It’s almost three by the time I leave. Roman is waiting for me outside in the hire vehicle. He’s spoken to the staff but got nothing of use, or so he says. I’m not at all convinced he’s telling me everything, and so I don’t relay any of the juice that Daphne told me. None of it. It’s not even a calculated decision – I’m terrible at keeping secrets – it’s more that I’m in shock and need time to process it. Anyway, he makes it easy because he’s preoccupied checking on the progress of the pigeons on his various maps, and I guess he doesn’t expect anything earth-shattering to have happened between Daphne and me. When I tell him that she made me do yoga he takes it in stride, completely missing the fact that I’m staring at the dashboard blankly as I try to remember everything that was said. Not least of which: there’s something growing into my skull.

‘Donato had to go to his other job, so he hasn’t been able to trace the hog yet,’ Roman tells me. ‘But he will get on to it.’

‘What other job does Donato have?’

‘He’s a personal trainer.’

‘Seriously?’

‘You can’t think we’re breaking even with this gig? It’s not like you’re paying us.’

‘So who is, exactly?’

‘Come on, Charlie. You know what it’s like starting a business. I run drones for extra cash and live with my sister and her family. Being the Dream Police is a labour of love at this stage. But someone’s got to do it.’

He’s not blushing. Could he be telling the truth?

‘So hey, you know my dream records that you wanted?’

‘Are you going to give them to me?’

‘Maybe. Where is Pigeon Number Seven?’

‘Brighton,’ he says lightly. ‘But it hasn’t landed. It’s gone out to sea.’

‘For real?’

‘I know, I know. I didn’t think of that possibility and I’m using the wrong system to track it, but I’m in the process of cross-coordinating with the Coastguard. We haven’t lost it, we just don’t know where it is.’

‘You lost it.’

‘I just said we haven’t lost it!’

He takes me home. He says he’s going to do his research on Martin Elstree and get back to me. I don’t tell him that I have plans to do research of my own. He wouldn’t approve.

Mrs H-W strikes back

Mrs H-W strikes back

I am really clever. Exceptionally clever, and I’m so excited and proud of myself that I’m doing daring things without Shandy and I’m going to get into that flat and find some piece of evidence that I can give Roman, because I am brave like that.