‘She’s clever,’ Caroline says. ‘I’ve got to give her that. To frame it as an accident.’

‘We need to call the police.’ Fran taps her pockets then holds out a hand. ‘Give me your phone. I’ve left mine plugged in in my room.’

‘No.’

‘Pardon?’

‘What part of framed it as an accident didn’t you understand? Those helmets are tough. There wasn’t a single dent in mine, never mind a footprint. If we had died a coroner would have ruled it accidental drowning. We have zero evidence to give the police to support an attempted murder charge. And we can’t be a hundred percent sure that Kate was the one kicking us. I couldn’t see sod all but if your eyesight is superior to mine and you could tell the difference between all the legs then sure, let’s ring the police.’

Indignation flames in Fran’s chest. ‘If you’re going to be condescending—’

‘I’m not.’ Caroline holds up her hands. ‘I’m sorry. I’m just frustrated. These people seem to think they can get away with murder. And they have! They whitewashed what happened to your sister and they nearly did the same with us. Kate’s as bad as Tom. They’re in it together. I don’t know if he’s pulling the strings or she is but they’re dangerous.’

As Caroline continues to rant, Fran stares at her in awe. It’s been a while since she’s met someone with such fervour and passion, such a powerful drive to vanquish injustice and reveal the truth. It’s really quite inspiring, despite Caroline’s dubious taste in knitwear.

‘And that,’ Caroline says, ‘is why I’m not going to let them drive me away. They might have found a way to cover up your sister’s murder but they’re not going to intimidate me into letting this drop.’

‘No, but they could kill you.’

‘Us. They could kill us. But the thing is—’ Caroline covers her mouth with her hand as a cough steals her voice. As she continues to hack – a dry, brittle sound – Fran gets up.

‘I’ll get you some water.’

She heads into the en suite and turns on the tap. As the glass fills she sorts through her thoughts. Her initial reaction – her logical reaction – to what had happened was to ask someone to ring 999 from the riverbank so she and Caroline could be taken to the nearest hospital to be checked over. Caroline had poo-poohed the suggestion.

‘I’m fine,’ she told Evan. And, to be fair, she did seem to have weathered the experience relatively well. Her skin was pale and she was coughing intermittently but her pulse was strong and she was breathing normally. So was Fran. Her strange seal bark had disappeared after they swerved the last swirling rapids and the dinghy bobbed its way to the bank.