Opening the door of the maisonette was such a familiar action, pulling up the handle and wriggling the key, but tonight she had no idea what she’d find. The hallway smelled, as always, of old cardboard and dust balls. The lower floor was a steep staircase with a boarded-up shop to the right. Above was the place Steph visited regularly, the place nobody knew about. Except maybe Freya. Clearly she’d seen her mum heading this way when she should have been at work. And clearly she’d already noticed those lies about money and errands and working late. She’d known dishonesty when she’d seen it, though she’d been mistaken about the reason. According to Zeb, Freya had even wanted to buy a car so she could do her own detective work. Was that what the money in her jacket pocket had been for? Had she managed to follow Steph all the way here, and become tangled in something much bigger than she’d anticipated?

Steph’s heart boomed as she climbed the stairs. I can deal with anything else now. Just let me not be too late. She should have come sooner, told the police, done everything differently. Denial and fear had paralyzed her at first. Then, for a brief moment, she’d hoped she could keep her own secrets, hold on to her life and save Freya. Stupid, stupid, stupid. But now she was here and ready to sacrifice everything except her daughter.

She opened the door at the top to reveal a deserted living room. Her eyes picked out details in the normally tidy space: a desk drawer pulled out, coins dotting the carpet below. A scruffy holdall on the sofa, bulging with clothes.

A creak from the back of the house made her right hand fly to her left sleeve, finding the outline of the knife. Familiar footsteps traveled down the small corridor that separated the bedroom from the lounge.

61.

KATE

Twenty-five years earlier

The next day, I know I’ll go back. It’s inevitable that I’ll slip away from school, catch a bus into town, take the same seat in the gallery, and bite my nails until warm blood trickles beneath my tongue. To my relief, Mum isn’t there. Maybe she can’t face Auntie Rach and Uncle Jack after the evidence she gave yesterday. Maybe she can’t face any of it.