‘Yes, Cian and Aaron are fine, they’re in bed asleep. It’s Da.’ Amber is scared, her voice rising with every word.

‘Tom? What happened to him?’

‘The police were here, Ma.’

My legs buckle beneath me. Donna moves the stool for me to sit down. ‘The police? What the hell did they want?’

‘I don’t know.’ Amber is crying, panicking at the far end of the phone.

‘It’s going to be okay, Amber, it was just a silly car accident. He knocked down someone on a bike, they’re…’

‘They took him to the station, Mam.’ Oh God, poor Amber. Donna is telling me to relax.

‘What? The station?’ I end the call and run.

Ellen is standing at the door. Amber’s face is red from crying. A shudder runs down my back when I see Amber holding Rena’s baby on her hip. I don’t know why but I don’t like the picture.

‘What’s going on?’ I say, panting my way to the front door.

‘They took Dad away in the car,’ Amber cries. I pull her close and hug her and the baby in her arms tightly.

‘I know all about it, Amber. It was just an accident with a cyclist, Dad will be fine.’

Tom called Ellen to come over to sit with the boys because he couldn’t get me on the phone. Amber saw it all from the next-door neighbour’s window. If I’d have been here the cops wouldn’t have had to stay so long. Amber might have missed it. But apparently it took half an hour for Ellen to arrive and the lights were flashing outside the house. But why did they take Tom to the station? The accident, the cyclist? Or, please don’t let it be something to do with the dead woman?

‘Dad couldn’t get you on the phone, so he had to ring Nan and I had to come in with Owen because I was too scared to stay next door on my own when I didn’t know where you were.’

‘I’m sorry, I was at a friend’s house and my phone was on silent.’

Ellen is saying nothing with words, it’s all written on her face. She shakes her head at me then winks a nod to get rid of Amber.

‘Go back inside, Amber, put Owen in his bed, everything is okay, your dad was in an accident the other day. They just want to clarify some details. It’s nothing serious, so don’t worry, sweetie. Would you like me to ring Rena to come home early?’

Taking a deep breath, Amber leans in for me to hug her. ‘No, it’s okay.’ Owen whimpers in Amber’s arms. Cuddling him, she walks away, turning when she gets to the end of the garden. ‘Call me if anyone else breaks the law.’