It felt like a disadvantage to be without a mobile at a time like this. Mel had dug out one of her old handsets from a drawer – a two-year-old iPhone, unused since she had upgraded – and lent it to me while I waited for mine to be returned by the police. I walked round the corner to the High Street and paid in cash for a new SIM card from Carphone Warehouse. I put it into the iPhone before leaving the shop and felt like I was back in the twenty-first century, instead of some time traveller from the 1970s.

Sitting on a bench, I texted my new number to Mel, Larssen, Beth and a few others, downloaded a few apps and got the hang of the phone’s menus and navigation. Mel said it had been wiped completely and she was almost right – the only thing I could find were a dozen funny selfies that William had taken, stashed away in a back up file. I smiled at the blurry series of pictures of our son in his pyjamas, who seemed to have snapped them without her knowing. He’d also taken three pictures of his breakfast cereal, one of a spoon and five of his big toe. But everything else that indicated this phone had once belonged to someone else – numbers, texts, videos, music – Mel seemed to have deleted when she upgraded.

I synced my Hotmail to the new phone and found a second email from bret911.

No text, just a picture attachment. It was a photograph of a letter, just the top half of an A4 sheet. Formal, letterheaded paper, addressed to Ben at his home address, from a company I had never heard of. Smith & Rivers.

Dear Mr Delaney,

Further to our phone conversation today we are pleased to be able to represent you in the matter discussed. Smith & Rivers offers the very best in professional advice and support – our terms are attached. We would seek to meet at your earliest convenience in order to establish the full details of your wife’s unreasonable behaviour as grounds to proceed in this matter. With allegations as serious as you have made –

The crop of the picture cut the rest of the letter off. The subject line of this email was the same as the last one.

You next.

The date on the letter was last Monday, 3 October. Nine days ago.

You next. Meaning what?

I forwarded the email to Larssen and sent a three-word message in reply to bret911.

Who are you?