A smack-bang crash into the lifeguard at the entrance to the concreted area. He looked furious. ‘I said don’t drown, you little shit. Do that again and you’re barred.’

***

Voices. A man’s voice. For two seconds in the hallway, Matty’s heart was the Black Stallion galloping along a beach, until it became obvious that the voice didn’t belong to Dad.

‘Well, bloody hell, I don’t know what to tell you, Rosa. It’s a mystery.’

Matty stood at the living-room door, leaning against the jamb, sliding carefully around.

‘It’s not like him,’ said Sanjit.

Sanjit had always been nice to Matty on the couple of visits to the shopfitters when both he and Mamma had to work on Saturdays. He chucked over a packet of chocolate bourbons and told Matty to get rid of them before they did him an injury, patting his belly. Though Mamma was sometimes mean about Indians, she said that Sanjit’s family were nice, polite people. Once, they had all gone for a curry in Islington, though Mamma had ordered fish and chips because she was suspicious of spicy food. Matty had eaten a korma as always, and Dad had ordered something really hot to impress Sanjit and had to drink three mango lassis to get it down.

Now Sanjit sat, hands on knees, on the sofa. He craned round, the sound of his polyester trousers rubbing on the leather of the sofa. ‘Hello, little one, how are you?’ he said with a big beam, before he looked confused and tried to look more commiserative. ‘Well, of course, what I mean is it is a difficult time, of course, for everyone, oh bloody Nora, mate.’ He glanced at Mamma.

Mamma gazed at Matty in a blank, tired way. ‘Go and get a drink and wash your face. You look like you have been rolling around in a pigsty.’

Matty slid back into the hallway and did a few loud steps before creeping back to listen.

‘I don’t know what to tell you,’ Sanjit was saying. ‘It is a proper bloody mystery. He’s a responsible guy, you know? Always has been. Salt of the earth.’

Mamma didn’t say anything.

‘Well, we’ll keep managing for now. Holding the fort. Though he’s invaluable, really.’ Sanjit seemed to just be filling the silence with words, any words. ‘And the police haven’t come back with any leads? Any ideas?’

‘No. Not a thing.’

‘I don’t like to say it, Rosa, but – you know how these police people are, they are more interested in missing children, you know? It is a better story. You must keep asking them. Keep phoning them so that they do not forget you. Badger away.’

The card that the policewoman had left was in the hallway by the telephone. Matty picked it up and thumbed the edges.