Julia placed her rucksack on the floor and pulled out the sunscreen. The overnight storms had cleared the humidity but she still felt the morning rays penetrating the back of her neck. Her long summer dress reached the floor, covering her legs. She spread the cream over her arms and nose then stopped. The back of a thin scruffy girl wearing a cap stood beside the bull statue. It had to be Christina’s friend, the one the homeless chap said had been hanging around with her. She was skinny and she looked young. Julia grabbed her rucksack and darted as fast as her sandals would allow.

The girl started to walk away. ‘Wait,’ Julia called.

The girl turned. Julia stopped, open-mouthed, staring at the woman who had to be in her sixties. From the back, she looked so young and tiny. ‘Sorry, I thought you were someone else.’

‘Nanny!’ a child called as she ran from her mother, into the woman’s arms.

Julia half smiled and half wanted to cry. She held her hand up and left the family to continue with their day out.

Grabbing the paperwork from her bag, she read the first address on her list. It was for a small homeless centre that offered food and was only two streets away.

She brought up Google Maps on her phone and followed the directions, weaving through the crowds of people trying to get to work in the centre of Birmingham. As she passed, she made a mental note of where the Big Issue sellers stood. ‘You have reached your destination,’ her phone told her.

Entering through the main door, she was faced with a makeshift cafe in some sort of small community hall. ‘Can I help you?’ a woman asked as she placed a knife down. The tower of buttered bread balanced next to the chopping board almost toppled. She grabbed half and placed it safely down.

‘I… err… I’m looking for my daughter. You help the homeless people around here. Have I got the right place?’

‘We’re underfunded but we do what we can. Offer advice, washing facilities, connection to other services and—’ she held her hands out, ‘food.’ The middle-aged woman wore her hair high on her head in a messy bun.

Julia pulled the photo from her backpack and passed it to her.

She removed her blue gloves and put her glasses on.

‘Have you seen her? She’s been missing since the fourth of April. I’ve been told she came to Birmingham.’

‘I see so many people and a lot of them young. It’s so sad. How old is she?’

‘Fifteen. She’s just a kid.’

The woman bit her bottom lip. ‘She looks familiar. I don’t know where from or when from but I feel as though I’ve seen her at some point. I don’t think I’ve seen her here. I normally remember the people who use the centre. We do go out on food runs. Actually, the more I look, the more familiar she seems. Before you go, I’ll give you a list of places that we deliver to.’

‘That would be really helpful, thank you.’ Julia felt her heart rate pick up. She might actually find her daughter that day. Her slight smile turned back into a frown. What if her daughter ran from her? What if she was still angry? For so many years, Julia had felt needed by Christina but, recently, Christina hadn’t wanted a thing from her, apart from more money and freedom. She had left their home in search of her freedom with the small amount of money that she had access to, and now she was gone. ‘What’s your name by the way?’

‘Cynthia. I work here part-time, well three days a week.’ She began noting down some locations on a pad.

‘Can you remember when or where you saw her?’

‘I couldn’t swear that I did. There were two girls, they used to hang around together either by the bull statue outside the Bullring, by Symphony Hall or by New Street Station. I haven’t seen them for at least a couple of months, but as I said, I can’t be sure that one was your daughter.’

‘Do you remember seeing her with a man?’ Maybe this woman had seen Westley.

She shook her head. ‘I don’t recall.’ She paused in thought. ‘Wait, I saw a younger man, probably in his early twenties with one of the girls at one point. He was very unkempt, like he lived on the streets too. Thin, dark messy hair, shoulder-length. I can’t recall any more as I didn’t speak to him at all.’

‘Did you hear the name Westley mentioned?’

She shook her head. ‘Sorry. I really wish I knew more. It must be awful for you. I can only imagine what you must be going through.’

‘It’s hell.’ Julia forced a smile. The more she smiled the more she trembled. Tears began to spill down her cheeks. She wiped them away and turned to face the door.

‘I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.’ Cynthia came from behind the counter and pulled out a chair. ‘Here, would you like some water?’

Julia shook her head. Not wanting to lose any more time she thanked the woman, took the list and left for the first place at the top, the bull. The homeless man she spoke to in Redditch had also mentioned the bull statue.

Fifteen minutes later, she reached the statue. Back where she began her search. A middle-aged woman in a headscarf called out as she passed. ‘Big Issue.’ Julia pulled a few coins from her pocket and walked over. ‘Have you seen this girl?’

The woman began speaking in a language she didn’t understand but the woman was shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders. Julia pointed at the woman, then at her eyes, then at the photo of Christina. The woman shook her head again. Julia gave her the change and left. After waiting by the bull for twenty minutes she went to leave for New Street. The Big Issue woman ran over with a man and shouted. ‘Symphony Hall.’ She shrugged her shoulders again. Was she suggesting that she try by Symphony Hall or that she’d seen her daughter at Symphony Hall? Either way she didn’t want to waste any time, so she ran as fast she could.