‘It’s possible that a resident took it by mistake. A few of the residents do wander and they sometimes get confused,’ Maura says. ‘If that’s what happened, it’ll turn up.’

‘I am not staying in this place a moment longer to have foreigners stealing my things,’ Amanda says.

Cullen cannot let this pass. If Amanda starts along these lines, he’ll be asked to move her. He considers, for a moment, telling her his news, but, seeing as it will inevitably mean he has less time for her, she will like it even less than he does. Instead he says, ‘Now, now, Mother. Let’s have a proper look tomorrow.’ When he turns in the hope of seeking Maura’s approval, he sees that she has already gone. Cullen can’t blame her. I wish I could disappear, he thinks. Better still if the Dalek suffered some catastrophic malfunction, imploded from the inside, say, or fell apart. Falling apart would do.

‘I brought some of that sherry you like,’ he says, pulling a bottle from his bag. ‘Why don’t I wash up those glasses and we can have a quick one.’ He watches his mother’s face brighten momentarily and, picking up two glasses from the table, he goes into the bathroom. How easy it would be, he thinks, to put something in her drink now, something to ensure that she forgets about the bracelet, Rohypnol, perhaps, or mirtazapine. They must have loads of that kind of stuff in the locked cupboard where the drugs are kept. He catches himself in the mirror and does not feel guilty about the mirth in his eyes. Why stop at Rohypnol? What about strychnine or cyanide? If only he knew where to get such things.

He could use a wholesale quantity. There are one or two people, besides the Dalek, who he wouldn’t mind seeing dead right now. Mark Ratner for one. Natasha Tillotson for another. Now, he thinks, there’s an idea.

He emerges from the bathroom with a smile on his face.

‘Now, Mother, let’s have that drink. We’ll sort everything else out in the morning.’

Driving back through slack, blustery rain, Cullen wonders if his life will belong to himself ever again. He parks the car in the driveway, gets out and goes towards the door. At least there is no thug lurking in the bushes this time. He owes that to his mother’s bracelet. What would she do if she found out that it was him who’d taken it, he wonders. Would she take revenge? Might she be vengeful enough to spill the beans?

Veronica appears from the kitchen and plants a kiss on his face.

‘How was Amanda?’

‘Oh, you know.’