‘Hello? Emily? Is that you? Can you hear me? It’s me, Gary. Are you okay?’

Her reply comes back a lot more clearly. ‘You’ve got to get me out of here, hurry up!’

I can sense that her voice is coming from the other side of an airbrick just above the level of the small concrete patio. I bend down onto my knees and tell her to come to the back door.

‘I can’t,’ she replies. ‘I’m in the fucking basement. You need to get inside and see if you can open the basement door.’

‘I don’t have a key, Emily.’

‘Well, smash a window, then, or break down the fucking door.’

‘Are you okay? You didn’t say when I asked you.’

‘Yes, I’m fine. I’ve got a bobble hat for my feet. Please, just get me out of here!’

I pick up a large terracotta plant pot and throw it at the back door to break the circular glass panel. The pot shatters into many pieces as it falls back onto the path but has made a significant crack in the glass on impact. I try to finish the job with my elbow but don’t have the confidence required to use enough force to smash through. I look around the small garden for something I can use to finish the job and my eyes set upon a tall bird feeder in front of the rear hedge. It’s a tall thin metal pole with little branches towards the top from which to hang bird food. I work it around in the ground and the six or seven inches that are beneath the lawn soon work free. I have myself an avian-friendly spear-cum-lance, and use its pointy end to smash out the rest of the glass panel from the door. I reach my hand through and release the latch on the lock. It leads into a hallway with the kitchen to my left. I know that Emily is directly below the kitchen, but a quick check reveals there is no doorway inside that room. I carry on through the hall and see a doorway under the first flight of stairs. It’s secured by a large metal bar placed between two upright metal brackets. Emily starts shouting from the other side of the door.

‘I’m in here! I’m in here!’

I kick upwards on the metal bar and it pops out of its fixings without too much resistance. I open the door and there she is, still wearing Grace’s green trouser suit and still looking as magnificent as ever. She throws her arms around me and gives me an adult hug.

‘Thank you, Gary, thank you so much. Jesus Christ, my feet are freezing.’

‘Who put you down there? Was it Tommy?’

‘Yeah, I don’t know what his plans are for me, but I think we should get out of here in case he returns.’