“I’ll think about that.”

He’d always thought he had one of the best poker faces in the business. How bad must he look if George had noticed it? I’m getting old, old and tired, and this is a young man’s game and I can’t do it any more. No, he couldn’t think like that, he had to be strong for his daughter. He had to get the name, the name, the name, the name. Just the name, and the rest was easy. He’d told Alicia he would go to the police, but he’d lied.

Four o’clock. Mike came in for his shift, took one look at Donald’s face and hastily made himself busy in the kitchen. What would he do if she didn’t tell him? If she wouldn’t? This wasn’t like the old days, shaking down scum to see what crumbs of knowledge fell out. He couldn’t be too rough. He couldn’t be rough at all. This was his daughter, his beloved daughter. She was the victim. She needed him to be on her side.

Back up the stairs. This time, they felt two thousand miles high. His knees were shaking when he reached her doorway. She was sitting at her desk, her hands in her lap, her face composed.

“How are you doing, love?”

“Please go away.”

“Are you ready to talk to me yet?”

“It was my choice, you know.” She looked at him defiantly.

“Don’t say that.”

“Why not? It’s true. And I’m not ashamed of anything I did with him.” This, even though her face was scarlet.

“He should be ashamed, not you. Please, love, just tell me his name.”

“I’m his love, not yours.”

Could she possibly believe that?

“And,” she continued, “I’m not telling you his name. Not now, not ever.”

“Then maybe I’d better call the police.”

(Oh, stupid, stupid. Don’t make empty threats, they come back to bite you. Of course he wouldn’t call the police. Did she know that, though?)

“I’ll say I made it up. They can’t do anything if I won’t talk.”

(She was right. And he knew it. And she knew it too.)

“Please.” All his defences stormed, his armies in retreat. His castle crumbling. “Please. Let me look after you.”

“You don’t actually think that’s going to work, do you? When did you listen to please?”

“Alicia, I only want to help!”

“You couldn’t let me have that little bit of privacy, could you? You couldn’t stand it. Everything I have you take away from me. Well, one day you’ll find out how it feels. And then you’ll know.”

Day wearing into evening. Five o’clock, a couple of locals in for their tea. Mike normally covered this period alone so he could dash upstairs to spend a couple of hours with Alicia. Tonight he went down to the cellar and put the light out and sat in the dark. All the joy that had been in him this morning had melted away. What was he going to do?