‘All kids say mean things sometimes, mate. Some adults do too.’ The night his wife had left him she’d called him some pretty nasty things. Not swear words, but dull, boring, unexciting. They’d cut to the bone. ‘Sometimes you have to just shake it off. If someone’s being mean, it’s generally because they’re unhappy and nothing to do with you.’

‘He keeps blocking me in the toilets and won’t let me out.’

‘Does he?’

Freddie nodded. ‘He did it to Oliver too.’

At least if he was doing it to other people, it was less likely to be targeted. That meant he was being silly rather than picking on Freddie. ‘And what happened today? What was the accident?’

‘It wasn’t an accident. I was playing tag and he waited until I was on my own and got off the climbing frame and ran at me then shoved me over. He did this.’ Freddie got up and went to the other side of the room then ran back towards the sofa as fast as he could. Just as he got there, he forcefully pushed the air away as if shoving an imaginary opponent. Something wasn’t quite adding up here and Nick knew his son wasn’t a liar.

‘I thought Miss Radcliffe said it was an accident?’

‘Amias said it was so he didn’t get into trouble and Umar and Richard backed him up because they’re scared he’ll hurt them too, but it wasn’t an accident, Daddy. It was on purpose.’

Daddy. Freddie didn’t always call him that anymore. As he was growing older, he’d begun to call him Dad, only falling back to it occasionally. Nick preferred daddy, probably because he didn’t have as long to enjoy it. It was the name that made him want to snuggle his boy up and hold him tight, protecting him from all these horrible, selfish people in the world.

How could Paige ever have left him? Her own son. She hadn’t called in months and even if she did, Nick wasn’t sure she’d ask to speak to Freddie. Did she not miss him? Nick missed Freddie every day when he was at work, which was stupid really because he knew he’d see him in a matter of hours and there’d probably be some moans and groans about dinner, baths, or bedtime. Nick had no idea how a mother, who was supposed to have a stronger instinct to protect their offspring, could think about leaving a child behind.

‘So, you don’t believe it was an accident?’ Nick asked, pushing his thoughts to another track. Freddie shook his head. ‘All right, mate. I’ll have a word with Miss Radcliffe and ask her to keep an eye out. Now, do you want to get changed and play on the PlayStation while I cook dinner? But you need a shower tonight, okay?’

‘Oh, Dad!’