‘I knew it! I just knew it!’ Casey exclaimed. ‘Rave should sue those newspapers. Bastards.’

Now, walking alongside Maisie, Deirdre felt nervous. She wasn’t a fool: she knew why Maisie had asked her on to her team, but words failed her. They walked in silence, a little way behind the policeman and Valerie, as they turned up on to the mountain track ahead.

‘I haven’t seen you for a while, Deirdre,’ Maisie said.

‘Just busy with school, Mrs Bean.’ Deirdre always called Maisie ‘Mrs Bean’. ‘Ms Bean’ sounded so weird.

‘But you and Jeremy, you’re still together.’

‘The porn wasn’t his,’ she blurted out, and even before she’d explained, Maisie let out the greatest sigh of relief.

‘Oh, thank God,’ she mumbled, as though the world was suddenly a brighter place.

But he is gay. He’s gay. He’s so gay. If I wasn’t so worried I’d fuckin’ hate you, Jeremy. In fact I do. I hate you, Deirdre thought, but she didn’t say anything. Instead she explained the find and said he was making sure little kids didn’t see it.

Maisie smiled. ‘That sounds like him.’ She gave Deirdre a hug. ‘Thank you, love. That’s a huge relief.

‘Did you hear that, Fred?’ Maisie called, to the copper who had talked to them at the school.

‘I did, Mai. He’s a good boy.’

‘Of course he is.’ She smiled. ‘He’s the best.’

‘Jesus, Ma’sie, calm down,’ Valerie said. ‘They’re still missing.’

Fred’s phone rang and he came to a stop to answer. She and Maisie hurried up to join him where he was standing.

‘Right, thanks, Tom. We’ll see you up there,’ he said, looking sombre.

‘What, Fred? What is it?’ Maisie asked, the moment he hung up.

‘They found the bike.’

‘Where?’

‘The reservoir.’

Maisie gulped. ‘And the boys?’

He shook his head. ‘We’re calling in the Sub-aqua Unit.’ Deirdre covered her mouth. She could picture the night sky, the tumbling rain, the muck and mud, one boy slipping, the other holding on tight, them both falling in, being dragged by the current, deeper down into the darkness. ‘No! No way! Jeremy would never go near the reservoir. He’s always been nervous of it. He hated it up there,’ Deirdre said, through tears. ‘He said it was eerie, especially when it rained.’

Maisie was silent, clearly stunned. Valerie grabbed her mother’s hand.

Deirdre felt sick, like she actually wanted to vomit. She covered her mouth with her hand and tried not to cry too loudly.

‘Well, you can call in who you like, but he’s not there, Fred.’ Maisie’s voice was high-pitched, verging on hysterical.

‘Let’s just make sure, Mai.’