Principal Young escorted him outside.

‘They’re not in the tank,’ he said again, needing her to believe him.

Principal Young nodded. ‘Go back to class, David.’

He didn’t go back to class. Instead he went into the boys’ toilets and sat there for ages on his own just thinking, hoping and convincing himself everything was going to be all right.

Fred

Fred sat in the front seat of his car and phoned the station. Linda answered. ‘I heard,’ she said.

‘Nightmare.’

‘Unlucky, but we’ll find them. Glad you finally pulled the trigger, though.’

Linda had been his friend for a long time. He’d admitted his feelings for Maisie to her while drunk on two separate occasions but he hadn’t mentioned going out on the date in case it went badly. ‘Tom told you about me and Maisie?’

‘It’s all over the station.’

‘Jesus.’

‘Now what can I do?’

‘Take this down, will you?’ He rattled off his notes, including everything that was important, a description of what the kids were wearing, their last-known whereabouts, the make and model of the bike they were on.

‘I’ll pass it on.’

Deirdre Mahoney had said something interesting during her interview, he recalled. She had been cautious but insightful. ‘If you ask me, they’ve run off,’ she’d said.

‘Why’s that?’

‘Because Rave’s da is a junkie and he makes a show of him.’

‘If that’s true, why would Jeremy follow him?’

‘Because Jeremy would follow Rave to the moon.’

‘Where do you think they’d go?’

‘Dunno. England … or maybe they’d look for Rave’s ma. She’s been on the missing list for years.’

He gave Linda Sid Murphy’s details and the address of the house.

‘Hold on, Tom’s here,’ she said, and put Tom on. It was clear he was scanning the notes Linda had taken while talking to Fred.

‘We’ll put all this over the radio and get it to national and local press. In the meantime I’ll meet you at Sid Murphy’s house, if you’re up for it. You’re strictly a bystander, mind.’

‘Do you think he’ll know something?’

‘Probably not, but it’s as good a place to start as any,’ Tom said.

‘And what about the tank?’

‘I’ll have some lads walk the river and do a little recon. It’s too early to call in the Sub-aqua Unit.’

‘OK.’