In the end, for something to do I got up and trailed along to the station. There was a guy just inside, selling the paper. He was there a lot and I knew him by sight. I walked past him a couple of times, then went up to him. ‘Were you here last night?’ I asked.

‘Yeah.’ He looked at me. ‘Why?’

‘I – I’m looking for someone. My mate. We were supposed to meet here last night. I wondered if you’d seen him.’

He shrugged. ‘I seen a lot of people last night. Hundreds. What’s he look like, this mate of yours?’

‘Tallish. Red hair. Bit older than me. Carries a green pack. Ginger, they call him.’

‘Hmm.’ He nodded. ‘I might have seen him. There was a guy like that last night. I remember ’cause he was talking to this old feller. Shouting. Something about hospital. They went off together.’

‘Which way’d they go?’

‘I dunno, do I? Wasn’t taking much notice. It might not have been him, anyway.’

‘No.’ I hesitated. ‘Look – will you do me a favour?’

‘Depends.’

‘If you see him again, will you tell him Link’s been asking after him?’

‘Link?’

‘Yeah.’

‘He mentioned Link. The old guy. Link’s had an accident. Something like that.’

‘But – I’m Link. I haven’t had an accident. Are you sure that’s what he said?’

‘Think so, yeah. The other guy acted sort of frantic – pulling him along, shouting.’

‘And you didn’t notice which way they went?’

‘No, mate. Sorry.’

I hardly slept at all. Thoughts whirled round and round inside my skull and I was hungry as hell. There were loads of parked cars on Pratt Street and people kept coming past, chatting and laughing, banging doors and revving up. I was glad when it started to come light.

I had a coffee in an all-night joint and waited till it was time to go along to the market. I kidded myself I was going for a wash and so on, but really I was hoping he’d be there.

He wasn’t, but looking down from the walkway outside the toilets I spotted the girl Ginger had talked to in the caff. She seemed to be by herself this time. I pelted along the walkway and down the steps and found her looking at hats. I touched her sleeve.

‘Hi.’

She returned my hi, but I could tell she didn’t remember me.

‘Link,’ I reminded. ‘I was with Ginger.’

‘Oh, yeah. Where is he?’

‘I was hoping you’d tell me.’

She shook her head. ‘I haven’t seen him since Thursday.’

‘Me neither. Was it you he was meeting – in Holborn?’

She nodded. ‘Me, Tim and Ricky – the guys you saw before. We meet at the Macklin Street Centre sometimes. Didn’t he come back here?’