‘Jesus,’ I breathe, helping myself to a slice of toast. I’ve barely eaten since Laurel went missing, and now I have to force myself to butter the bread, bring it to my lips, bite and then actually swallow. ‘Did something happen?’ Every day seems to feel like it stretches into weeks, time passes so slowly, all the time that Laurel isn’t here.

‘You could say that.’ Kelly raises her eyebrows at me. ‘Fran . . .’

‘Good morning!’ Fran slips into the room, an anxious smile on her face and I look to Kelly in alarm. Something isn’t right. Fran hasn’t smiled at all, I don’t think, not since Laurel went missing. ‘Anna, did Kelly tell you?’

‘Tell me what?’ I look between the two of them – Fran’s eyes shining, a healthy glow back in her cheeks, and Kelly, sitting there quietly, her face pale – I’m not sure what to make of it.

‘Oh, Kelly.’ Fran rolls her eyes, but I see the flash of irritation there before it disappears. ‘So, Anna. Something exciting is happening today – something that could give us a real breakthrough in finding Laurel.’ She pauses, as if to ramp up the tension and I have to bite back a mild feeling of disgust that she is turning this into a dramatic announcement, almost like one of her shows. ‘I have a psychic coming to the house!’

I stare at her, open-mouthed. A psychic? This goes against everything I know about Fran, in all the time I have been working for her. She is the biggest sceptic going – she doesn’t even bother to read her own horoscope. This is the last thing I thought she was going to say, and it also explains why Dominic is in such a foul mood.

‘Obviously, Dominic isn’t keen,’ Fran says, ‘but we need to do anything and everything that might help Laurel, don’t you think?’ She looks pointedly at Kelly.

‘Look, Fran, you know my feelings on this,’ Kelly says, a little awkwardly. ‘I’m not sure this is the right decision. I mean, you are vulnerable at the moment, and we don’t know this woman – she could simply be trying to take advantage of your situation.’

‘And she might tell us where Laurel is.’ Fran’s teeth are gritted, and I watch her fingers wander to her pocket, to the outline of her cigarette packet. ‘She’ll be here soon. I need to go and get ready.’

My heart leaps in my chest as the piercing ring of the doorbell cuts through the silence of the house, and I dash to the front door, only to open it to find Ruth standing there.

‘Ruth.’ I am reluctant to let her in, knowing the plans Fran has for this morning.