‘Nothing.’ He moved it out of my eyeline.

‘Zach! Show me now please.’

Reluctantly, Zach showed me: jolting, out of focus, but footage of the incident in the woods.

‘Oh God, Zach! I told you not to film that. You’d better delete it.’

‘Why? It’s lit!’

‘It’s not “lit”. And – because. He’s only a kid.’

‘Wassup with him though?’ Cecilia opened her can. ‘He’s a bit special, isn’t he?’

‘Ces!’ Melissa nudged her with a flip-flopped foot. ‘Don’t use that expression please.’

‘I don’t know,’ I said. ‘But he needs support, I think. Obviously.’

‘His dad’s calm though. I’m gonna get to meet Stormzy, and he’s going to give me a go in his Tesla.’ Zach shrugged and showed Cecilia a TikTok dance on his phone.

‘Delete it, Zach, OK? That poor boy,’ I said wearily, but they were laughing hysterically, and I didn’t have the energy for a row right now.

Melissa closed her eyes for a second. Then she opened them again.

‘That Bill’ – she nudged me now – ‘might be single.’ She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

‘He didn’t look like someone who’s loaded, did he?’ I ignored the eyebrows. ‘Bit scruffy.’

Melissa grinned. ‘What does loaded look like then, hon?’

‘I dunno. Like Nella I suppose. Kind of – glossy. Well-made. Or Lena.’

‘Do you think they even are though?’

‘What?’ I was confused.

‘Loaded. I mean they might be posh, Nella and Marcus – I know Nella sounds a bit like Princess Di did – but actually properly loaded? Maybe that’s why they’re taking Willow out of that private school. And Lena definitely isn’t either posh or rich. She’s an Aussie!’

‘Can’t Australians be posh?’ I asked. ‘Lena always looks pretty – put together. Expensive clothes.’

‘Looks being the operative word, I think. Most of her stuff’s from Topshop, I’d bet you. And Ishaan doesn’t even have a proper job anymore, now he’s retired from doctoring.’

‘But the Jacksons – that house, the car, private schools – till now, anyway…’ I drifted off for a moment, staring at the gentle swell of the hills beyond the lay-by. ‘I hope Marcus’s shoulder is OK.’

‘Hmmm.’

I looked up sharply. ‘What does that mean?’

‘You know exactly what it means, don’t you?’ Melissa yawned widely. ‘Whew, I’m knackered. That was hardly the restorative break it was billed as.’

I didn’t bother to rise to her bait. ‘No, it definitely wasn’t.’

Nor did I have a leg to stand on really.

Rolling into London, the traffic backed up badly because of Carnival diversions, the city was far more muggy and less sunny than the countryside we’d left behind, but for once, I welcomed the fumes.

Suffice to say, I wasn’t the kind of parent who believed that my own children were always innocent, but a little ownership from the Jacksons or their ‘oldest’ friend, for the events of last night, would go a long way.

The flat might be stuffy and small, but it was home – and for that I was grateful. It had been touch and go for a while when Jonny died, and I knew it wasn’t much, or a remotely desirable address – but it was ours.