Kelly knew that Kate would be receiving information in real time from the squads on site. She hung up and held the phone to her chest. Slowly, she turned towards the door at the end of the corridor and began walking.

‘Enjoy Florida, Kelly. I know I’ll see you again.’

Kelly turned to her once more. She approached the glass and stared into Amy’s eyes and held her gaze. For a tiny moment, the killer lost her swagger. It was a minute fraction of a second, but it happened, and Kelly turned again and walked along the corridor, shutting out anything else the maniac said. She went through the door and breathed deeply. Ted hugged her and she allowed him to hold her.

Her mobile rang again.

Daphne was in police custody.

Chapter 63

Two months later…

The Wendy bobbed on the wake of a passenger steamer on Derwent Water. Josie and Callum paddle boarded about a hundred feet away and they could hear their squeals and protests, goading one another and threatening to push the other in.

Johnny flicked through his sailing log and Kelly handed him a glass of wine. In three days they’d fly to Miami and pick up a Dodge Ram, for their epic road trip to Key West. There, they’d sail a rented yacht – a Westerly – northeast, stopping off at whichever tropical island they fancied along the hundred-and-twenty-mile stretch. Big Pine, Duck, Marathon… Seafood tacos, Key Lime pie, chowder, shrimp, coconut…

They both hoped that distance from the Lakes in miles might, if they were lucky, translate to detachment from the place in thought. They knew that chances were slim and the scars were still raw. Johnny looked up appreciatively and took his wine and placed his hand on Kelly’s rear. She’d just taken off her short wetsuit, which she’d had on to kayak, and she was wrapped in a small towel. He felt underneath it and squeezed her bottom approvingly.

Kelly had passed her skipper course and Johnny gained his International Certificate of Competence. It had been tricky fitting in all the hours but, without it, they’d have to hire a crew. Conditions in the Florida Bay were pleasant and they wouldn’t stray too far from the shore.

Even on the water, where space and time were oftentimes suspended, Kelly still heard voices and saw visions that were unwelcome. Maybe halfway around the world it’d be different.

Perhaps they should have booked a holiday that would assault them and bombard them with noise, distraction and entertainment, thereby pushing away anything else looming in their heads: Vegas neon, Ibiza rave, or even New York traffic might have been wiser, to ward off cognisant intruders. The peace and tranquillity of sailing in a beautiful location, with one companion, and losing any sense of urgency or pressure, might turn out to be their biggest mistake.