‘Jesus.’ Will ran upstairs and rifled through a wardrobe, taking care to wrap his hands in his sleeves. He found jeans and a top and ran back down. Liam’s trainers weren’t too bad, and he rinsed them under the tap. ‘Put these on outside on the grass. Come on, get dressed.’

Liam did as he was told and they went out the way they’d come in, careful not to touch anything. Liam put his stained trainers on, then they walked to the car and got in, checking the road to make sure no one was about. Will followed the line of sight from Ormond’s house and satisfied himself that they hadn’t been seen.

Then he drove away.

Chapter 48

Sharon Bradley spearheaded the march out of Penrith and north along the A6 towards the Cumbria Constabulary HQ. Millie held her hand, and on his daughter’s other side, Thomas kept his eyes peeled for trouble. If he couldn’t protect her at home, then he wasn’t letting her out of his sight.

As the day wore on, he became more tempted to report Jordan missing. Millie didn’t want him to because she thought it might get him into even more trouble than he was already in. It was a dilemma that he wished Ella could help him with. He’d lost his anchor: the only person in the world who knew instinctively what to do when faced with a quandary concerning their children. He’d taken her for granted and allowed her to make the decisions, so now he was unprepared and amateur. He had no idea how to advise his daughter or discipline his son. His admiration for Ella extended beyond her qualities as a beautiful person; indeed, it was boundless. The strength, commitment, wisdom and poise necessary to nurture and encourage two other human beings was something he was only just beginning to appreciate.

Ella would have known what to do with Millie as she fled their home in search of answers he’d failed on. She’d know how to find their son. After that first glimpse of Jordan on the TV, he had had no further sightings, and neither had Millie, but they were both convinced he was hanging around the estate. Deep in his gut, Thomas knew that Jordan wanted revenge in his own style, and part of him wanted the same. But the thought of his son going to prison for the rest of his life for first-degree murder was unbearable, and he pushed it to the back of his mind every time it raised its ugly head, concentrating on Millie instead.