I hit end and looked up to see Mel standing in the doorway.

‘Who were you calling?’ There was a hint of accusation in her tone.

‘Ben.’

‘Why?’

I shrugged.

‘Thought it might help if I could talk to him. Clear the air.’

‘And did it?’

‘Got his voicemail. Although I think the second time he was screening my call.’

She crossed her arms.

‘Why would he do that?’

I shrugged again.

‘Same reason he’s not returning his wife’s calls, probably. Maybe he’s embarrassed now, doesn’t know how to come back without looking foolish.’

‘What were you saying about the other night?’

‘Just that if he wanted to talk, this was my new number. It would be nice to be able to give Beth some reassurance that he’s OK, to say that one of us has spoken to him.’

Mel tilted her head to the side slightly.

‘You need to be careful with him, Joe.’

‘Phone call can’t hurt, can it?’

‘Do you really think ringing him is going to help? I don’t want him coming round, especially with William here.’

‘I won’t let anything happen to Wills.’

Her face fell and I suddenly realised she was on the verge of tears. I went to her and hugged her tight, her head against my chest.

‘It’s just so weird, all of this,’ she said. ‘It never would have occurred to me that Ben had any violence in him.’

I kissed the top of her head.

‘I’ll look after you and Wills. I will never let anything happen to you. Never.’

‘I know. I’m more worried about what Ben might do to you.’

‘We should go to the police,’ I said. ‘Make a statement, like Beth did.’

Mel looked up at me.

‘About what?’

‘About seeing Ben on Thursday, about what he said – he was proper weird with me. We both saw him at that hotel, we need to give that information to the police. Maybe it will help them to find him, sort all this out. Put Beth’s mind at rest.’

‘I’m just not sure that anything I could tell them would help very much.’

‘We don’t know for sure, though, do we? It might be something that we don’t think is significant. Something that’s relevant to what’s going on Ben’s life right now, but we don’t realise it.’

She shrugged.

‘Like what?’

‘That’s the point – we don’t know what might be important. The police are the professionals, they’re the ones who can work out what’s relevant and what’s not.’

William appeared behind her on the landing, looking from me to his mum.

‘Are we calling a police car, Daddy?’

‘No, matey. Not today.’

‘Can we call one?’

‘No need, Wills. You’ve already got loads.’

‘Yes but they’re not big, silly Daddy.’

‘What are you up to anyway, little man?’

He held out the toy car in his hand, a silver Land Rover. ‘Can we play airport car park?’

I took another look up and down our street. No white Porsche. No Ben Delaney.