‘He was just a man . . . he lives on the way to school. I never . . . I didn’t know . . .’ I stammer, and Kelly steps in, gently tugging Dominic away from me. ‘I wouldn’t have ever let Laurel speak to him if I had known something like this would happen.’

Dominic bows his head, scrubbing his hands over his face before pushing them through his hair. I sag against the sink slightly, fear and adrenaline draining away to leave me feeling exhausted, my nerves ragged.

‘Maybe if you’d been here more often, Laurel wouldn’t have felt that she needed attention from this Snow man,’ Fran says, her tone filled with bitter hate, like a poison seeping out into the air. ‘Maybe if you’d spent more time here, instead of at that bloody hospital.’

‘And maybe,’ Dominic says cautiously, a quiet rage sparking to life behind his eyes, ‘if you hadn’t been such a bitch I would have spent more time here.’ Without another word he turns on his heel and marches from the room, the slam of the front door sounding behind him.

Fran shoves her stool away from the breakfast bar and hurries out, her footsteps thudding on the stairs, leaving Kelly and me alone in the kitchen. I sink into the chair Dominic threw his jacket over, the harsh taste of the Jessops’ bitter words tainting the air around us.

‘Not your fault,’ Kelly says, quietly. ‘This is putting a strain on the whole family. They’re not usually as bad as this, are they?’

I shrug, ‘No. Sometimes. Who knows anymore?’ Guilt makes me snappy and abrupt.

‘This really isn’t your fault, Anna – you weren’t to know what was going to happen.’ She reaches over and squeezes my hand, and I won’t lie, I’m grateful for this tiny gesture designed to make me feel better.

‘Do you think he has got something to do with it?’ I bite down hard on my bottom lip, a wave of nausea making my stomach roll at the thought of Mr Snow grabbing Laurel, dragging her away to God only knows where. ‘They wouldn’t have gone to his house and picked him up for nothing, would they?’

‘No . . .’ Kelly pauses, ‘they’ll just be asking him some questions at the moment. As soon as we know anything more they’ll let us know.’

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out to see Jessika’s name on the screen. ‘Do you mind if I take this?’

Kelly shakes her head, getting to her feet and heading out into the garden, pulling the door gently closed behind her. I push my chair back, swiping to answer as I do so.

‘Hi, Jess.’