Unclipping her hair with one hand, Delores twisted it absent-mindedly into a rope as she gazed out of the window, a demented Rapunzel. Thea stood, overcome with a wild urge to try running away while her back was turned, try to make it to a boat on her own, just run and keep on running until the snow disappeared into the wood, then the wood changed to shingle and the shingle turned to sea … and freedom.

She would probably only make it to the ground floor if she was lucky.

‘What really happened here?’ Thea asked.

‘The Sleep Centre …’ Delores paused, and then tried again. ‘REM sleep in some of our clients was disrupted, which led to hallucinations. The Sleep Centre became compromised and we dealt with it as best we could but, well, you saw the damage, yes? Someone managed to start a fire. We had to shut off that whole wing.’

‘But everyone was safely evacuated?’

The mask didn’t drop as Delores faced Thea, but behind her were the smoking remains of the Client Bubble, cutting a white curve out of the view.

‘The company made the decision,’ she said quietly.

Delores’s next words dropped into Thea’s brain like cold jelly, slithering into her very soul. ‘Like they’ll make a decision about you.’

Thea’s cup trembled in her hand.

‘But I can help you.’

Chapter 44

‘Our little white-crowned sparrow.’

Delores stood behind her desk in a classic power pose, her palms placed flat on the desk-top, facing an imaginary boardroom. Thea sat down suddenly, as if someone had kicked her in the back of the knees.

They’ll make a decision about you.

Her little sleep therapy group: Moira with her owl glasses and tortoise-Richard – where were they? What had happened to them? She hoped it involved a boat, all of them clambering aboard, making awkward jokes and choosing where to sit. She hoped that they were now on the mainland, maybe back at Sanity’s End where the owner would be grumpily dishing out tuna and dandruff sandwiches for all.

That’s where they were. That’s where they had to be.

‘Rosie’s safe. I’ve hidden her.’ Rory had told her – but could Rory be trusted anymore?

She was only vaguely aware that Delores was still speaking.

‘I’m finished here, after what’s happened. Of course, they know about Moses – the charade with our little fake Moses was just a bit of PR for the clients. His name has a certain power, after all. They didn’t want to lose that.’

She picked up a piece of paper, scanned it and then crumpled it in her hand.

‘I’ve been a fool. This is their chance to get rid of me. I’ll be the perfect scapegoat. All those years! All the work, everything I’ve done – and I’ll be sent off with a handshake and enough money to keep me quiet. If I’m lucky.’