‘No, Dad, don’t go. I’m totally fine,’ I insist. ‘There’s no reason to go out there on your own. I’m not bothered. Truly.’

‘If I’m honest, I could do with a shot myself,’ he says, and before I can argue further, he’s gone. Slamming the door behind him.

‘You shouldn’t rely on drink so much, sis,’ Thomas says, tugging at my fear that I’m skirting around the edge of alcoholism. ‘If I can give it up, you can.’

‘You had a good reason to,’ I say. Words crowd my head. It’s a chance to talk about his accident – the reason he stopped drinking, and I want to grab it, despite my brain being already overcrowded. ‘And you’re stronger than me, Thomas,’ I say, hoping he’ll respond.

‘Are you one hundred per cent sure Ruth’s dead, Amelia?’ Maddie has broken the spell. She’s moved into the seat Dad vacated, next to me.

I nod and look up at her. ‘Dad said she had no pulse.’

‘But what if he’s wrong? Should we check, do you think?’

‘If you’d seen her injuries, Maddie.’ I gulp down a surge of anxiety. ‘You wouldn’t have doubts.’

She shakes her head, her glossy hair falling about her face. ‘Poor woman – Finn will be devastated. I know I didn’t cope at all well when my mother died. I still have so many moments where I go to call her on the phone, or want to tell her something.’

I feel for her. ‘I know exactly what you mean,’ I say, avoiding eye contact.

‘Of course you do,’ she says. ‘Sorry, I’m not thinking straight.’

We are silent once more. The clock on the wall ticks into the quiet spaces between us – telling us it’s eight o’clock. It feels much later.

‘So, have either of you got any life on your phones?’ I say, finally, trying to be practical.

Thomas and Maddie pull their mobiles from their pockets.

‘My cell’s at forty per cent,’ Maddie says, looking at the screen. ‘No signal though.’

‘Not much, I’m almost out of juice.’ Thomas shoves his back into his pocket.

‘Maybe turn yours off for now, Maddie,’ I suggest. ‘Between us we’ll then have enough battery to call the police tomorrow.’

‘OK,’ she says, pressing the button on the side of the phone, and swiping the screen.

‘I still think someone should try calling the police tonight,’ Thomas says. ‘Maybe a couple of you could go for a walk, try and get a signal?’

‘I don’t mind going,’ Maddie says. ‘Maybe we could go together, Amelia. We really should try to get hold of the cops. I mean I’ve seen enough TV shows to know if Ruth’s left out all night in this weather, it will mess with forensics. We may even get in trouble for not reporting it.’