Back upstairs, in Emily’s room, she struggles to push open the door. Discarded clothes catch underneath, wedging it open. Her collection of teddies is lined up neatly above the bed. Maddy takes a grey school dress from a pile of clothes on the back of a chair. It smells of cakes. She’ll give it a quick rinse, freshen it up for tomorrow. She opens the wardrobe and looks inside for Emily’s new school shoes. They’re not under the clothes that have fallen from their hangers. She reaches in further, feels around for something that resembles a shoe. Instead her hand lands on a fat bin liner. She finds the handles and tries to pull it out, but it won’t budge. Curious, she gives it another tug and out tumbles a pile of Max’s jumpers, T-shirts and sweat tops. She kneels on the floor, sniffing back tears. He can’t be dead. He’s alive and he loves her. He’ll need these when he comes back. She folds each garment neatly into the empty basket and carries them back to their bedroom. She’ll make sure they get back on track. They’ve both let things slide too far. She’s never liked asking him too many questions, she respects his privacy, but she needs to know what he’s done with her money.

Downstairs, she stuffs Emily’s dress in the washing machine and switches it on. She takes an apple from the fruit bowl and a sharp knife from the draining board. The blade slides easily under the rosy skin. Her fingers turn the apple, revealing the pale flesh while the skin hangs in an irregular line. Her mother used to do the same with oranges. The peel cut away so perfectly she could put it back together as though untouched.

The peel turns brown while she eats the apple, ready for the compost. She counts out six pips, takes them outside and scatters the seeds in the freshly turned earth. Hopefully one day they’ll grow into trees. Hot tears fill her eyes and spill out. Max will arrive at the crack of dawn tomorrow, waking her up with a lovely cup of tea like he always does. He’ll make sure he’s here to take them to the cemetery. He won’t miss Chloe’s sixth birthday for the world.

Chapter Nine

Max: March 2011

When Max returned on Monday afternoon, he gave up ringing the bell and went around the side of the house. He unlatched the rickety gate and called out as he went in. Maddy was in the greenhouse by the back fence, planting seeds in a series of small pots. She wore a floppy hat, T-shirt and shorts. She didn’t seem to notice him at first. He touched a wooden wind chime hanging from a pear tree, just enough to make her look up without being startled.