‘Seriously, Annie, don’t worry about Ethan. We’ll deal with it. And he would never hurt you.’

‘You reckon?’

‘Of course,’ Grant said, but as soon as the words had passed his lips he realised there had been an edge to Annie’s response. ‘Wait, what do you mean? What has he done to you?’

Annie shook her head and looked down at her food.

‘It’s nothing,’ she said.

‘Just tell me.’

She said nothing.

‘Annie, damn it, tell me!’

Grant’s raised voice made Annie jump and Mary rushed over and put her arms around her daughter.

‘Don’t you take this out on her,’ Mary said.

‘Fine! I’ll tell you. Even though I told him I wouldn’t.’ Annie paused and looked away. ‘You know where he’s staying now, right?’

‘With a friend, that’s all he told us,’ Grant said.

‘His name’s Jimmy,’ Annie said. ‘He’s way older than Ethan, like twenty-five or something. He’s a complete…’

She paused again and looked at her dad. Clearly she’d thought twice about whatever word she’d been about to use.

‘…Oh, I don’t know, he’s just so sleazy and slimy, and horrible.’

Grant was vaguely aware of Jimmy because he’d been to the house once or twice to pick Ethan up in his car when Ethan had still lived there. He was an out and out loser, as far as Grant was concerned – cocky and arrogant. Probably one of the popular kids back in his school days. Such kids sometimes forgot to grow up.

‘What is it, Annie?’ Grant said.

‘Look, I can’t say much, because I wasn’t there, but Jimmy is always taking girls back to his place; he thinks he’s a real stud. My friend, Olivia, slept with him.’

‘With Ethan?’

‘No! With Jimmy.’

‘She’s only fifteen!’ Mary blasted.

‘I know! But he picked her up in a bar. Maybe he didn’t know.’

‘What? Wait, since when have you—’

‘I wasn’t with her, Dad. I don’t go to bars. But Jimmy doesn’t care how old they are. He’s so creepy. Apparently Ethan was there too. In the bar, and in the apartment. He’s always there. They’re like a sleazy duo. Their place is a proper bachelor’s pad. They both take different girls back there all the time. That’s what I was told, anyway.’

Grant shut his eyes, trying to block the unwelcome images that were forming in his mind. What on earth was wrong with Ethan?

‘All the boys at school think it’s hilarious,’ Annie said. ‘They’re always making fun of me, calling Ethan a paedophile.’

Grant squirmed at the word. The more he heard, the more he felt queasy. He didn’t know what to say. Mary looked similarly frozen.

‘He’s not. Is he, Dad?’