‘Absolutely not. You should have seen her. Being drunk kind of suited her. Well, you know what I mean.’

Peder knew exactly what he meant.

They carried on talking; Peder had a new job.

‘I was with the Solomon Community for a long time. My temporary post was extended, and I finished up staying for several years. It was good, but now I’m working for a private security firm that helps big companies with background checks on job applicants.’

‘Like being a secret agent?’ Alex said.

‘Kind of,’ Peder laughed. ‘Although it’s a lot more comfortable and very well paid.’

Alex laughed too. He could just imagine Peder digging up people’s secrets. He was capable of both efficiency and discretion, although he could also be restless. Alex couldn’t help wondering why he’d left the Solomon Community. He hadn’t been there that long, despite his assertions.

‘Did it get too monotonous?’ he wondered.

Peder didn’t answer for a moment.

‘No, it was more . . . I just needed to do something different. I wanted a change – it was time. Once I’d made the decision it all happened pretty quickly.’

It was time.

That was the way you thought when you were young. In Alex’s case the phrase ‘well, it’s too late now’ was more prevalent. Too late for a change of career, too late to make something else of his life. His gaze fell on a framed photograph on his desk, a picture of himself with the children. Diana wasn’t there. Nor was Lena.

He picked it up, thought back to the conversation with Noah. Tried to imagine a scenario where he and the kids disappeared in a way that meant no one would miss him.

Impossible.

He hesitated, then made up his mind.

‘Peder, can I run a story by you?’

‘A story?’

‘Yes, a story someone told me today. The problem is I don’t know what to do with it.’

The words came pouring out, how desperate Noah had sounded.

‘The trouble is I can’t just dismiss him as an idiot. He’s not making this up.’

‘Do you want me to check him out?’ Peder said dubiously.

‘No, no, that’s not why I brought it up. I want to know what you think, whether it’s something I ought to pursue.’

‘If your colleagues have already looked into it and decided there’s nothing in it, then what can you achieve?’

Peder’s words should have made Alex feel better, but they didn’t.

‘I’m not sure . . .’ he said.

‘About what?’

‘Whether Noah might be right after all.’

He could hear Peder tapping on a keyboard.

‘If I tell you something in confidence, it stays between us – okay?’ he said.

‘Absolutely,’ Alex promised after a brief pause.

‘Before I got this post I spent some time with a security firm targeting small businesses that needed help with alarm systems, that kind of thing.’

Alex sighed.