Muriel shifted in her seat. ‘Yes. The topic of Billy Cawley had been one discussed at pretty much every meeting since he moved into that bungalow.’

‘You didn’t like him, right from the start, did you? Didn’t want to even try,’ Anna said.

‘It wasn’t like that. Not really. I agree, he didn’t fit in – he didn’t try to. So inevitably that got some people’s backs up. It’s a tight-knit village. We all pull together, all get involved for the good of the community. Billy Cawley wasn’t interested in all that; he didn’t care. He was often rude, abrupt, and he kept Rosie and Eliza on a tight leash, which in our minds rang alarm bells. Once Rosie died, he seemed even more determined to keep you to himself.’ Muriel looked to Lizzie and sighed, as though remembering that time.

‘I didn’t have any friends, did I?’ Lizzie stated.

‘No, love. Although some kids did try. Young Robert for instance.’

Lizzie sat up straighter. ‘Rob? As in Nell Andrews’ son from Brook Cottage Store?’

‘Yes. There was one time in particular, I remember. Nell had finished work late one afternoon, and found that Robert had left the house, even after being told not to. Transpired he’d been inside the bungalow; Billy had actually let him in. Rumours flew around afterwards because Robert seemed scared, distant when he’d returned home. Refused to ever speak about that afternoon. Something had spooked him. Or someone.’

Lizzie thought about her evening with Rob. He’d been adamant he didn’t remember anything specific about Jonie, and hadn’t mentioned this incident with Billy or Eliza. What was he hiding? Or, perhaps it wasn’t that he was hiding something; it could be he’d buried a terrible memory. Had her dad done something to him too?

‘Anyway, carry on, Mum,’ Anna coaxed.

‘There isn’t much more to say. Suffice to say Billy was angry when Eliza was taken away from him—’

‘Hang on,’ Lizzie said. ‘You’re jumping ahead. You mentioned social services wanted evidence. What convinced them they should take me into care in the end, then?’

Muriel sighed. ‘We videoed you,’ she said, quietly.

‘Videoed me? Doing what?’ Lizzie felt her voice rise. She didn’t like where this was going.

‘Me and Nell set up the camera and brought you here. We’d done it several times in the hopes of getting you to admit what your father was doing to you.’

‘Get me to admit? Christ, that sounds more like coercion! Or did you go a few steps further and waterboard me to force me to say what you wanted?’ Lizzie’s face blazed. She’d been a child, and these women had manipulated her. She shot Anna a look of disgust. Did she know what her mother had done?

‘No, not coerced,’ Muriel said. ‘We were gentle – tried to get you to open up to us by being supportive and encouraging, that’s all.’

‘Two grown women took me, and I’m guessing without my father’s permission, and kept me in their house to drag some kind of sick confession from me?’ The anger was building, Lizzie’s heart pounding. ‘Is that not abduction? Maybe it was you who took Jonie Hayes!’