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Skittleton when I told you I was driving 300 kilometres north to meet your mother?’
     
    Billy told him what else had happened. His father became more and more agitated and angry. Worst of all, he didn’t seem to believe him. ‘What on earth were they thinking of, letting you go down to the Factory?’ Jerry demanded.
     
    ‘Now he’s going to blame us,’ said Mrs Mumberson. ‘As you’d expect.’ She took the phone off Billy, even though she didn’t need to. ‘Now don’t interrupt, Gerard. Billy’s had a terrible fright, and so has Olivia...’
     
    ‘Olivia!’ shouted Jerry.
     
    ‘Yes, Olivia, and thankfully she kept her head. If it wasn’t for her there’s no knowing what would have happened to Billy. He might have been kept a prisoner!’ Jerry tried to say something, but his mother carried on as though she was talking to a teenager. ‘Get yourself home right now, and go down to that Factory. Give them a piece of your mind.’ Jerry tried to speak again, but his mother cut him off. ‘No excuses, Gerard Mumberson. We should call the police.’
     
    ‘Get them to arrest those people,’ added Mr Mumberson.
     
    His wife would have carried on lecturing Jerry for some time (she had plenty of unused lecturing to catch up on after twenty years) but he finally got a word in. ‘Listen to me! I can’t come now. I’ve only just found Madeleine. She’s in a terrible state. I can’t understand what she’s on about. Sounds like the same old fairy tale stuff she used to spout. I’ll try and work out what she’s on about then head home. It won’t be until the early hours of the morning, though.’ He cut the call, giving the others no chance to add anything further.
     
    ‘Did I mention how rude he was?’ Mrs Mumberson said to no one in particular.
     
    Her husband replied, all the same. ‘If he was any younger I’d give him a good clip round the ear.’ He poured himself another cup of tea; he was grateful to be able to have tea whenever he felt like it.
     
    ‘Olivia, aren’t you supposed to be at home?’ Mrs Mumberson had almost forgotten that Olivia didn’t live in the house.
     
    Olivia glanced at the kitchen clock. It was already eight. ‘Mum and Dad won’t have noticed I’m not there yet. They often work half the night.’
     
    ‘That’s all very well, Olivia, but you need to be with your family,’ said Mrs Mumberson. ‘You don’t need to tell them everything that’s happened tonight, if you don’t want, but I think you should be at home all the same.’
     
    ‘They wouldn’t notice me talking to them anyway.’
     
    She would have gone straight out the door and walked home without a second thought if Mrs Mumberson hadn’t stopped her. ‘You can’t go by yourself!’ she said, horrified. ‘Mr Mumberson will take you.’
     
    ‘I’m drinking my tea!’
     
    ‘Billy, you’d better go too, so he doesn’t get lost.’ She gave Mr Mumberson a ‘don’t-argue-with-me’ look.
     
    ‘I’ve lived in this town since I was a boy, Brenda,’ said Mr Mumberson, standing up and finishing his tea more rapidly than he’d intended. ‘I can find my way around without Billy’s help, thank you. He’ll be safer here.’
     
    ‘Granddad...’ Billy suddenly realised what he’d called Mr Mumberson. His grandparents’ raised their eyebrows. ‘I’ll come. I’ll be safe with you.’
     
    ‘That’s a moot point,’ said his grandmother. ‘More likely he’ll be safer with you.’
     
    ‘Get a move on then,’ said his grandfather. ‘Have you got an overcoat I can borrow?’
     
    They sorted out a coat and a scarf belonging to Jerry. ‘We’ll have to get some new clothes,’ said Mrs Mumberson, casting an eye over his apparel. ‘We can’t keep wearing other people’s all the time. Though where we’re going to get money from I don’t know.’
     
    ‘Dad’ll lend you some, Grandma,’ said Billy, hardly aware that he’d found a name for her as well.
     
    ‘ You’re an