‘Flats? Sure, send them through. Can’t hurt to look.’ Danny had no intention of looking. As bleak as the hotel was, finding a place to rent was a permanent solution to a problem he had hoped would be temporary. Sharon seemed to relax a little, like maybe they had moved past the part where she might have been expecting a battle.

‘Has anyone spoken to you? About … about the investigation?’ Danny said.

‘Spoken to me? The police, you mean? Not for a while now.’

‘Not the police. There was some guy, he said he was some private investigator, he came to see me at the hotel.’

‘Private investigator? Where would you get the money from for—’

‘I didn’t hire anyone. It’s nothing to do with me, with us even. He was hired by someone separate from all this but he was talking about having answers for us. About whoever did this to Callie …’ Danny’s words petered out. It sounded even more ridiculous out loud.

‘It was in the local papers, Danny, it’s everywhere on social media, everyone knows our business, just like always. It’ll be some weirdo who fancies himself as being part of the story. You didn’t give him any money, did you?’

‘No. He wasn’t asking for money. He said he had answers. That was all he said.’

‘He will … Ask for money, I mean. Sounds like a con artist to me. There’s nothing more valuable to you in the whole world right now than finding out who did this to us, to our daughter. Anyone would know that. Tell him to do one.’

‘I did.’

‘What did he look like?’

‘I don’t know really. Older than me. Nice suit … It was late, I was heading back and I was a little …’

‘Drunk?’

‘I was going to say tired.’

‘But you meant drunk.’

‘I’m an adult, Sharon. I’m allowed to have a quiet drink when there’s nothing else to do.’

‘You’re allowed to do whatever you want. That’s always been your biggest problem.’ She paused to come back softer. ‘Look, I don’t want to argue. I just wanted to see you were OK.’

‘I need to see my boy,’ Danny said.

‘We talked about this.’

‘You talked at me about this.’

‘And you were drunk then, too. You think I want a two-way conversation with a drunk about something as important as our son?’

‘It won’t happen again.’

‘The drinking will. It sounds like it happened last night and that was probably why some suit thought he would chance his arm with you. He saw a weakness and he went for it.’

‘I’m not drunk now. Don’t hold back, Sharon.’

‘You still reek of it.’

‘I just want to see my son. Maybe I drink because you’re keeping me away from the only thing I have left. Did you ever think about that?’