Adrian poured boiling water from the kettle into two mugs and took two teabags from an open box on the counter top, dropping them in. ‘I’ve been out driving each day,’ he said. ‘I know it’s a waste of time but you just hope you’ll spot something. Sometimes you see some kid with the same coat and your heart jumps until you get a bit closer and realise it’s someone else. The worst thing is, I can’t talk to anyone. Rach doesn’t answer my calls and then you lot go to her, not me. He’s my son too, y’know.’

There was a clear frustration but Jessica thought she would probably be far angrier than he was if the roles were reversed. She certainly wouldn’t be making cups of tea.

‘I know we asked you the other day but is there anyone you can think of who might want to harm Lloyd?’ Jessica asked as sincerely as she could.

‘I’ve been trying to think,’ Adrian said, making eye contact. ‘I’ve not just been sitting around and wondering – I’ve made lists. I thought about everyone over the years who I’ve fallen out with and so on. The thing is, apart from Rach and her family, I’ve not really pissed people off. I’ve worked when I’ve had a job and tried to find something when I’ve not. I don’t owe anyone any money, I’m not in any gangs or anything and I hardly ever go out on the piss. Until I split with Rach, everything was simple.’

‘Why did you break up?’

Adrian opened a small fridge and took out a pint of milk, pouring some into each mug before putting it away and offering one to Jessica. ‘It was a build-up of things. Rach was happy when there was money coming in but when I lost my job, she couldn’t accept it. When I couldn’t get another one full-time and was relying on scraps from the job centre, she was furious. She thought I couldn’t find a job because I didn’t want one.’

He stopped to take a sip of his tea before waving Jessica towards the living room. He sat on one of the chairs at the dining table, Jessica taking another.

‘Is that why you broke up with her?’ Jessica asked.

‘Sort of. I knew she was really materialistic when we were together. She always liked spending money on things but it was fine because we had the money to spend. Our wedding was ridiculous. It got to the point where I didn’t even want to know how much she was spending because I wouldn’t sleep. Every time I brought it up, she’d go on about it being “her” big day. Never “ours”, always “hers”. I thought that once we got through that, it would change. Then Marcus and Lloyd came along and it was sort of better. She liked spending money on them. After I lost my job, she acted as if I’d failed her and the boys. She was used to a comfortable lifestyle and claiming benefits wasn’t something she wanted to do. Then it was all her mum in her ear about how I was never good enough and all that. But we stayed together for the boys until I couldn’t take it any longer. They were at an age where they were just about old enough to understand and I told her it was over. She’d been giving me all that abuse over the years but I still ended up being the bad guy because I was the one who split with her.’

Adrian tailed off, picking up his mug from the table. Jessica didn’t think he was looking for sympathy but she felt sorry for him nonetheless. From everything he said, he certainly had been harshly treated. It was as if he sensed her thoughts. ‘It’s fine,’ he added. ‘I’m used to it all now. I don’t want to bore you with my moaning, I’d rather you were out there looking.’

As he spoke Jessica heard the front door opening and a woman’s voice calling out, ‘Ade?’

‘Shit, that’s my mum,’ Adrian said. ‘You should probably leave.’ Jessica didn’t have time to ask him why before a woman burst into the living room with two bags of shopping. She was short and overweight, with shoulder-length greying hair, and wearing a dress that looked more like a curtain than an item of clothing.

‘Are you coming to help me or not?’ she demanded before noticing Jessica. ‘Who are you?’

‘This is DS Daniel, she’s—’ Before Adrian could finish speaking, his mother cut him off.

‘And you let her in here?’ She turned from Adrian and looked at Jessica, her eyes dark and wide with anger. She didn’t look that much older than her son and Jessica guessed she was a teenager when she’d had him. ‘Why aren’t you out there looking for my grandson instead of harassing my son? Why would he kidnap his own child? It’s that bitch wife of his you should be going after.’

Jessica stood, knowing it was time to go. The woman wasn’t ready to stop as she continued shouting. ‘Yes, go on, get out. And don’t come back until you’ve got my grandson with you.’

As she left the house, Jessica could hear Adrian trying to calm his mother. She wasn’t under an obligation to leave but seeing as the man wasn’t under suspicion and she had only dropped around to reassure herself, Jessica knew there was no point in causing a scene. She walked along the pathway, passing a car which had the doors open and shopping bags on the seat, thinking it seemed about right that Adrian’s mother did his shopping for him.

With everything that had happened over the past few days, Jessica was at a loss of what to do next. She unlocked her car and sat in the driver’s seat fiddling with her phone, scrolling up and down the list of contacts, sometimes focusing on one and trying to remember the last time she had spoken to the person. As the list of names fizzed across the screen, one in particular settled in the centre.

She stared at it, her heart beating quicker as she remembered what he meant to her. She didn’t know if it was fate or something she had done subconsciously but Jessica didn’t think twice before pressing the call button next to Adam Compton’s name.

19

Of all the things Jessica regretted in her life, the way she had treated Adam Compton was top of the list. They had gone out for a while and got on really well. She was his first proper girlfriend and he was one of the few people she could spend significant amounts of time with without wanting to cause them great harm.

A few years ago one of her friends had died but instead of using Adam as a shoulder to cry on, she had ignored him for weeks. If that wasn’t bad enough, she then took advantage of his emotional attachment to her, asking him to do something illegal on her behalf. He had not got into any trouble but anything between them had been lost and aside from an unanswered text message she had sent him, they’d had no contact since.

As the phone rang, Jessica wondered if he had changed his number. Perhaps he’d kept the same number but was refusing to answer because her name had appeared on his screen? Jessica took her mobile away from her ear ready to press the button to end the call when she heard a voice. ‘Hello?’

‘Adam?’

‘Yes.’

‘It’s Jessica.’

‘I know.’

There was an awkward silence as Jessica considered what to say. She had thought about making this call many times in the past but Adam made her promise never to contact him again. She was breaking that and didn’t know why.

‘I . . . How are you?’ she stammered.

There was another pause and she was about to ask if he was still there when Adam answered. ‘Why are you calling me, Jess?’

She felt a shiver go down her spine from the way he had said her name. It had taken her long enough to convince him to call her ‘Jess’ instead of ‘Jessica’. From nowhere there was a lump in her throat. She tried to speak but the words were stuck. She struggled to ask the question but swallowed hard before forcing the words out. ‘Can we meet?’

There was another pause, longer this time, but she could hear Adam breathing. Eventually he responded. ‘Where?’