The Beacon is waking up. She sees buds and birds as they make their way to school. Maybe they’ve been there for some time. All she ever used to see was the lack of places to hide. Now that it no longer matters, she realizes she’ll miss it here. She wonders what it will look like in the height of summer, alive with bees and buttercups, and feels a stab of sadness that she’ll never know. She watches Lenny run and roll with Maud and says a silent goodbye.

They arrive at school half an hour early. She tells the receptionist she has a doctor’s appointment, and would it be okay if Lenny sat in the office for a little while? Linda says, ‘Of course,’ and Lenny frowns and asks Lizzie if it’s about her hand. Lizzie says yes. She’s off to get some magic cream to make it better. ‘Nothing to worry about. I’ll be here at pick-up.’

Her breath catches on the last word. She kisses him hard and holds him even harder, and he doesn’t complain as he usually would. He senses, perhaps, that she needs this. They have always had this unspoken telepathy. When he was a baby, she’d walk into his room seconds before he woke. Her breasts would harden with milk in the moment before he cried. Her body was made to look after his. She has failed them both. All she can do now is let him go with a smile that hurts more than the kettle, the blade, the car door, and say, ‘See you soon, my darling boy,’ and make the sign-language shape for ‘sorry’.

Lizzie and Maud march back to the shelter and Maud doesn’t pause once to wee or sniff. She knows what’s coming, is as keen as Lizzie to get it over and done with. When Lizzie stops briefly, to take a breath, Maud barks at her to keep going.

When she gets back to the shelter, Lizzie strides into the office and says, ‘I’m ready to talk to the police.’

Tess is both surprised and delighted. ‘Well, then, how about that.’ She picks up the phone. ‘Twelve o’clock. Lovely, thank you. Yes, we’ll be here. See you soon.’ She puts the receiver down. ‘You’re doing the right thing. I’m so proud of you, Lizzie. We’re all here to support you.’