Franny fell silent, feeling her stomach twist up into a knot, feeling the guilt press down on her chest like a dead weight and feeling the loss of what they used to have together.

At the end of the road, Alfie pulled up outside a small block of flats.

He stared at them. ‘This is it. Are you ready?’

Franny shook her head. ‘No, Alf, I’m not, but then, I don’t think I ever will be.’

Inside the flats, the place was clean. Cream walls matching the cream square floor tiles, smelling of bleach and polish. A large potted plant stood in the corner and letters for the various residents were neatly stacked on a wooden shelf.

Alfie and Franny walked up the stairs and at the top landing, Alfie turned along the corridor to the end, followed by Franny.

Hearing the sound of a baby crying, Franny whirled around to look at Alfie. Her eyes pleading. ‘Do you think that’s her? Alfie, do you think that’s Mia? It could be her.’

Alfie gazed down at Franny, his heart going out to her. ‘Listen, darlin’, it would be nice if it was, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up. Alan said nothing about Mia. For all we know this could be another wild goose chase. This woman, whoever she is, might not even know Barry.’

In the quiet of the hallway, Franny frowned, hearing herself sounding desperate. She knew she needed to keep it together. ‘But I thought you said that she would know who he was. Where he was. I thought that’s why we came here.’

‘I did say that, but we’ve only got a smackhead’s word for it. I’m sure he was telling the truth, but I’m just scared that if she doesn’t know him or she doesn’t know anything about Mia, then it’ll be tough for you.’

Franny hissed through her teeth, letting her emotions speak for her. ‘You know what I think, I think that you’re forgetting about Mia in all of this. I think that this is somehow your crusade against Barry, against your demons, and you just don’t give a fuck about anything else.’