‘I can. Yes,’ she said.

‘Anna, stop,’ Muriel cut in. She turned sharply to Lizzie. ‘You are the liar.’

‘Hear, hear,’ Nell piped up. ‘The only reason you came here was to stir everything up for your own gain. You’re a journalist – you’d try and dig up anything and manipulate it to make a good story. You’re just here for the money.’

‘No, you’re so far from the truth it’s scary.’ Lizzie laughed – it sounded hollow in the sparse, dusty room.

‘Really? Then why do we have evidence of you hammering your doll’s limbs to my door?’ Muriel stormed forwards, her finger jabbing Lizzie’s chest. ‘You and that evil man are playing games with us. Everyone knows you’re both wrong in the head and want to make others suffer just because both of you did!’

Anna felt something give; some part of her mind gave up. Her mother was still pushing her agenda all these years later, despite the evidence now stacking up against her. Anna wanted to stop her mother from speaking, but she didn’t have the energy. Let her dig herself into a bigger hole – Anna was almost past caring.

‘I’m not sure what evidence you think you have – but it’s not me doing it,’ Lizzie said. ‘Did you fabricate that evidence too, Muriel?’

‘You’re talking nonsense. And I have real proof – I caught you on the security camera Anna set up to watch the front door,’ she said, her voice filled with smugness.

‘Ah. I see,’ Lizzie said.

Anna felt her body slacken. Her mother was running with it, but she was wrong. She’d realised Lizzie was too tall after standing on the doorstep and re-enacting the woman’s stretch to pin the doll’s torso to the door – it couldn’t have been Lizzie caught on the camera – it was someone shorter.

‘I’m glad you have that footage, Muriel,’ Lizzie said. ‘As it will prove my innocence – just as I’m here now to prove my father’s. The woman who’s been playing her version of Knock, Knock, Ginger isn’t me. It’s her.’ Lizzie raised her hand, pointing her finger. Anna followed it, her gaze landing on Tina Hayes.

Chapter Eighty-Nine

2019

Lizzie

‘Go on, Tina. Now’s your chance to explain,’ Lizzie said.

Pat Vern released his arm from around Tina’s shoulders as she moved forwards. He’d told Lizzie he suspected it was Tina who was playing the macabre game. When he’d talked to Lizzie on the phone earlier, he’d confided how he’d been noticing changes in Tina over the past few years. How he’d watched as she had become more and more angry, yet subdued at the same time – not going out as much, becoming more introspective and withdrawing from friends and social gatherings. She’d stopped going to church a long time ago, but she’d still been involved in many village events – yet the last ten months in particular had seen her drop out of everything. Instead, she’d become obsessed with Jonie’s case again. Returning to all the old clippings she’d kept from the time of her disappearance and from Billy Cawley’s trial. Pat said she was convinced everyone had got it all wrong.