He was a single parent, for the moment.

He opened the door. It wasn’t Tessa; it was Mike.

‘Hi,’ Matt said. ‘I wasn’t expecting you.’

‘Tessa called me. She had to go to the hospital.’

‘Oh,’ Matt said. ‘I see.’

‘She said to tell you she was sorry, but there was a pile-up on the M6 so it’s all hands on deck. She had no choice.’ Mike shrugged. ‘Life as an A and E doctor, I suppose.’

It was, in a strange way, a reminder that life went on. For Matt, everything was suspended, but out there people were getting into car accidents and having babies and living and dying as they always did.

He was about to shut the door when another car – an old Mazda – pulled up.

DI Wynne got out of the passenger side. She was with another woman, who looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties. She was not in uniform and was not dressed in a long, floral dress. She wore glasses and had her hair pulled up in a ponytail.

She did not look like a cop, Matt thought.

‘This is Rory Hall,’ Wynne said. ‘She’ll be the one questioning the children. She’s trained in this kind of thing. I’ll be present and may suggest things to her that she can ask. And you’ll need to be there too.’

‘Come in,’ Matt said. ‘The kids are in the living room. Would you like me to get them?’

Rory Hall smiled. She had a lively, warm gaze, and emanated a sense of energy and intelligence.

‘Not yet,’ she said. She had an Australian accent. ‘I’d like to talk to you before I meet the children. It’s useful for me to get a sense of who they are, and how best to treat them. I’d also like to know what they’ve told you, if that’s OK?’

‘Of course,’ Matt said. ‘We can go into the kitchen. This is my brother-in-law, Mike. He’s going to look after the children.’

‘So,’ Rory said. ‘Why don’t you walk me through it?’

Matt started at the beginning: he told her how he’d parked outside the shop and the car had been gone when he returned. At first he’d suspected the kids had done something, and then wondered if it was a prank.

But then the messages came. And the photos and the demands and then the handover.

‘Could I see the photos?’ Rory asked.

He handed over his phone.

Rory studied them. ‘Thank you,’ she said, eventually. ‘What have the children told you, Mr Westbrook?’

‘Not too much. Norman said they were fine. No one hurt them. He said Molly missed me and Keith was quiet, so he tried to reassure him.’

‘You must be proud of him,’ Rory said.

‘I am.’

‘Is there any sign of trauma?’