searched around for a reason to call. My mind was blank. ‘Please, I have to know who you are.’

‘I’m not really supposed to be answering this line at all. I’m just standing in,’ she said.

‘Just –’

‘I can’t.’

‘Please!’ I said, letting the emotion out.

I heard her breathing. Then a click and a mechanical hum to say she had hung up. I gasped and tried to call again. The number connected and rang until it cut out. I tried again. No answer.

‘I can try to find out where that line goes, but I’ll do it on the quiet when I’m back at the station,’ Tibbot said. ‘Better to keep things quiet.’

‘All right.’

‘We’ll get there, honest. But for now, we’ll try the neighbours about Rachel.’