4.33 p.m. Me

The phone rang as I pressed send. It was Larssen. I rejected the call: I had to get things straight in my head before I talked to him again.

Going back to my house was not an option. And in any case, there was only one place that I could think of to go – one place that might hold some answers. I had to follow Ben, find him before the police found me. What had he said in his email to Mel?

Need to see an old mate at home.

He had just renewed membership of his favourite casino, in his home town. It couldn’t be a coincidence. I did a quick Google search and checked my watch. It was tight, but just about possible if I didn’t hang about. The mobile beeped as I drained the last of my Becks – a new message as Larssen spoke to the answering machine. The phone’s battery was showing about fifty per cent, and I had a moment of unease about doing what I had to do with a dead phone battery, cut off from everything – it was the one thing I had left to rely on. I went into the Sainsbury’s next door and bought an Apple charger, then withdrew £200 from the cashpoint outside, my maximum daily amount. The mobile rang again, a withheld number.

‘Hello?’

A woman’s voice. Husky.

‘Hello there, this is Lorna, you called me earlier.’

Lorna. It didn’t ring a bell.

‘I did?’

‘Yesterday afternoon. Lorna from VIP – you were too shy to leave a message.’

‘Oh. Yes, of course.’ The escort agency. ‘Thanks for . . . calling back.’

‘So, what sort of thing are you looking for, sir? What’s your fantasy?’

Think. VIP provided ‘male and female companions’ for dates, nights out and consensual sex. The truth was, I had no idea how it was relevant to Mel’s affair with Ben – but it must be relevant somehow, otherwise she wouldn’t have tried to conceal it.

‘I’m . . . I’m looking for a repeat booking, actually. My wife and I used your company recently and were very satisfied with the evening. I was hoping to book in another visit. Same again.’

‘Surname?’

I told her.

‘Sorry. We’ve had no booking under that name.’

What name would she use?

Of course.

Her maiden name.

‘She would have booked it under the surname Bailey.’

A pause.

‘Ah. Yes. Here we go.’ The sound of keys clicking on a keyboard. ‘Are you sure you want the repeat booking? I could text you a little selection, in case you’d like to meet one of our other escorts.’

I checked my watch again. Time was getting short.

‘Listen, Lorna, sorry but can I call you back a bit later? I’ve got to be somewhere.’

‘Sure, darlin’. I’ll send you links to a few pages on our site, see what you think she might like.’

‘Including the original booking?’