Sasha sighed. ‘Back when we were younger, me and your dad would go on a night out, or stay overnight somewhere, and we’d play a game.’ Angel shook her head, like, I don’t know what you’re talking about. ‘We’d, er, pretend to be other people.’

‘Why would you do that?’

They role-played because it was fun and exciting – and because they got a thrill out of it. But Sasha didn’t really want to explain that to Angel and wished she’d never brought it up. Kev was smirking at her now, as if to say, Get out of this one.

‘I don’t know why we did it, really. It was a silly thing to do.’

‘Aaargh.’ Angel winced, suddenly realizing. ‘It was a sex thing, wasn’t it? Yuck. You wore a French maid’s outfit and stuff like that?’

‘No,’ said Sasha, shocked. ‘I didn’t. It wasn’t that kind of—’

‘Your mother absolutely didn’t,’ Kev said in a deadpan. ‘But I did, once or twice.’

Angel looked terrified for a moment and then Kev laughed, which made Sasha laugh, too. But their daughter made a disgusted face. ‘You’re both sick. You really shouldn’t be talking about this kind of stuff around me.’

‘We’ll have to check our diaries for the next few weeks,’ Sasha told Kev, as if his schedule was bulging with events and responsibilities.

‘It’s for Friday night,’ said Angel, taken aback. ‘I’ve already booked the room.’

‘Oh.’ Sasha didn’t want to seem ungrateful, but she didn’t want to take time out, even a single night, while the investigation into the death of Andrew Dean’s murder was at a critical stage. ‘You really should have checked with us first.’

Angel looked crestfallen. ‘It was the only night they had available.’

‘Would you believe it, I’m going to London on Friday for an interview.’

‘What interview?’ asked Sasha.

‘That’s what I was going to tell you, I’ve got an interview for a job as a shipping administrator. It’s not till half five.’ When Angel made a strangled noise of frustration, Kev said quickly, ‘But I should be able to get back quickly enough.’

Sasha remembered Denny was going for a sleepover that night, which meant her daughter would be alone in the house. She didn’t like the sound of that – what if she panicked?

But Angel smiled, as if she could read her mother’s mind. ‘I’ll be totally fine.’

‘You could go to a friend’s house,’ Sasha suggested. ‘Or spend the night with your grandparents.’

‘I’ll stay here and Netflix and chill in my PJs with all the doors and windows locked,’ said Angel. ‘I’ll be on the other end of the phone. You can call me as much as you like, and I can call you. And Nan and Grandad aren’t very far away if I need them.’

‘You’re right,’ said Sasha, not totally convinced. ‘It’s only for a few hours.’

She looked at Kev, who tapped his temple. ‘She’s got it all worked out.’

‘It’s very kind of you, Angel,’ said Sasha, who was close to tears at the thought that her daughter would do such a nice thing. And it was kind. Angel had been a handful in the past, in trouble at school and mixed up with a crowd Sasha didn’t much care for, but maybe her daughter was beginning to feel more comfortable in her own skin. She hoped so. This thoughtful gesture gave Sasha hope that Angel was moving in the right direction.