Brent saved the draft of the press-release and walked though the centre to the large room at the back of the building, where he found Hilary in the same state of suppressed concern as Michael had been in. A few other people, each of them men, were in the room, sitting in chairs around a plastic table drinking tea from mugs that still had the labels of the tea-bags hanging over their rims. The men were all tired-looking and it was impossible to guess their ages: traces of dirt clung to the deep lines on their faces like soil nestling in the bottom of furrows. They wore clothes that were either faded and worn, or incongruously new and bright.

Brent walked over to Hilary. "How are you?" he asked her discreetly.

"A little concerned" she replied. "I guess Michael told you about Bob."

"Yeah. Listen, Michael said you were going to ring around, see if you could find him. I'll take over here. Looks like things are pretty quiet anyway."

"Thanks" said Hilary. She looked over at the small group of men, then back to Brent. "Yeah, not many in today. I don't expect we'll get anyone else drop 'round tonight. Anyway, you can handle it. I'll be in the office if you need me."

"Okay, sure." Brent paused. "Actually, can you just hang on a sec? I've got to text someone." Hilary waited while Brent sent a text-message to Catherine explaining that he couldn't meet her tonight after all. Then he smiled at Hilary, who patted him on the shoulder and left the room to go to the office where Brent had been working on the press-release; once there she began calling the local hospitals and police stations, hoping all the while that she wouldn't find Bob at any of them.

Once she'd left Brent walked over to a trestle-table in the corner of room on which stood an urn and some mugs and tea-bags and milk, and made himself some tea. Then he went and sat with the other men at their table. "Afternoon fellas" he said cheerily. "How's it going?"

The men murmured greetings back to him. Brent recognised one of them as a regular. "Hi Jake, how's things?" Brent held his hand out. The man took it, and after a little while gave Brent a smile which soon broke into a broad, gap-toothed grin. "Have you taken your meds today?" Brent asked in a friendly tone.

"Yes, I have" replied Jake slowly, evidently proud of himself.

"Good on ya, mate" said Brent. "And how's the job going?"

Jake nodded enthusiastically. "It's very good!" he said loudly.

Brent laughed. He stayed at the table for what seemed like a long time, patiently talking to Jake, subtly and expertly drawing the other men into the conversation, until eventually Hilary came back into the room and took him aside.

"We've found Bob" she said solemnly.