Tom says nothing but he’s no longer just covering his face with his hands, he’s holding the weight of his head in his palms. He’s telling the truth, she suddenly feels sure of it. It’s in his slumped posture, the beaten curve of his neck and the croak of his voice. He’s curling into himself, hiding his humiliation in the hollow of his collarbone. This isn’t a man who’s ashamed of hitting a woman, it’s a man ashamed of being hit.

Without thinking, she stands and wraps her arms around him, pulling him close. His arms close around her waist and he shudders against her, sobbing into her hair.

‘It’s going to be okay, Tom. Talk to me. You can trust—’ The rest of her sentence is lost in an anguished screech from outside. A black and white blur streaks across the patio and a rock the size of a fist lands where the cat had been sitting just moments before.

‘What the hell?’ Jenna yanks open the patio doors and stares around, trying to work out where the rock came from, then she points straight ahead.

‘There’s someone behind that wall.’ She looks back at Tom, bewildered, a foot or so behind her. ‘There’s a gap. Can you see? Between those two bricks. There’s someone watching—’

A grey shape cuts through the air, striking her above the left eyebrow before she can twist away. A rock clunks onto the patio. And then there’s blood. Blood on her temple, blood on her cheek, and blood on her hands.

Chapter 26

Now

KATE

Kate’s been listening at Joy’s door for the best part of five minutes and the only words she’s caught are ‘drowned’, ‘SoulShrink’ and ‘murder’. Everything else has either been too quiet to make out or obliterated by Joy’s hacking cough. What exactly is Geraldine asking her? Any normal person would have taken themselves off to hospital for a check-up after nearly drowning white-water rafting but no, Geraldine insisted on returning to the retreat. Clever bitch that she is, she made it look like Joy’s idea. She must have had a quick word in her ear when Kate’s back was turned and Joy, being the dumb little sheep that she is, let herself be talked into it.

Geraldine’s got her angle – SoulShrink Nearly Kills Again – she just needs some soundbites from Joy, ‘the other woman who nearly drowned’. Her editor will turn cartwheels when she phones it in.

Kate balls her hands into fists. She wants – she needs – to hit something, to pound both fists through Joy’s door and drag Geraldine out by the neck.