‘The police must have already spoken to her,’ I call as I hurry to keep up.

‘Of course they have.’ She briefly pauses by the exit before spotting a queue of cabs. ‘Her mother was the one who confirmed the body was Iona’s, so the police will have been all over her.’

‘Then what’s she going to tell us that she hasn’t told them?’

Freya shrugs. ‘Maybe nothing.’

‘So, this could be a wasted trip.’

She turns to look at me. ‘You can’t think of it like that. There’s always a possibility she’ll add something new.’

‘I’m surprised she agreed to meet you,’ I mutter as she leans forward to speak to a driver, reeling off the address.

‘What’s the matter with you today?’ Freya asks as we climb in the back.

I shrug. I don’t feel like telling her that I’m anxious about meeting Ange. ‘I don’t know what to expect,’ I say. ‘I’m not used to this like you are. I’m not sure why you asked me along anyway, especially when I was no help to you on the island.’

Freya looks at me quizzically.

‘You asked me to speak to people. So far you’ve pre-warned me about things you probably shouldn’t have, but I don’t know what I’ve given you. Except that perhaps I’m the centre of a story?’

Freya sighs and rolls her eyes. ‘Is that really what you think? That I’m using you?’

‘I don’t know what I’m thinking about any of it,’ I murmur. ‘I’m so tired I could burst into tears right now.’

She reaches over and squeezes my hand. ‘The night of the sleep-out I didn’t think Danny did anything wrong.’

The image of Freya there flashes into my head again. She’d hung back from the small group of girls clustering around Tess. ‘What do you mean?’

Freya pauses. ‘He looked scared stiff. I thought he was innocent. I don’t know, something doesn’t feel right about him confessing, either … Anyway,’ she adds, ‘I’m not surprised Ange is happy to meet. As soon as I mentioned a free lunch she jumped at the chance. Money talks, and for some a lot louder than others.’ Freya smiles, and I may be wrong but I think she is genuine.

‘Ange sounds revolting,’ I grumble. ‘Happy to discuss her dead daughter for a free lunch.’ I shudder at the thought. ‘The fact she didn’t know Iona was missing makes me feel sick.’

‘Well, we don’t know what went on.’

‘No, but still—’

‘And that’s what we’ll hopefully find out today. They could have been estranged for good reason. We can’t judge her before we’ve even met her. I thought you’d know that more than most.’