Thinking about it now, Anna wondered if it were that piece of evidence Billy Cawley had focused on all these years. Obsessed about, maybe. If Anna hadn’t informed the police she’d seen him, had watched as Jonie climbed in beside him in the cab, maybe the jury wouldn’t have convicted him. Was that why her mother’s house was being targeted now? Because it was Anna’s childhood home?

The police still had the necklace they’d found in Billy’s bungalow, though, she reminded herself. Jonie’s. Auntie Tina had identified it. So even without Anna’s witness statement, they likely would’ve found him guilty. Wouldn’t they?

If it were hers and Tina’s statements that ultimately led the jury to believe he was guilty, maybe that was why they were the ones who’d received the dolls’s heads on their front doors. Was Muriel right to suspect Lizzie? But surely now her father had been released there was no need to seek any kind of vengeance. Years had gone by, why would Lizzie want to do something like that now?

Unless she was doing it for Billy. He had restrictions; his daughter did not. She could be doing it for him, for his revenge.

‘You’re quiet, Anna,’ Lizzie said.

‘Mind is elsewhere, sorry.’ Anna kept her gaze to her left, out the passenger window. Her mum’s road was approaching. She opened her mouth to direct Lizzie, but stopped short. Lizzie had already taken the right turning and was driving up the road. Next left was Muriel’s. Lizzie indicated and turned in, coming to a stop right outside Muriel’s house. Anna swivelled a bit in her seat so she could face Lizzie.

‘Thank you for the lift back,’ she said, her eyes locked on to Lizzie’s.

‘It’s fine. Thank you for not making a big deal about who I am.’ She smiled, but seemed guarded. ‘Maybe we could chat later? I could come and get you.’ She leant into the passenger footwell and retrieved her phone from her bag. ‘What’s your number so I can let you know when I’m on my way?’

Anna’s instincts were telling her to say no. Not to get involved.

‘Sure,’ she found herself saying before rattling off her mobile number. Lizzie immediately rang it.

‘Great. And now you have mine,’ Lizzie said, smiling.

It seemed she never could learn – ignoring her gut instincts had done her no favours in the past, yet here she was again, leaping in blindly, going against her body’s self-preservation impulse.

‘I don’t think so,’ Muriel piped up from the back seat.

Anna got out of the car and opened her mother’s car door. ‘Mum. It’s fine, come on, let’s go inside.’ She spoke in her firm, don’t-mess-with-me-voice in the hope Muriel would get the message and leave it. ‘Nothing will happen while I’ve gone.’

‘How can you be so sure?’

‘Let’s go in and get a cuppa, shall we?’

‘We’ve just had one!’

Anna screwed her eyes up and took a slow, deep breath. Why was she suddenly being so awkward?