Mattie was in a side-ward; a female prison officer sat in the corner with a pile of fashion magazines on her lap and a bag of Maltesers in her hand. God, Vera thought. I bet the woman can’t believe her luck. All this time off the wing! The officer looked about the same age as the patient in the bed, she was a dirty blonde and big-busted, the buttons straining on her white uniform shirt. Easy-going, the sort who’d really enjoy a good night out and a couple of days sitting on her arse with a load of trashy reads and chocolate.

‘Hiya!’ Friendly too. Vera was pleased about that. Whatever Mattie had done, Vera didn’t like to think of her terrified and friendless in hospital. ‘The sister said you’d be coming. I’ll make myself scarce, shall I, so you can have a chat? Tell you the truth, I’m desperate for a tab.’ Her eyes were inquisitive, but she set the magazines on the chair and disappeared, her craving for nicotine stronger than her curiosity.

Vera pulled the chair closer to the bed. The woman lying there looked very young. There was a fan on the bedside locker, but she was still flushed and feverish. ‘She’s still got a nasty temperature,’ the sister had said. ‘Was hallucinating in the night about all sorts. But the antibiotics seem to be starting to work this morning.’

‘What sort of hallucinations?’ Might be the temperature, Vera thought. But it could be guilt or fear. Nothing like guilt to bring on nightmares.

‘Oh, you know, monsters and devils. The usual stuff.’ And the sister had laughed. She’d seen it all before.

Mattie seemed to be dozing now. Vera called her name and she opened her eyes, blinked, confused.

‘Where’s Sal?’

‘She the prison officer?’

Mattie nodded her head.

‘Gone to get a fag. I just need a few words. My name’s Vera Stanhope.’

‘You a doctor?’ She had a little-girl voice too. You’d never think she was old enough to have had a child at school.

Vera laughed. ‘Nah, pet. I’m the fuzz.’

Mattie closed her eyes again, as if she just wanted to shut Vera out, as if she preferred her dreams of monsters and devils.

‘I’m not here to cause bother,’ Vera said. ‘Just for some information, for a bit of a talk. I think you can help me.’

Mattie looked at her. ‘I told the police everything the first time.’

‘I know you did.’ Vera paused. ‘Have you seen the news lately?’ There was a television on a stand on the wall, but it was coin-operated, the NHS making money where it could.

Mattie followed her gaze. ‘Sal got it to work for me. She used her own cash. But we haven’t watched the news.’