‘I’m going back out to the gate,’ says Diane. ‘To see if I can persuade Lorna to leave before the police get here.’

My stomach crumples like a piece of paper. ‘Tell her I’m okay,’ I say. ‘Would you? That I’ve chosen to be here. And that I’ll be home soon.’

‘I’m not sure you should speak to Lorna again, Diane,’ says Michael, eyes swimming with concern. ‘You know how she twists things.’

‘I’m wound up, Michael,’ says Diane. ‘I want that woman off our property.’ She glances at me. ‘Sorry, love. Look, I know it’s your mother. But we’ve suffered a long time. A very long time. I just want her gone.’

I swallow. ‘As long as she leaves. That’s the main thing.’

‘She will, love. One way or another. The police are on their way. Go on in with Michael now. Let him show you this thing of his, whatever it is.’

‘This way.’ Michael waves me towards a pantry, opening the door. ‘In here. You go first – I’m a tubby little fellow these days; I’ll squeeze in after you.’

Skywalker barks, and I hesitate at the door.

Michael laughs. ‘Calm down, doggy. It’s just our larder. Listen. I’ll go first, okay? So your doggy doesn’t get separation anxiety.’ He walks inside the pantry. There’s a lot of convenience food on the shelves – crisps, sugary drinks, biscuits, sweets and packet cakes.

Skywalker sits by my heel, looking up at me with big brown eyes.

‘My word, there’s a lot of junk food in here,’ says Michael, picking his way to a freezer at the back. ‘A bit embarrassing, you seeing my bad eating habits. And I can’t blame Diane. She’s part of the my-body-is-my-temple crowd. Hardly eats a thing.’

‘My stepdad is into healthy living,’ I say. ‘He won’t shut up about protein.’

Michael laughs. ‘Is he a good fella though, your stepdad?’

‘Probably.’

Michael opens the huge, humming chest freezer at the back of the pantry. It’s an old, energy-inefficient 1980s model – the decade that hated the environment.

‘Right.’ Michael smiles as lemony light spills out of the freezer lid. ‘You’ve got to come inside and see this, Liberty. It’ll be worth it, I promise you.’

‘This is the thing you want to show me?’ I ask. ‘In the freezer?’

‘Yep.’ Michael gestures me forward. ‘Come on in.’ Skywalker growls.

‘Your dog is still nervous?’ Michael laughs. ‘He can’t be scared of a freezer.’

‘Come on, Sky.’ I step forward, my hand held tight on Skywalker’s collar. ‘Let’s go see.’

Lorna

‘LIBERTY!’ I’m screaming, really screaming, through the railings, boots wedged on twirling wrought-iron dragons. ‘LIBERTY!’

‘Get down from the bloody gate, Lorna.’ Diane appears through the trees again. ‘Before you hurt yourself. What do you think? You’ve got a few muscles, and now you can scale a ten-foot fence?’