Kat drags her eyes away from the screen. As she reaches for the long apron that she always wears at work, exposing the limbs of the cactus tattoo that sprouts from her left wrist along her forearm, she wonders how she would react if she found a rough sleeper unconscious in the street. She would probably walk away. Not because she’s heartless or thinks homeless people don’t deserve her help. But because she’s scarred, unwilling to be linked to what might end up as a crime scene again. Then she thinks about the picture of the woman in the MyNeighbour post, and how it’s just the sort of thing her doppelgänger from two decades ago would do.

Is it her?

‘She’s stunning too, isn’t she?’ Sally says wistfully, interrupting her thoughts. ‘Those eyes. She lives on this road apparently, in one of these double-fronted villas near the top, I think.’

‘Really?’ Kat blinks. She can’t imagine the resolute teenager that she remembers living in such luxury now, but she’s not sure why. Even back then, she never really knew her, however much she thought she did.

Sally looks at her quizzically, misreading her disbelief. ‘She looks the type, don’t you think?’

‘Sorry, yes,’ Kat mutters quickly, and luckily their conversation is interrupted by the bell chiming. Kat looks up to see a fluffy poodle dragging a woman inside, her high ponytail bobbing in time with his tail. As Sally beams her welcome, Kat uses the opportunity to slip through the orange-and-charcoal-striped canvas curtain and into the back room. Her heart is beating too fast, different memories rearing up, and she needs to calm down before she can start work. She uses her usual preparation routine to regain control – checking the water temperature, opening a fresh packet of treats to coax her four-legged clients through their grooming session – and it works to a degree.

Her heart rate settles, but her mind remains absent, remembering a teenage girl who changed the path of Kat’s life forever, and wondering if the woman who stopped for a man lying in the street is the same person.

January 2003

January 2003

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Katherine

Katherine feels hot suddenly, and claustrophobic, standing in the assembly hall surrounded by her year group, the breath of the boy next to her stinking of day-old garlic. It’s freezing outside, but the radiators are on full pelt and the body heat from two hundred students is mushrooming. Her face starts to itch. She flares her nostrils and looks at the stage.