While she rifled inside the front of the police car, I turned my attention back to the sunset. It was beautiful and if a thing could be perfect, this sunset was. There was magic in those colours.

‘Here you are,’ the policewoman said, handing me a packet of crisps.

‘Thank you.’

‘I’ve just been told we need to leave the scene now. Make sure you strap in.’

A memory of Mother strapping me in when she’d driven me back to the cottage made me flinch. I focused on my crisps, on the strong, salt and vinegar crunch of every bite.

As the policewoman started the engine, I swivelled in my seat to look out of the back window. Mother’s body was being wheeled into view. One of her hands was visible. It hung down the side of the bed. Blood covered her wrist.

I spun round to face the front and my eyes met the policewoman’s in the small mirror.

‘I’m sorry you saw that,’ she said.

‘It’s OK. I’ve seen worse,’ I said. And I had. I hesitated, then said, ‘There was a woman called Dot and a man called Harold who—’

‘They’re fine. They’re both fine. Mrs Bancroft sustained a minor head injury, but she’ll make a full recovery. Mr Bancroft had a flat tyre, which was why he didn’t return to Greenfield House for so long, but once he returned he was able to get his wife to a hospital and report the fact that you’d been taken.’

I exhaled, pleased beyond words that Dot was OK. I was scared to ask about Emma but I needed to know. I couldn’t bear the not-knowing any longer. I exhaled, took a deep breath. ‘She took another girl too but she got away. Emma—’

‘Emma’s fine too. She’s an extremely brave little girl, just like you. She saw someone going for a run and asked him to take her to the police station. She told us about the knacker’s yard and described the woods and the general direction the two of you had come from. It didn’t take us long to find this place.’

‘Was she hurt?’

‘Other than a few scrapes, no. She’s at home with her family, safe and sound, all because of you.’

I smiled. Emma was OK. She was safe. She was with her family.

I wanted to ask more questions but was too choked up to speak.

‘Would you like the radio on?’

I caught the woman’s eyes in the mirror and nodded.

She turned it on and for a moment I was seized by the terrifying idea that the Eagles’ music would come on, but it wasn’t them. The radio man introduced a song called ‘Somebody to Love’ by Queen. I liked it.