This morning he rang back. Could I let him know whether Jake would be back at work some time this week as they had a big job planned and he needed to know whether or not to get someone else in? I asked him to hold on, then knocked on Jake’s door. He opened it seconds later, in the same faded pair of boxer shorts he’s been wearing for days, his eyes bleary, his jawline covered in stubble. Behind him, on the opposite side of the room, the curtains were still shut, the only light the blue haze of his laptop screen, the lid half-closed.

‘Ian wants to know when you’re going back to work.’

‘Huh?’

‘Ian. Your boss. He’s got a big job on. He needs to know when you’re going back or he’s going to have to get someone else in.’

Jake shrugged. ‘Whatever.’

‘You’ll lose your job if you don’t go back soon, Jake.’

‘Who cares?’

‘You do. You love your job.’

‘None of that shit matters any more.’

‘Jake!’

‘Mum –’ he rubbed a hand over his face – ‘I can’t deal with this right now. Can you tell him I’ll ring him back?’

He closed the door before I could reply. I stared at the knotted wood, grubby with semicircular grey patches – the remains of stickers he’d plastered on the door as a kid – and raised a fist to knock again, then remembered I’d left Ian hanging on the line and bolted back down the stairs.

‘Hi, Ian. Is it okay if Jake rings you back this evening?’

He sighed. ‘I like Jake. And I know he’s got a lot of family stuff to deal with but I need to have a team I can rely on. If he doesn’t call me in the next couple of hours I’m going to have to get someone else in. I’m sorry, Claire. Business is business.’

I can’t help to find Billy but I can still look after one of my sons. I can still help Jake.

Chapter 32