She put a hand on my arm.

‘There must be someone else, Joe. Please.’

‘Adam couldn’t do it. You said Emma and Peter are away for the week. We’re out of options.’

She slumped, defeated.

‘OK.’

‘You can stay in the car. I’ll go up to the house.’

‘It’s just not a good idea, leaving William with her – who knows what she might do? Anything’s got to be better than that, surely?’ She seemed genuinely alarmed by the idea of leaving our son with Beth. ‘You saw her at the Stratford on Sunday. She’s mad, crazy, maybe psychopathic. What if she takes it out on William?’

‘She’s not crazy. She wouldn’t hurt him, it’s not in her nature.’

‘Are you sure?’ Mel looked unconvinced.

‘Absolutely.’

Chapter 45

45

Mel was right, as it turned out.

I had to press the doorbell four times to get a response. Eventually Alice opened the door, the brass security chain snapping taut, and she stood peering at me and William through the gap. She was holding her mobile, earbuds plugged into both ears.

‘Hi,’ she said cautiously, removing one earbud.

‘Hi Alice, is your mum home? I need to speak to her.’

‘Why?’

‘Need to ask her a favour. I tried ringing earlier but no one was picking up.’

Alice unhooked the chain and opened the door fully, looking a bit sheepish. She was dressed almost entirely in black.

‘I had my music on.’ She took a step back and pointed towards the lounge. ‘Mum’s in there.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Joe?’

‘Yes?’

‘Did you talk to Mum earlier?’

I nodded. ‘What did she say about it?’

‘Nothing, she’s just been . . . acting really weird since I got home from school.’ She looked at the floor. ‘And she’s taken some tablets.’

‘What tablets?’

‘Valium. Supposed to be for when she goes on plane trips.’

Beth lay out full-length on one of the sofas, in a blue silk dressing gown that was too big for her. There was a tall glass by her hand on the floor, tipped over, a wet stain on the carpet. The only lights on were small and cast more shadows than anything else. The big plasma TV on the wall was muted into silence.

‘Beth?’

No response. Various pills and blister packs of different sizes were scattered across the glass-topped coffee table. She was snoring quietly.

One of Ben’s shotguns was laid across the other sofa.

‘Daddy, what’s that?’ William said in a loud voice.

‘Just a walking stick,’ I said.

‘It looks like a gun.’

I picked it up and leaned it next to the window, out of Beth’s reach, then sat down on the sofa opposite and patted the spot next to me. Reluctantly, my son sat down. He was still staring at the shotgun.

‘Beth?’ I said again.