The room is empty when I switch on the light. No steam. Sitting at the table with my head lowered, I let the magnitude of my loss eat away at me. Time passes. I go to the window and watch the rain grease the darkness. Pools of water shimmer in shadows. The sky is barely visible when I look up. Armies of clouds charge past. No stars. The pipe below the sink gurgles like a scared animal. As I lean against the counter with my back turned to the threatening night, my cell phone beeps. Danny.

I look at it, his name, Danny Wall, flashing in my hand. There’s nothing he can say that could make this day any worse but I’m not going to take the chance. I cut the call, let him wait.

I’ve been here for over an hour and there’s still no sign of Dad. One part of me is glad, the nervous part that doesn’t want to have this conversation. The other part is anxious, hoping he’ll arrive soon. The first thing I’m going to ask is if I’m adopted. Which I know I can’t be, because Mom has photos of me taken the day I was born. Which also means she couldn’t have abducted me. Maybe, after all, the blood tests are wrong. Maybe I’ll go home, talk to Dr. Reilly before I add any more fuel to this blazing fire.

Taking my drenched coat from the back of the chair I decide to leave. Dad might not be home for hours and he isn’t answering his cell. Resolving to do a bit more investigating before blowing up his world, I walk to the window to pull the blinds. Lightning cracks through the air, flashing onto the white cross at the bottom of the yard. Shivers travel up and down my spine, Mom’s words shout inside my head.

‘Put Rover in the ground, Danny. Rover’s gone to heaven.’

My legs seem to buckle so I grab the chair for support. The room is spinning. I see the glass circling around in front of me, full of water, but I can’t seem to put my hand on it.

Her eyes were fixed on mine; she was trying to tell me something.

Woof-woof.

Chapter Forty-Six