Jackie nods and flicks through the photos on her camera roll. She stops at close-up shots of Elaine, a pretty girl with a troubled expression daubed with a black eye and a swollen cut lip. There are other photos from different times with bruises the size of fists on her back and arms. The final shot makes Archer unconsciously reach for her own neck. Elaine’s long pale neck has a ring of bruising as if someone has tried to strangle her.

‘Horrible, isn’t it?’

She needs to find Frank Kelly straightaway.

‘Do you think Frank killed her?’ asks Jackie.

‘I don’t know yet.’

‘To be honest, I don’t think he did.’

‘Why do you say that?’

‘Dunno really. I’ve known Frank a long time. If he had killed her, he would not have boxed her up and put her on display with a bunch of other dead people. He doesn’t have it in him.’

‘You said Elaine stopped clubbing?’

‘Yeah, she had and I really missed her. Last week she looked pale and rough. Frank had really gone to town on her. But she was upbeat. I took her for a coffee and asked what was going on. She told me it was really over. I said, “At last,” and asked her what she was going to do about leaving Frank.’

Archer hears small feet padding down the stairs.

‘Poppy, can you stay upstairs, please? Mummy’s talking!’

A dark-haired girl, wearing pink pyjamas, appears and stares wide-eyed at Archer.

‘Hello,’ says Archer.

Poppy says nothing and turns to her mother. ‘I want the wool,’ she says.

‘Poppy, you’re not even ready yet.’

‘I need it for school!’

‘Hurry up then!’

Poppy runs to the crate and pulls out a ball of black wool, her eyes glancing at Archer, who smiles. The girl smiles back at her and then runs back up the stairs.

‘Sorry about that.’

‘Don’t be. You asked Elaine what she was going to do about leaving Frank.’

‘Yeah. It was after she got the note . . . or I mean Jordan got the note. Jordan meant the world to her. She adored him. He adored her. Well, they adored each other actually.’

‘What note?’

Jackie glances towards the hallway. ‘I don’t like to say it out loud, what with the little ’uns upstairs. It gives me the creeps just thinking about. I’ll show you it.’

‘You have it?’

‘Not exactly. It really upset Elaine and she wanted rid of it. But I insisted on taking a picture.’

Jackie shows her a photo of a note on a creased sheet of lined paper.

I will fuckin cut you and yur cunt mother if she doesn’t do what I say.

‘Someone gave this to Jordan to pass on to Elaine.’

‘Did she say who wrote it?’

‘She wouldn’t tell me. It could have been Frank, but who knows. I was just glad she was leavin’ him.’