Fergus held the mobile with both hands and brought it close to his face. His breath frosted the glass, and he wiped it with his sleeve.

‘I should have said. Xavier has a muscle-wasting condition that requires regular medication. Because I know you care about the girls, I think you care about him, too, so I just wanted to let you know that he might need some extra help.’

Fergus thought about that. He wasn’t sure how long he’d need Xavier. There was only one step left in creating his ideal life, but that might take a few days more. It really depended how vital the medication was. It seemed unlikely that anything would happen if someone missed a few days of tablets, but then he didn’t want to have to replace Xavier as he had Angela.

‘Sorry, I got distracted,’ Connie was saying. ‘About my eyesight. I’m an achromat, which means I only see in black and white. It’s a strange thing, because while I exist in the same world as everyone else, it looks very different from my perspective, and I feel …’ she gave a shrug, ‘I guess I feel cut off from everyone else a lot of the time. As if they’re all sharing some great secret I’m not allowed to know.’ Connie gave a vague smile. ‘I don’t think I’m explaining myself very well. I suppose a lot of the time I just feel invisible.’

Fergus held his breath. He touched her face through his screen with his fingertips.

‘I wonder if you do, too. Sometimes people like us see the beauty in the world but it seems like we can’t really connect with it. I’m not here to judge you, and I’m not a police officer, by the way, in spite of how this looks. I’m a psychologist – although that’s a fancy title for someone who tries to figure out how other people think and feel. I’m reaching out to you, to say I get it. Not all of it – I haven’t walked a mile in your shoes.’

‘No one has,’ Fergus whispered.

‘Is that the right phrase?’ Connie continued. ‘Anyway, I hope that makes sense. I was hoping you’d let me know that Elspeth and Meggy are okay, and so that I can give you the information you need about how to get medication for Xavier. I can arrange it all and just leave it somewhere. But also so you know someone can see you. You’re not invisible, even if it feels like it. There’ll be a number on the screen when I’m finished. You’ll be put through to me. I won’t ask your name, number, where you are. Nothing.’