‘You’re not, Basil.’

‘And I didn’t know, Anna. I didn’t know he’d do that, Dad, to Hessel.’ Basil was blinking hard. ‘I didn’t know he was capable of that. And now he’ll go to jail. I fucked up, Anna. I really fucked up.’

‘He might not, Basil. He’s not well. It’s assault, yes, but it was provoked –’

‘Hessel’s in intensive care. My dad put him in intensive care. Hessel is a frail old gentleman and Danny is a strong and troubled young man. What if Hessel dies, Anna?’ I hadn’t thought of that. I was so unfamiliar with death that it seemed beyond the realms of possibility. ‘If he dies they will lock Danny up in a high-security prison with a bunch of hardened fucking murderers and they will throw away the key.’

Basil rocked forwards and put his head in his hands. Was that true? Could that happen? It couldn’t. It shouldn’t. It wasn’t right. And anyone would know that if they had seen what I’d seen. If they had seen Hessel . . .

But Basil hadn’t seen it. He couldn’t know what I knew, in the way that I knew it – bone deep. And while I envied Basil what he’d been spared, that misfortune of mine suddenly felt like a gift I could give him. Something I could give Danny. What I had witnessed – there was something in it, some proof, some good that could be done.

I crouched in front of Basil and made him look at me.

‘Basil,’ I said. ‘Danny saved my mum’s life.’ He stared at me dumbly. ‘Hessel was trying to kill her, Basil. And I tried to stop him, but I couldn’t.’ My eyes stung at the memory and my voice faltered, but I kept going. ‘Danny saved her life. If he hadn’t been there – and if you hadn’t helped him be there – well, my mum would be dead. She would be. Really dead.’ Basil shook his head. ‘No. You didn’t see it, Basil. But I did. Danny did what had to be done. He did what I would have done if I’d had the strength. What I was trying to do. And I will say that to anyone who will listen. Police, judge, jury, whoever needs to hear it. My mother couldn’t be a proper witness for Danny before, but I saw it all today. And Basil, my uncle, your dad, is a fucking hero.’

Basil was watching me, looking into my eyes, not looking away, like he was holding on to something.

From further back inside the station we heard the sound of doors opening and closing. ‘We’re Danny’s family now, Basil. You and me. And we’re not going to fail him, okay? You and me – we’re not going to fail him.’ I squeezed his hand. Basil reached out and took my other hand. He gripped it. ‘Okay,’ he said.

Leonie came down the hall and stood by the clerk’s desk. We went and stood next to her. ‘They’re just moving him,’ she said.