‘I have to ask you this, Anna . . . does the fact that you didn’t give me your real name have anything to do with the fact that my daughter has been abducted? Does this mean that you know something about where she is?’

‘Well, no, of course not,’ I say.

‘Right.’ Fran tilts her head on one side as if considering something. ‘You lied to me, Anna. You don’t mind me still calling you that, do you?’ Fran’s tone is chilly. ‘I’m not sure I can ever believe another word that comes out of your mouth, but I do believe despite your lies that you do genuinely love Laurel. Besides, don’t you think I have more important things to think about, like where my daughter is? Whether I’ll ever see her again? Almost everyone around me has turned out to be a liar, so the fact that you’re a liar too shouldn’t really come as that much of a surprise.’

‘I understand if you want me to leave,’ I say again, wincing internally at her harsh words, the thought of not being here if – when – Laurel comes home like a knife in my chest.

‘Well, obviously I’d prefer it if you weren’t here.’ Fran looks at me. ‘But I’ve thought about things and despite your history, despite what you say you didn’t do, Laurel is the most important thing, not your name, or your history. Laurel will be upset if she comes home and you’re not here, it might make things more traumatic for her. Right now, I’m slightly more concerned by the fact that Dominic hasn’t come home yet. I mean,’ she draws a tissue out from her pocket and dabs gently at her nose as she blinks, ‘I don’t even know Dominic anymore. I don’t want to be alone when he comes home, because I don’t know how he will react. I thought he might be cheating on me with that . . . whore. Pamela.’ There is a vicious tone to her voice, as if even saying Pamela’s name is difficult. ‘But deep down, I was hoping it was all paranoia. That I got things wrong, that this was only a minor blip. Obviously, that’s not the case. All I want now is for this to be finished. Over. I want Laurel back home, where she belongs, so the two of us can make a new start.’

I don’t know whether she means herself and Dominic, or herself and Laurel, if – when – Laurel comes home, so I merely nod and say nothing.