‘I . . . She’s fine.’ I needed to remember everything was normal. I needed to brief him and get to the Platform to investigate him. ‘Hattie is with her. We’re not letting her out of our sight now. I’m just waiting for an update on Peppa. Jake and Cameron have been following her and that woman she met with in the playground.’

‘What do you think happened last night? Who spiked the nuts?’

‘The Coyote could’ve been one of the catering staff. We’re running deeper checks on all the IDs now.’

‘What should I do?’

‘Just be on standby. Unless you hear from me, meet us all at Christie’s this afternoon for the auction. We should know more by then.’

‘We’ve nearly made it.’ He put a hand on my shoulder and stared down at me. I looked up at him and it took everything to not flinch. To not shrug his hand off and slam him up against the door by his throat and ask him what the fuck was wrong with him. What kind of person could ignore their child in pain?

‘We have.’ I tried another smile. ‘All the more reason to be on the alert.’

‘Excuse me.’

We both turned to see Miss Jenna.

‘Gigi’s corn head has fallen off and she says you have a special way to fix it?’

I looked over Miss Jenna’s shoulder to see Gigi waving at me to come over.

‘Right. Yes. I know exactly what to do.’ I followed Miss Jenna down the aisle. I turned back to Frederick. ‘I’ll see you later.’

He held up a hand and turned and left the church.

My special way to fix the corn head onto Gigi involved a series of bulldog clips and an elastic band.

‘There you go. Now don’t move or speak or laugh too much and it will be fine.’

I looked round the church. It was slowly filling up with the congregation. A series of parents were all frantically adjusting their little darlings’ costumes. Rochelle’s son was the sun. He was wearing a bright yellow ray headdress that was around three-feet wide and made from cardboard, industrial glue and a steely determination for one-upmanship.

‘I know I could just Amazon one-click a costume but it just doesn’t give me the same joy and satisfaction,’ she was telling another mother.

The vicar addressed everyone as I headed towards the exit. ‘The service will begin in ten minutes. Please try and use this time for quiet contemplation.’ A peaceful hush descended on the church.

A quiet that was shattered by the sound of my phone ringing. I looked down. It was Jake. ‘Sorry,’ I mouthed round to everyone looking at me and answered it as I walked quickly out the side door next to the altar.

‘You need to meet us at Bill’s Restaurant in Fulham. Come now.’

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight