‘I know, poor kid. And the thing is… Well, the only way to stop it happening again is to report it.’ Hailey’s lips pressed together, her face grim. ‘I had to notify the unit because we’ve got kids we’re responsible for in and out of that football club all the time. Who knows how long the cameras have been there or how many kids have been affected? Anyway, it’s all going through the proper channels now. Police are involved and there’s going to be an official investigation.’

‘Of course it has to be investigated.’ Sara was clasping the stem of her wine glass so hard it was in danger of snapping. How dare someone do this to innocent kids? It was evil. Pure evil.

‘Yeah, well it might not be quite so good for Milly. She’ll be asked to give evidence, and to be honest, it’s going to be a bit of an ordeal.’

Sara leant her elbows on the table, head in her hands, finding it hard to take it in. Amelia going through all this anguish without her mum there to support her. The timing couldn’t have been worse.

‘Who would do such a thing?’

Hailey shook her head sadly, her voice despondent when she spoke. ‘So many people use the club, from kids right up to seniors. And cameras can be so tiny these days, you wouldn’t see them. Honestly, it’s going to be tough tracking down whoever did this.’

They sat in silence, a heavy stillness in the air, both of them lost in their thoughts, until something shifted in Sara’s mind. Two things clicking together.

She sat up, turned to Hailey. ‘Seems quite a coincidence that both Milly and I have been through similar experiences, don’t you think? Covert filming for someone else’s pleasure.’ Her eyes widened. ‘What if there’s a connection?’

Hailey considered for a moment, puffed out her cheeks. ‘I think they’re different things. This could just be kids with a vendetta. They’re pretty tech-savvy these days, aren’t they? And these cameras are cheap and easy to buy online. Wireless transmitters.’ She shrugged, poured the last of the wine into her glass. Sara’s remained untouched.

The silence spread between them, neither looking at the other, Sara’s anger burning in her chest. She thought back to her own teenage years, and knew exactly what Milly was going through. Knew exactly why she’d kept her problems to herself. It wasn’t easy talking about incidents that made you feel ashamed, because somehow you carried a guilt with you; a feeling that in some way you were to blame.

The ringing of her phone broke into her thoughts. It was Fiona, the last person she wanted to speak to. She debated whether to answer or not, wondering if she was going to get a telling-off for leaving work at lunchtime and not going back.