‘And you don’t know who I am either. Don’t believe what you’ve read or heard. It’s all bullshit.’

‘Private investigators like me only believe what we find out for ourselves. That’s why I’m here, because of what I have found out. Think about that, Mr Evans.’

Danny didn’t want to think. Not now. He walked away as quickly as he could. When he emerged out of the shadow it was with a new destination in mind. The service station sold alcohol all night. He checked behind him, making sure his new friend had stayed put. When he came back out of the shop, the man was gone.

Chapter 2

Wednesday

The morning was always an extension of the night before when Danny had been drinking. The muzzy head was an instant reminder, but he knew that would pass; it was the fatigue in his muscles that would linger. It usually got worse as the day wore on. By evening, he felt lacklustre and wiped out. This morning, even the few steps to the bathroom were laboured. The sudden whirr of the extractor fan made him wince. He turned to sit on the toilet, not even bothering to stand up to urinate. As he finished, he glanced out of the bathroom and saw a white envelope on the floor by the door of his room; it looked like it had been slid underneath.

The envelope was A4 in size, face up and blank. At first it felt light enough to be empty, but it wasn’t. From inside he took out a single sheet of paper. The writing was scratchy, barely legible:

Maybe I didn’t get it right last night. I just wanted to talk, to help. I took the liberty of making an appointment for you to see me.

You should know, I don’t usually work for free. But this is different. I know how much you and your family must have suffered.

I’m sorry about the time but you will understand when you get there. Those answers I mentioned, I do have them. But they’re no good to me.

The Old Mill Development: CT17 OAX. Tonight, 10pm. Follow the light.

‘Follow the light!’ Danny scoffed. ‘God left it, did he?’ He turned the letter over in his hand, but there was nothing else. He opened his door and stepped out into a long, bland corridor. His eyes followed the patterned carpet up to a set of fire doors. He didn’t know what he was expecting to see. There was no one about. The envelope could have been pushed through at any time. The end of his night had seen him swigging from a bottle of rum until he had passed out on the bed.