Across the radio waves, both mobile and radio, came shouting and thudding footsteps. Someone asked someone if they’d seen three men. Someone shouted, stairs. Someone else ordered someone to damn well get out of the way. The tinny screech of action sliced into Anna’s head like nails on a blackboard. Shouts of there he is and stop and that door, go made her legs feel weak. A door slammed. Someone ordered it kicked open. After that, the symphony of noise became too much to fathom beyond a wild mêlée, like a bar-room rumble. Cops tackling bad guys in a small room. She tried to tell herself that the ruckus constituted an endgame, like the final action scene in a movie, and that she would have Josie back in her arms soon. But when a fragile voice screamed, Help, terror overwhelmed her and she fled the room with Jane right behind her.

Anna didn’t go for the bedroom, her safe haven, though: she went for the front door. Jane ordered her to stop. When Anna reached for the hook where they hung their keys and remembered that Nick had taken the car, she dropped to her knees and was unable to prevent a flood of despairing tears. Jane hugged her from behind.

‘Just for a moment there, I thought… I hoped Nick had taken our Josie.’

‘Don’t do this to yourself, Annie. Please.’

Anna shrugged her off and got up. Angry – in part with herself for wild hope – she yanked open the door and stepped out. She could feel her neighbours staring through their windows, eager to know what was… ‘Going on?’ she yelled at the road. ‘Do you? Well, everything’s fine here. So go back to your TVs.’

‘Annie, no, please, come here.’

Jane managed to drag her back inside, but caught her own head on the door and yelped. Anna immediately felt for her and forgot her own anguish. Look at the pain she was causing to those who loved her. She grabbed her sister and hugged hard, and spouted apologies.

‘False alarm.’

Both sisters turned their heads at the voice, but only Anna saw the gloom on Miller’s face.

‘It seems Nick was just following a hunch. What you witnessed was Nick and a pair of friends breaking into the home of someone we’ve already questioned as a possible suspect. It’s over and he’s not hurt. No one is.’

If Miller expected joy, she got a shock when Anna made a wailing sound. ‘Over?’ she yelled. ‘Was Josie there?’

Jane tried to soothe her. Miller shook her head. ‘Sorry, dear, truly. Josie isn’t there. The man in that flat is someone we cleared of involvement quickly. Solid alibi.’

‘Then it’s not over, is it?’