‘You’re right, that’s the first thing I should have done. Wasn’t thinking straight, think I was distracted by the Facebook stuff.’

She frowned.

‘What Facebook stuff?’

‘A couple of weird posts on my account, from my mobile.’

‘You think Ben did that?’

‘Don’t see who else it could have been.’

She picked up her phone and went to Facebook.

‘What did he post?’

‘Oh, I deleted them the other night. Just some stuff about seeing me at the Premier Inn. A bit weird.’

‘Maybe it wasn’t him, maybe your account got hacked.’

There was something odd in the tone of her voice. Something slightly unnatural.

‘Maybe,’ I said.

‘Sounds weird, though.’

William appeared in the doorway, three cars in each hand.

‘Can you play airport car park with me, Daddy?’

Airport car park involved bringing all of his toy cars downstairs – maybe a couple of hundred, although I’d never counted – and lining them up in rows on the lounge floor, according to make and model. The end result resembled an airport car park in miniature, hence its name.

‘Need to have lunch first, big man. Then I’ll play.’

He held out one hand.

‘You can do Beamers if you want.’

I took the three little BMWs from him, the metal warm from his small fingers.

‘Thanks, matey.’

He trotted off back to the lounge.

Mel said: ‘You should change your password on Facebook.’

‘Done that already.’

‘You OK?’ she asked.

‘Of course,’ I smiled. ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’

‘I mean about the Facebook thing, someone posting as you. It happened to Marie at work last year, really shook her up. Getting fraped, they call it.’

‘Fraped?’

‘Facebook raped.’

I shook my head.

‘Never heard that one before. Who thinks this stuff up?’

‘Are you OK, though?’

‘It’s no big deal. Really.’

‘I thought I might go for a few sets at the tennis club this afternoon,’ she said. ‘You boys are all right together, aren’t you?’

‘Sure. We still on for tonight?’

The phone rang on the worktop next to me, the landline for once. I picked it up.

‘Hello?’

Silence.

‘Hello?’ I said again.

‘I need to speak to Mel, is she there?’

It was Beth, Ben’s wife, a wobble in her voice like she was trying to hold it together and only just managing. Mel mouthed a silent question at me. Who?

I realised I was still holding the three toy BMWs, and put them down on the kitchen worktop.

‘Beth? Are you OK?’

‘No. I don’t know.’ She paused and I thought I heard a half-sob in the silence. ‘Can I speak to Mel, please?’

I handed the phone to my wife.

‘Hi, Melissa speaking.’

She turned away from me and took the phone into the conservatory. I was about to follow her when William appeared at my side again.

‘Daddy, can you get my cars down?’

‘Which ones, Wills?’

‘Um, all of them?’

I followed him to his bedroom and brought down the two wicker boxes of cars. They were heavy and I had to carry them one at a time. When I returned to the conservatory, Mel was putting the home phone back in its cradle. She was frowning. She looked downcast, genuinely worried.