‘You can’t expect me to sit quietly at home, waiting for scraps of news,’ Eve snaps back. ‘I had to do something.’

The hall feels cramped with bodies. Igor is breathing heavily, the policewoman watching him. Grace is standing close; Eric’s face has turned red.

‘You aren’t allowed to enter someone’s home like this, it’s against the law. He has the right to privacy, like everyone else,’ he tells her.

‘The right?’ She spits the words. ‘Igor had our daughter’s clothes under his bed and you’re worried about his rights?’

‘He has no idea where Sorrel is.’

‘We found this hidden behind a photo of his family.’ Eve thrusts the picture of Sorrel at him.

Igor moves towards her but the policewoman steps between them and steers him towards the kitchen.

‘There’s something you should know.’ Eric takes her arm while Grace turns towards the front door.

‘Don’t go,’ Eve says quickly.

‘This is between you and Eric,’ Grace replies. ‘I’ll see you back at the house.’

Eve watches Grace walk down the path; guilt and gratitude jostle. She wants to run after her, thank her, tell her she needs her strength, beg her to return, but Eric is leading her into the sitting room.

‘You’d better sit down.’ He closes the door behind them.

She watches Eric pace about the room, frowning at the floor as if planning his words.

‘Sorrel came here often,’ he says after a couple of minutes. ‘She and Poppy gave Igor their own clothes for his family.’

Eve stares at him, astonished. ‘That’s utter rubbish. They hardly know him.’

‘They spent hours here.’

‘Who told you that? Igor?’

‘They’ve been coming here for years.’ Eric’s voice is flat. ‘They came to watch television. He made them jam sandwiches and gave them crisps, sweets, chocolate biscuits. Normal stuff that kids like, things we never allow them to have.’

‘He’s making it up.’ Eve stands up but the room turns and she sits again quickly. ‘They would have told me.’

‘Poppy did tell me, today, in the police station.’

‘Poppy?’

‘I took her out of school. It turns out they’ve been giving him their stuff for a long time.’

‘It’s not true; I’d have seen things disappear.’

‘The girls dared each other to take more and more: jerseys, school uniform, winter coats. Poppy said you never noticed.’

Clothes go missing sometimes, it’s impossible to keep track. When she can’t find something, it usually turns out to be at the dry cleaners or stuck behind a radiator, perhaps on the floor of the car. If it fails to reveal itself in time, she buys a replacement; it’s easier than hunting for hours.

‘… as often as they could,’ Eric is continuing. ‘They made sure it was when I was away from home so they wouldn’t be noticed.’