‘More than a favour. If anyone found out about this? And I’m not sure if you’re actually sorry, but it doesn’t really matter. Take that energy and make sure it stops you from doing any of this again while you’re here. I won’t say anything if you drop this now. I don’t want to hear a word. About either of you. Understand?’

Booker goes to leave, then, like an afterthought, turns.

‘You think I haven’t thought about everything you’re thinking about, thought about her, every day since she left?’

Ellis and I both nod.

‘I swear,’ he says, ‘I swear, I still see her sometimes …’

We’re all quiet. A sea gull screams above us.

‘And …’ He kneads his brow, like he’s in pain. ‘I certainly don’t need to tell you this, but the folder was empty because I sent it off for you.’

I blink. ‘What do you mean?’

‘All file requests are sent along to the county office on the mainland. I was gonna try and see if I could get the information to you. What a sucker, right?’

My chest, already strained from his chastising, finally crumples. ‘Thank you,’ I say.

‘Well, doesn’t matter much now anyways, now you’ve got Ellis on your team.’ He eyes the two of us. I worry we look pathetic. ‘Truly, what are the chances?’

‘We’re sorry, B-B-Booker,’ Ellis says.

‘Look, I don’t know you especially well …’ He’s looking at me. ‘So I can’t speak for you – but I know you, Ellis, and I wouldn’t have expected you to get mixed up in all this.’

Ellis’s expression is downcast.

‘It’s his family,’ I say, a spike of anger underneath my words.

‘And that’s exactly why he ought not to be. Sometimes nothing good comes from digging.’

‘You won’t see any more of us,’ I say.

Booker gazes back, but past us, at the barbed wire fence. ‘And stay out of there,’ he says, finally. ‘All kinds of dips, ravines and that. One of you could get hurt.’

Booker drives away, the shock of the siren still floating around near the back of my skull. Ellis and I are silent until the sound of tyres on gravel has faded into the far distance.

Without looking at Ellis, I say, ‘He was lying about not being there.’

‘I know.’

‘But why would he lie? More importantly, why would he lie about where he was, and defend Frank at the same time, and then also send the files off for me?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘If I was a police officer who had killed someone and some dastardly kids are sticking their noses in, I’d be the first to hope that they pin it on somebody else. Why wouldn’t he just let us think Frank had done it to get us off his case?’