She walked around the outside of the house again, looking into the rooms and banging on the windows, even though she knew it was pointless. Wherever Fiona and Annie were hiding out, they weren’t here.

‘We could wait,’ Louise said. ‘I’ve taken the morning off so I don’t have to be anywhere else.’

‘We could,’ Dee agreed. ‘But I don’t think there’s much point.’

At the front door, she crouched down to peer through the letterbox. She got a partial view of a large hallway with pale blue walls and ornate cornicing on the ceiling. And on the tiled floor, a piece of white paper, folded over, with Annie’s name hand-written across the front.

‘Someone’s dropped a note through the letterbox,’ she said. ‘Here, take a look.’

She stepped back from the door, making space.

‘It’s too far away to reach,’ Louise said, ‘if that’s what you’re thinking.’

‘There must be some way we can get it,’ Dee said.

She remembered seeing a shed in the back garden, but when she went to see if she could find something she could use to retrieve the note, the door was locked.

In frustration, she kicked the shed. But all that succeeded in doing was sending a shot of pain through her toes and into her foot.

‘What about breaking into the house?’ she said.

‘No,’ Louise said. ‘We’re not breaking the law, Dee. Come on. There’s nothing else you can do here. Besides, that note could have been from anyone.’

‘It’s from someone trying to get in touch with Annie,’ Dee said. ‘Which means we’re not the only people trying to find her.’

‘Yeah, but you already know that,’ Louise said. ‘Isn’t that why she’s hiding? Because she knows someone is looking for her?’

‘I want to know who,’ Dee said, ‘and why.’

‘Well you’re not going to find that out by staying here. Come on. Let’s grab a coffee in the village. We can ask around about Annie and Fiona, see what we find out.’

Leaving the car where it was, they walked into the village and stopped at the first coffee shop they found.

‘You’re the second person in as many days to ask me about Annie,’ the young woman behind the counter told Dee. ‘You want to tell me why you’re so interested in trying to find her?’

‘Annie’s my cousin,’ Dee said. ‘I was in the area today so I thought I’d see if she was at home. Except we’ve just been to the house and there’s no one there.’

‘Annie doesn’t have any cousins.’

‘How do you know that?’ Louise asked.

‘She’s my mate,’ the woman said. ‘Now if you don’t mind, ladies, I’ve got other customers to serve. Enjoy your coffees.’