‘I don’t remember anything else about my life there or how I came to be found in the road the way I was,’ I say again. Which is the truth. ‘And so it doesn’t seem that surprising to me that I don’t remember about a time even earlier than that.’

Jesse nods. ‘I guess. And I suppose if I think about it, I probably don’t remember much from when I was four. Or even from when I was a bit older. Although …’

He pauses.

‘What?’ I prompt.

‘One thing I do remember vividly is my dad leaving. How he slammed the door and left Mum crying. And how he didn’t even say goodbye to me. Just went. And that was that.’

I squeeze his hand. ‘I’m sorry. That must have been tough.’

‘Yeah.’ A few beats pass. ‘Mum won’t ever talk about it. It wasn’t that long after you were taken.’

As well as there being photos of Jesse’s dad in the house, I think this is only the second time Jesse has mentioned him and Karen, not at all. I haven’t asked why, but it seems pretty clear he’s been cast out from both of their lives.

‘So … you’re not in touch with him?’ I ask tentatively.

He shakes his head. ‘No. He left without looking back. He’s not interested in me, so I’m not interested in him.’ His voice is tense and bitter – I haven’t heard him sound like that before. ‘We’re better off without him. Mum agrees.’

We continue with our cake in silence for a few more minutes until Jesse says:

‘I don’t know about you, but I could do with some fresh air. How about if we go out for a bit? I feel like I haven’t been out of the house for days.’

I put my plate down. ‘But Karen said …’

He waves his hand. ‘Never mind what she says. It’s late, most of the reporters will have gone by now. And it was all right when we went for a picnic the other day, wasn’t it? Nothing happened. We’ll go out the back, like Mum and I used to last time they were here. Mum’s been going to and from church the whole time without them noticing. It’ll be fine.’

It seems like Jesse is right – nothing untoward happens as we slip out. The moon is bright as we walk and chat. It feels normal and natural. Comforting.

We stroll round almost the entirety of the park, enjoying the cool air. I ask Jesse to tell me about his school. It sounds totally different from the ones I’d seen in films which were usually boarding schools where it was just girls or just boys and everyone wore uniforms.