Wow – she is really different. Like another person. Will watch out for the email. All OK? We’re fine. Will keep you posted if anything changes with Dad. You can always get back if necessary, right? R

Tom typed a quick reply.

Yes, I can. And keep me posted. My phone will be on but reception is patchy so keep trying.

‘Tom,’ Alice said. ‘Can that wait? Let’s go. I want to see the lake up close. It has a lot of memories for me.’

He closed his laptop. Alice had a strange, faraway look in her eyes. This place was obviously special to her for reasons he didn’t understand. He could ask her more about it later.

‘Coming,’ he said.

Alice

She was surprised how many memories the walk by the lake had evoked. It was all so clear to her: she could almost take herself back to the day she had been here. It was as though no time had passed at all.

Tom had his arm around her shoulder, Jo in a papoose on his front.

She almost flinched away from him. When she’d met him she’d barely noticed him; he was one of those people who blended into the background. He held nothing of interest to her. He was simple; he lived in the moment and took everything and everyone at face value. Everybody liked him; there was nothing to dislike.

Which was why she had eventually seen he was perfect for her. He’d bumble around, smiling at everyone, trusting them all, trusting her. Whatever she wanted from him, he’d provide. Whatever she told him, he’d believe.

And he had. The overnight trips for work, when she had fed her hunger? He had never questioned them. Not once.

She had done whatever she liked, and to the world she was just another person, married and happy. He was the perfect disguise.

And then the baby came.

She had had no idea how fucking disruptive it would be. She’d thought things would be like before, but with a baby in the house. The reality was awful. It needed her constantly. The demands were endless. It was degrading. Humiliating.

Tom’s mum had said, early on, You have no idea how hard it will be, but it’s worth it. You love them so much.

Not her. She hated the damn thing. All she had felt was how hard it was.

And worse, Tom had changed. He saw the baby as a shared project. Gone were the days of her swanning off hunting some fictitious story.

And so her hunger grew. The need to kill became so sharp she could no longer ignore it. But how could she satiate it? When?

At night, was the answer. Jo would only sleep in the car: well, so be it. She’d take advantage of those night-time drives to find her prey.