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He called the tearoom first. Aunt Marjorie answered, and in the background, he heard Clarice crying. Marjorie put her on for a moment to talk to Billy, then Jacob spoke to Mark, who said he’d call into the station and report that the boy had been found. He overheard Marjorie offering free coffee and cakes to all the searchers. Then Jacob pulled up a stool in the corner of the sports shop for Billy to sit down on.

‘No one’s angry with you,’ he said. ‘We just wondered where you were.’

‘I didn’t want to see them,’ Billy said again.

‘Who?’

‘The kids at school.’

‘Why?’

‘The … the … magician. He … did that trick.’

Jacob took a deep breath, his blood starting to rise. Clarice had told him what had happened, that an unlucky coincidence had made the boy a laughing stock. He tried to make light of it, though, tried to reassure the boy it was just a trick.

‘That’s magic for you, isn’t it? Didn’t he predict what you wanted for Christmas? I heard that was pretty impressive.’

Billy shook his head. ‘When I sat down, he whispered to me. He said, “You ask for Lego, or there’ll be no Father Christmas this year.”’

‘What?’

Billy sniffed. ‘His voice, it was so creepy, like a demon. I was too scared to say anything else, so I said what he wanted.’

Jacob took a deep breath. ‘We need to sort this out,’ he said. ‘Come on. Let’s take you down to the park and have a word with everyone.’

First, however, they headed for the tearoom, where a cheer went up from the assembled customers as Jacob walked in with Billy beside him. Clarice immediately hugged her son close, while Mark patted Jacob on the shoulder.

‘Nice one. We’d skipped that place because no one really goes in there, do they? You ever thought about joining the Force? We could do with more lateral thinkers like you.’

Jacob smiled. ‘I’m just happy he’s back with his mother.’

‘Well, just in case, I’ll stop by next week with an application.’ Mark grinned. ‘It’ll give me a good excuse to grab another one of these mince pies.’

Clarice didn’t want to leave Billy on his own, but Jacob and Mark offered to escort him down to the park. Mark, donning his policeman’s helmet, asked the kids to assemble and then gave them a stern lecture about looking out for each other, how a rising tide lifts all boats, and how Christmas is a time for sharing, giving and compassion. Jacob got the impression that Mark had his sights set more on motivational speaking than policing, but at the end, all the kids clapped, and Charlotte gave Jacob a grateful smile, which was the best gift of all.

She came over and stood beside him. For a long time, she said nothing, then he felt her fingers taking hold of his.

‘Thank you,’ she said.

‘Is everything all right between us?’ he asked.

Charlotte looked up at him. Her cheeks were flush from the cold, her breath steaming in front of her. She wore a little woolly hat that held her blonde hair against her face. He stared at her, unwilling to look away, wanting to pull her close, hold her, never let go.

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I just had a few things … a few things to do.’

‘Have you done them now?’

‘Maybe. What happened with Billy?’

Jacob told her about James, what Billy claimed he had said. ‘It was all a set up; it must have been. I need to go and see him. I need to know if it’s true.’

‘He told me he was sorry for everything,’ Charlotte said. ‘He was so apologetic. And he seemed so genuine.’

Jacob sighed. ‘I think what you have to remember about James is that he’s a master at what he does. He’s a master at making the unreal seem real.’

With their group complete, a few of the kids had climbed up onto the stage, and several parents were starting to look frustrated, wanting to get on with things. Charlotte held onto Jacob’s hand for a moment longer, then gave him a reluctant smile.

‘I’d better get this rehearsal underway,’ she said. ‘Can we meet up later?’ She smiled. ‘Maybe we could get some chips or something?’