That morning she had just got a chance to sit down with a coffee when she heard Bonnie screaming outside. She sprang out of her chair and shot to the door as Bonnie approached. ‘What the hell’s happened?’ she cried.

‘I hate him!’ Bonnie yelled.

‘Who do you—’

‘Danny. Jesus, who else? He’s been sitting up a bloody tree in the woods again. Watching us, listening to us.’

Maria’s stomach clenched. She’d spoken to Danny, choosing her words carefully, reminding him he shouldn’t be watching people.

Bonnie stared at her. ‘We were sitting under the tree, talking, and then he fell out of it and landed by our feet. It’s obvious he’s obsessed with her.’

‘He fell? Is he okay?’

‘God, Mum!’ Bonnie shouted. ‘Clearly he’s not okay, he’s tapped. In the head.’ She prodded the side of her own with her forefinger.

‘Is he hurt, Bonnie?’ Maria found herself yelling back.

‘I don’t know. I don’t care.’

‘Oh, what’s wrong with you?’ Maria muttered as she ran out of the house, calling behind her, ‘Where is he?’

Bonnie followed, snapping back that he was in the woods. Already Maria was running towards her son.

‘This way.’ Her daughter pointed left and Maria raced forward when she saw a figure slumped on the ground.

‘Danny!’ she called. Her son was curled in a ball, wrapped up into himself. If it weren’t for his size, he’d be mistaken for a child. ‘Danny,’ she said as she crouched next to him, touching his leg and shaking him gently.

He opened his eyes but then shut them again quickly. ‘I wasn’t doing anything wrong,’ he murmured.

‘Are you hurt?’ Maria asked and he shook his head.

‘I wasn’t spying. Bonnie says I was listening to their conversation. I wasn’t.’

‘You were,’ Bonnie cried out from behind Maria. ‘You bloody well were.’

‘Bonnie, will you just shut up,’ Maria said. Her daughter’s feet were planted defiantly apart, her hands on her hips, her face white as a sheet.

Danny had opened his eyes again at the sound of her raised voice.

‘What did you hear?’ Bonnie was asking him, but Maria was looking around.

‘Where’s Iona?’ she asked before Danny got the chance to answer. Where could that girl have gone so quickly if she was only here a moment ago? With all this fuss going on, why suddenly run away?

‘You have to do something,’ Bonnie snapped and Maria turned back. It seemed none of them were listening to each other. ‘Every time Iona looks around, he’s there, watching her.’ Eventually Bonnie stormed off, towards the house.

Maria pulled her son up until he was sitting. ‘Were you listening to them?’ she asked.

Danny shrugged.

‘Because you know we talked about that.’ She gave a small sigh. ‘You can’t eavesdrop on other people, Danny.’