Back inside the flat, Franny, quaking, leant on the door. She stared at Bree and right then and there Franny knew that the hardest part was just about to begin. Though as much as she didn’t want to do what needed to be done, she knew that she just couldn’t leave Bree’s body lying there, especially as Ma might decide to pay Bree a visit.

Taking another deep breath and unwrapping the large, thick plastic sheet, Franny placed it onto the floor. Then with only a slight hesitation, Franny bent down, pulling Bree onto the sheet.

Bree’s body was surprisingly light, though it was stiff, but Franny supposed that was to be expected after this number of hours. About to continue pulling Bree onto the sheet, Franny froze, staring in horror at the large bloodstain on the floor that had been hidden under Bree’s head.

Panicking, Franny snapped herself out of her thoughts and ran upstairs, charging into the small kitchen set just off the lounge. She looked under the sink, quickly getting the scrubbing brush and a bowl full of soapy water before running back down to the private hallway.

Placing both the bowl and brush on the floor, Franny knelt by Bree just as her phone began to vibrate. It was Alfie. She’d already missed his call and even though she’d rather not speak to him, after everything that had happened, she reckoned it was best to have him on side, not wanting to add to any more of his suspicions.

She pressed answer at the same time as she began to scrub Bree’s blood out of the carpet and with a great deal of effort to sound calm, she said, ‘Hey Alfie, hey honey, sorry I missed your last call.’

Alfie’s voice was monotone. ‘Where are you, babe?’

Exhaling, Franny tried to keep it light. ‘I just went for a drive. I couldn’t sleep. My head’s a wreck.’

‘I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything, have you? About Mia?’

Without being able to stop it, a shrill tone came into her voice. ‘No, no, not yet but I’ll let you know if I do. You’ll be the first person to know.’

Alfie’s concern was palpable. ‘I’m so sorry, babe, this must be so stressful for you. I wish I could do more to help. Have you spoken to her mum?’

Franny sounded shocked. ‘Her mum?’

‘Yeah, Mia’s mum, you need to tell her.’

A wave of relief hit Franny. She had to keep her head. She knew she was beginning to let panic dictate her thinking. ‘Oh yeah, her mum. Yeah of course, I spoke to her mum and as you can imagine she’s in a real state.’

‘Who is she anyway? What’s her name?’

With anxiety making her sound breathless, Franny continued to scrub the floor. ‘What? What do you mean?’

‘Fran, are you okay?’