She tried to appear relaxed. ‘Sure,’ she said. ‘Art class is always something to look forward to, isn’t it?’

‘Yeah, very therapeutic. And, God knows, we need that in this place.’

Adele recognised an opportunity to steer the conversation round to what she wanted to know but she avoided appearing too blatant.

‘Yeah, you’re right. But it’s not only this place. It helps to take your mind off things on the outside.’

She noticed Caroline’s expression change: a shifting of the eyebrows and a furrowing of her brow. Adele continued, knowing she had hit a nerve. ‘Y’know, it helps you to deal with the demons,’ she said.

She stared into Caroline’s eyes, waiting for a response but, just then, Denise came bustling up with Louise in tow. Adele flinched as Denise held out her hand to her, worried about what Denise would do next.

Denise surprised her. ‘I just wanna say, no hard feelings,’ she gushed, grabbing Adele’s hand and shaking it. ‘I just got the wrong end of the stick… sorry… I should have known it’s not your bag, anyway.’

Adele gazed back open-mouthed with shock before replying, ‘N-no problem. Sorry if I was a bit rough. I forget at times, it’s just automatic.’

‘That’s alright,’ said Denise, forcing a grin.

‘I’m sorry, too,’ said Louise, following Denise’s lead. ‘I mean… that Denise thought something was going on. ’Cos there wasn’t. Well, we both know that, don’t we?’

Adele grinned back, amused at Louise’s attempts to extricate herself from any suspicion, then watched them both hurry on up the corridor.

She turned to Caroline. ‘Well, that’s a relief,’ she said. ‘I was half expecting a bit more bother from them two.’

‘Don’t be so sure,’ warned Caroline.

‘What do you mean?’ Adele felt a rush of fear.

Caroline sniffed. ‘The whole thing looked a bit devious to me. Denise is either kowtowing to you because you’ve got the better of her or she’s trying to lull you into a false sense of security.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes, you need to watch your back. She’s a sly one and I wouldn’t trust her as far as I could throw her.’

A cold chill shot through Adele and she didn’t speak for a few seconds.

‘Don’t let it worry you,’ said Caroline, seeing the concern painted across her friend’s face. ‘After all, you’ve got the better of her once so you can do it again. But watch for Louise siding with her, and try to make sure you’re never alone.’

‘OK, thanks,’ said Adele.

They continued walking to their art class. Adele remembered their earlier conversation and was wondering how to get back on topic when there was a commotion a few metres ahead of them. The crowded corridor became even more packed as everyone rushed to see what was happening. Adele and Caroline followed.