I look around. Anna’s kitchen smells of paint and linseed oil. In the small glass extension there are four child-sized wooden chairs – they look like IKEA – two of them completed, one not started, and the one she’s currently working on, sitting on a paint-spattered trestle table. It’s painted with the name Thomas and a selection of rockets and stars. The completed pair are for Sammy and Jenna. They’ve been painstakingly done, the images delicate and detailed.

‘What’s happened to this one?’ I ask, picking up a broken chair.

She takes it off me and inspects it, pushes the loosened rail back into its hole. ‘I tripped over it. Nearly broke my leg. It just needs a bit of glue and a hammer.’

‘I wish I was as practical as you.’

She smiles. ‘I didn’t use to be. I’ve surprised myself. It’s a good feeling, knowing that I can manage on my own.’

The kettle clicks, and Anna fills two mugs. She adds milk and puts them on the table. We sit down.

‘So, how are you?’ she asks. She pulls her hair back, twists it and lets it fall.

I keep my hands on my knees because they’re shaking so much. I’m scared of what comes next. On the way over, I scripted what I wanted to say, but I can’t remember how I proposed starting.

‘Not so good. It’s the not knowing that’s the worst thing. How can someone disappear without leaving a trace?’ I pick up my coffee and blow on it, then sip carefully, watching her over the rim. Toffee barks sharply. I press my hand on his muzzle to shush him.

‘Sorry, he’s been nervy since Nick went.’

‘I’ve got mice,’ Anna says. ‘I expect he can smell them.’

‘Probably.’ I drink some more of the coffee. She watches me, a question in her eyes. She wants to know what I’m doing here. I put my mug down and take a deep breath.

‘Anna, you remember I asked you if you’d happened to bump into Nick the Thursday before he disappeared?’

She frowns, but I don’t believe she’s forgotten. I wait, my eyebrows raised, until a red tinge begins to creep up her neck. I take a deep breath. I need her to believe I know more than I do. I decide to lie; after all, it may be the truth. ‘You were seen, Anna.’

‘What?’ Her mouth stays open. That and her flushed face tell me all I need to know.

‘Cassie’s husband saw you arguing with Nick.’

There’s a long silence, and I don’t fill it. I understand that she needs time to adjust.

‘OK. Yes. I did see Nick. We recognized each other from the school and said hello. We weren’t arguing. I don’t know what gave him that idea.’