An open-top truck is already parked on her drive. She smiles at the men as she walks past and unlocks the front door. The dog pulls on his lead, barking in a shrill, insistent pitch. She drags him inside by his collar and locks him in the sitting room. It means digging deeper into her overdraft, but she can’t put it off any longer, whatever Adam might have to say about it. If it means she’ll be able to sleep better again, it’ll be worth every penny.

The men unload their equipment and she shows them through the side gate into the garden. The older man is wearing a body harness and safety helmet. The other, much younger, man carries reams of rope.

While the kettle is boiling, she stands at the back door watching the older man climb the tree. He pulls his safety visor over his face. As she pours water into the mugs, she can hear the insistent buzz of the saw. She pictures Jamie climbing up the tree, calling out to her to watch him. She’d looked up from her phone at the moment his foot slipped, and as she ran towards him she knew she couldn’t stop him falling. By the time she looks out again, all the smaller top branches have been chopped down. Adam will go mental. She could shout at him to stop, but as she carries the tea into the garden the satisfying crack of a thicker branch tells her it’s already too late.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Max: April 2017

Max tried to call Ali from work the next day, but there was no answer. He rang Jaz but the line was permanently engaged. Three days later, Ali telephoned back and asked him to meet her.

In Hinchingbrooke Park, in Huntingdon, she was waiting for him on a bench. She looked different with her hair tied back in a rough ponytail. It was how he remembered her. A brisk breeze whistled and sighed through the trees. Bruised clouds threatened rain overhead.

‘Tony got wind of us meeting up.’ She scanned up and down the path.

‘Tony?’

‘I’m seeing him. He’s not pleased.’

‘Please don’t tell me you mean that Tony.’

Her fingers played with the zip on her bag.

‘Do you want to kick me in the face while you’re at it?’ The cigarette in his lips bobbed up and down as he spoke. He took it out.

‘Someone clocked you in The White Hart. Why did you go back there?’

‘I was working in Brampton. Thought it wouldn’t hurt after all this time.’ He tried to relight the cigarette, but it fell to the ground.

‘You’d best stay away. Mick and Ray know you’re back on the scene.’

‘Ah, the Brothers Grimm.’

‘Mick’s still in prison.’ She glanced over her shoulder.

‘And Ray?’