‘You have no idea.’

‘Tell me about it. That’s why you’re here, right? To vent?’

‘Something like that. I just don’t understand. Why can’t I talk to them? It’s making me angry and desperate. I went to the hospital to see Justin, but I didn’t get much out of him, then Joan kicked me out. Same at Phillipa and Wade’s house. I just want to talk to them, see if Wren confided in them.’

‘Maybe they just feel guilty for surviving, Ness.’

‘Maybe, but it won’t stop me.’ She took another sip of the wine, just a little one this time. ‘They must know something,’ she said to herself.

‘Do you need to sit down? You look a little pale.’

‘Maybe just for a minute then I have to go home. Billy will know what I’ve done by now. Fucking small towns.’ She gave a bark of laughter.

27

‘Thanks for listening to me babble, Ryan. I appreciate that I can come here and feel safe. It’s like a haven.’ Vanessa smiled at him. ‘I’d better go before my husband sends out a search party.’ She felt calmer now than when she had arrived. She was sure the red wine and the venting had helped.

Billy was in the lounge when she got home. ‘You missed dinner. Again.’

‘I know.’

‘You missed Ty’s bedtime too.’

‘I know. I’m sorry. I got caught up and lost track of time.’

‘I rang Mark to see if he’d seen you. Turns out he had. Did you go to the hospital?’

‘Yes,’ she said firmly.

‘I thought we’d decided you weren’t going to do that.’

‘No, we didn’t decide that, you decided that. I never agreed. I need answers. Billy, there was something wrong with what happened to Wren and they know something, I know they do. I have to find out what it was.’

‘So you’re going to stalk them till they talk?’

‘What a great idea, Billy. Thanks,’ she said sarcastically.

‘Can we not fight for just one damn day?’ demanded Billy.

‘Sure, then stop provoking me.’

‘I’ll say it again – moving on is best for you.’

‘That’s provoking me.’

‘When my mom died, I moved through the stages pretty fast. That’s all I’m saying.’

Vanessa looked at him with complete shock on her face. ‘Your mom was an old woman who’d lived a long and happy life, Billy. My mom was younger, but I dealt with that. My son was a seventeen-year-old boy who was stolen from me and those boys know something. We’re having the same argument again and again. I love you, Billy, but this is getting to be too much.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ He clenched his fists at his sides.