Em had spotted an empty space and began making an absolute pig’s ear of reversing into it. ‘Yeah, well, I hear you, loud and clear,’ she said, going forward and back a few times, trying to straighten up. She heaved the handbrake on with a sigh. ‘My ex has gone for your archetypal bimbo – we’re talking fake everything, and a brain the size of a pea, as far as I can tell. I mean, what does that say about me? That’s his type, is it? I don’t want to fall into the trap of competing with other women, but it’s so bloody insulting.’ She turned off the engine with a dramatic flourish. ‘Especially when I’m clearly a thousand times better!’

Maggie spluttered with laughter at Em’s indignation. ‘I don’t doubt it for a second,’ she said.

They headed into the town and Maggie couldn’t help thinking that they might as well have been looking for the proverbial needle amidst a haystack. For one thing, she’d only glimpsed Izzie a couple of times from her kitchen window and would struggle to recognize her in a police line-up. For another, Falmouth was absolutely heaving with shoppers and day-trippers, the streets thronged with slow-moving people, the shops and cafés all busy with customers. Nevertheless, she realized that she was glad to be here, doing something useful, rather than being stuck in the quiet, empty house wondering what to do with herself. She felt better, too, for getting the whole Will episode off her chest, and for having Em’s support and solidarity in response. Em thought Celeste sounded priggish and up herself, that Will was a cock, and that Thistle and Rain would be changing their names to Dave and Tracey just as soon as they were old enough. Somehow this all helped enormously in taking the sting out of yesterday’s pain.

‘Well, I don’t think she’ll have gone into this shop at least,’ Em was saying now, grimacing theatrically as they passed a chichi little gallery on their left. ‘Not after what happened the other—Oh.’ Now she seemed wary all of a sudden, her eyes narrowing. ‘She didn’t tell you, did she? Amelia.’

‘Tell me what?’ Maggie asked in surprise, glancing back from the gallery’s shop front to Em.

‘Um . . .’ Em looked as if she wished she’d never opened her mouth. ‘Their naughty little Truth or Dare game?’

Naughty – that word again. What was Em on about?

‘Amelia didn’t say anything,’ Maggie replied. ‘She seemed a bit subdued once she came home, but didn’t really go into any details. In fact, between you and me, I wondered if she’d been . . . Well, you know. Being with older children, I think she was maybe rather . . . overawed?’

Em made a strange sort of choking noise. ‘Seriously? I’m not sure about that. Er . . .’