‘No, lass. I don’t like a lot of chatter when I’m having my back rubbed. She gave me some exercises, arranged the next time, I paid her, that were that.’

‘OK.’

It was disappointing. I was no further along and had no way of finding out who she’d been expecting.

‘Thank you,’ I said.

‘One thing.’ Don’s brow was furrowed, as if he was thinking hard. ‘She went to answer the door once. In the middle of seeing to me. I know she didn’t like to do that, told the postman just to leave parcels and that outside if she were busy.’

‘Did you hear anything?’

‘Well, I’m flat on my front, love, can’t hear that much. But it was her little boy. Someone dropped him off, I suppose. Bless ’im, they can’t stay quiet, can they, little kids, so I heard him shouting in the hall, running up and down like.’

Sam? Sam was at the farmhouse the day before Anna was murdered? Wasn’t he with Alex then?

‘And – sorry, Don – you don’t know who brought him?’

‘No idea.’

My mind was racing. I definitely hadn’t seen Alex that night, because he was with Sam. Had Don got the wrong end of the stick and Alex was actually picking Sam up from the house then? But I thought Alex usually got him straight from school, to avoid seeing Anna. Don’s massage had been at four, I remembered from the calendar. I needed to ask Alex about the timings, but how could I do that without revealing my secret investigations?

I put down my mug, which was branded with the logo of his business, and sighed. ‘Thank you so much for talking to me.’

Don gave a gruff nod. ‘Everyone deserves a fair trial, that’s what I always say.’

‘They don’t always get it, I’m afraid.’

‘No. Well. Good luck to you, lass. The truth will out.’

But would it? I had sat on a lie for twenty years already, and no one else had any idea of the true extent of what had actually taken place in the Safrans’ house that day. And I still wasn’t ready to tell.

Casey

Casey

OCTOBER 2000