Lauren turned her face skywards, feeling spatters of raindrops in her eyes. She drew the baby closer. Thank all the gods, she thought, that horrible woman has been caught. She won’t be after me anymore.

“Did she have the basket with her?” said Lauren.

“The what?” said Harper.

Patrick turned sharply in Lauren’s direction. She was about to explain about the creepy woman’s babies, but something in his expression stopped her. Instead she said, “So she was alone? There was no one else with her?”

“That’s right,” said Harper.

Lauren wondered what the woman had done with her own babies, if she didn’t have them with her. She wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d been taken into care, the filthy state they were in when she saw them in the hospital. She pressed her cheek to the top of her baby’s head. The feeling of the downy skin was exquisite, more so now that she’d feared she might never feel it again. Looking at the baby Patrick held, she felt greedy for him, too, upset that she didn’t have him in her arms. She wanted them both, and she wanted everyone else to go away.

“Where exactly were they found?” asked Patrick.

“Not far away. Only half a mile or so. That way.” Harper pointed upstream.

“So how come no one found them sooner?” said Lauren, wondering with growing horror what might have happened to the boys in the time they were gone.

“I don’t know, Lauren,” said Harper. The DS was starting to shiver, her jaw clenched against the chattering. “They must have been hidden. We’ll know more very soon. But the important thing is, they’re safe. They’re here. We found them.”

“Come on,” said Patrick, “let’s get inside. I’m freezing. The boys must be, too. We have to put them back in the seats, they’re getting soaked. Lauren? We need to get them warm and dry. Come on.”

He put the baby he held back in the top seat and prised the other one as gently as he could from Lauren’s arms. He put the blankets over them. The hoods of the seats stopped the worst of the rain.

Lauren moved to take the stroller from Harper, to push it towards the cafe, where the small crowd was waiting to be allowed to cheer, to send up thanks for the safe return of the twins. As she walked, she gazed down at her babies, grateful and elated but not quite able to shake off the fear, telling herself, they’re safe, they’re here, it’s over.

Then, she stopped dead. Patrick and Harper kept on towards the cafe, but after a second they stopped too and turned back.

“What are you doing?” said Patrick.