She drops the strips back in the boot and returns the boot to the wardrobe. But she can’t help delving further. The other boots first, and then the shoeboxes. She wants to tip them all over at once, but she fights the urge; Beth could be home at any moment. So she pushes up the cardboard lids one at a time. Stilettos, wedges, trainers. And finally, a small drawstring bag. With trembling fingers, she slides it open and starts pulling out its contents. She finds a spoon first, old and stained, then a silver Zippo. She flips open the lighter, and pushes down on the wheel, but the spark flickers and dies, the lighter fuel long since evaporated. She closes it up and turns it over in her hand. A chill runs down her spine as she reads the inscription etched into the metal. Please fucking stop.

She puts the spoon and lighter back in the bag, runs her fingers over some rough material inside, then finds a photo and pulls it out. It’s of a young man with long dark hair and gaunt features. He’s a stranger to Kat, but his eyes betray him. The similarity is too striking. There’s also a newspaper cutting in the bag, neatly folded. With shaking hands, she starts to open it.

‘Kat? Where are you?’ Ava’s voice floats up the stairs. ‘I’m feeling a bit scared.’

Kat freezes. She scrambles the stuff back into its bag. ‘Just coming!’ she shouts down, dropping the bag into the shoebox and shoving it back into the wardrobe.

‘Are you upstairs?’

Kat can hear footsteps below her. She flies out of Beth’s bedroom and grabs hold of the banister, launching herself down the top flight of stairs. Shit, did she straighten the boxes enough? But it’s too late to check. ‘I just used the bathroom,’ she calls out. ‘Coming straight down!’

May 2003

May 2003

Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Katherine

Katherine watches a droplet of rain slither down the windowpane. She’s not sure why she picked that one to stare at, there are hundreds of identical ones across the bank of windows, but she’s invested now.

‘Good morning, girls. This is Tabby. She’ll be joining us today.’

The droplet reaches the window frame, but the climax is disappointing. It just spreads across the cold metal for a moment then disappears, morphed into a tiny stream, then washed along with the rest of the rain. With an almost inaudible sigh, Katherine shifts her gaze to the woman speaking. Dr Fay Sharp. Her protector and gaoler.