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I can’t leave things like this.

My finger taps redial. ‘Helen?’

‘Kate. I was just about to call Hammersmith and Fulham.’

‘I’ll call them. See if I can smooth things out with the father. We can’t just drop them in it. What’s the number?’

‘I’ll connect you. Hang on.’

After two rings, I hear Terri from Hammersmith and Fulham out-of-hours team.

‘Child Services. Emergency duty team.’

‘Hi Terri. It’s Kate Noble. I hear Tom Kinnock’s father is with you. Can I speak to him?’

‘He just left. Big relief. I threatened to call the police in the end. Karen let him in – God knows why, she’s been told before. Once he was in the building, he just kicked off, shouting and swearing.’

‘Are you okay?’ I ask.

‘A bit delicate. But I’ve had worse nights. Are you out and about somewhere?’

‘Oh, I’m not missing much. You sure you’re okay?’

‘Fine. Get back to your evening.’

‘I’ll call you tomorrow.’

At the party, I head straight for the garden bar and grab a can of cold shandy from the ice bucket.

I hardly ever drink, but this evening feels like a ‘hardly ever’ sort of time.

‘There you are.’ I feel Col’s warm arm around my shoulder. ‘Everything okay? No, it can’t be. You’redrinking.’

‘It’s just shandy. I had a work call.’

‘Ah. Silly me to think you’d finished for the week.’

‘I’m sorry. You always knew I was a career girl.’

‘Yes. I know.’

Col used to love that about me.

Now, perhaps, he’s not so sure.

Lizzie

Monday morning.

Mr Cockrun’s office is neat and tidy, with some unusually secure touches.

There is, of course, the two-way glass and bars at the windows and the medicine cabinet locked with a huge padlock. But there is also a Kensington lock holding Mr Cockrun’s computer screen to the desk and a PIN entry system on a side door, which I assume to be a stationery cupboard.

A CCTV camera is mounted in one corner. On a long desk under the window is a CCTV screen, flashing with different images of the school – an empty playground, an empty corridor, an empty school field …

The children are in school right now, but you’d never know it.

There is also desk space for another person with a penholder and swivel chair.