Am I still the same person as the four-year-old girl in the pictures on the walls downstairs? And even if I am, why should the press care?

‘Morning, Laura,’ Karen says as I get down to the kitchen. ‘Sleep well?’

I nod, rubbing my eyes. ‘Yes thanks. Did you?’

She pulls a face. ‘Not really, if I’m honest. I don’t like the press being outside. It takes me back to when … when you …’ she tails off, waving her hand and then touching her face in a way which may or may not have been wiping away a tear.

‘Anyway, I need to speak to you about something. I’ve just got off the phone with the police. There have been some, um, developments in your case and they want to talk to you about it so that you’re fully apprised of … what happened.’

‘What kind of developments?’ I don’t know what she means.

She puts her hand on my arm gently, and I struggle not to pull it away. ‘I don’t know all the ins and outs, as they are going to talk to us together, but as I understand it, they’ve built up a bit more of a profile of who your, um, the man you called your dad was. They think something has possibly been leaked from the investigation, which is why the press has started turning up. So PC Oaks and Ellie are on their way now to fill us in.’

31

August 2013

Catford

Later that day, PC Oaks and Ellie arrive, along with another policewoman and another social worker who are to be my new points of contact now that I’m in London. Karen ushers them into the living room with me and then goes out to the kitchen.

‘How are things going, Laura?’ Ellie asks. ‘You settling in OK?’

I nod. ‘Yes. Fine thanks. Karen and Jesse are both being very kind to me,’ I say vaguely. I’m not interested in talking about that now. ‘Karen said you had some information about my dad – can you tell me about that?’

‘I will. We’ll wait for Karen to come back and then PC Oaks will tell you all about what they’ve discovered.’

We make pointless small talk about how I’m getting on until Karen comes back in with a tray of tea.

PC Oaks clears her throat and takes out a file.

‘Laura. As we already discussed in the hospital, it seems that the man you considered your father called himself Daniel Johnson in recent years, though it seems he kept himself to himself as much as humanly possible. As we suspected from papers found at the house once it was thoroughly examined, and we and have now confirmed from dental records, this was a fake ID and his real name was Andrew Mugton.’