‘Well isn’t this nice,’ Ben said, breaking the silence.

Dani didn’t say anything, just stared at him. This was her brother, the same person she’d grown up with, yet he looked so different. There was a coldness to his manner that set this man apart from the one she’d known for so long. His skin was paler too, more creased, his hair lighter, his eyes a dull grey. It was like all of the goodness and colour and vitality had been sucked right out of him.

Had prison done that to him, or was this just the man who’d always been beneath the mask?

As kids the two of them had naturally spent a lot of time together. Not friends exactly – they’d often fought, like many siblings did – but their blood bond had always kept them close. Even as young adults they’d continued to mix in the same crowds. Ben had eventually married Dani’s best friend. Alice.

God, poor Alice. He’d killed her. Throttled her to death on their own bed. His first victim. Not his last.

Dani felt a wave of nausea, but she fought against it and it quickly went away. In its place came a rush of memories as she stared at Ben. Some good, many bad.

‘You came all this way and you’re not even going to speak to me?’ Ben said.

But in those first few moments, Dani really didn’t know what to say. She noticed him stare up at her scar, but he didn’t say anything. She didn’t react at all. In fact, she almost felt frozen, though her brain was busy, wondering what he was thinking.

‘How are the kids?’ Ben asked. He shook his head, looking distressed, almost, for a fleeting second. ‘I miss them so much.’

‘They’re fine,’ Dani said. ‘Though I’ve not seen them that much recently.’ Again, she felt bad. Those kids hadn’t deserved any of what had happened. She really should have done everything she could for them. She had no sensible reason for not having seen them more often, other than that she was a selfish cow. Oh yeah, and because for the last two years she’d been suffering the after-effects of brain damage, thanks to Ben.

‘Why haven’t you been seeing them?’ Ben asked. ‘They always loved you so much.’

Dani clenched her teeth before answering. ‘It’s not been easy for me, Ben. But I do see them when I can. I saw them the other day in fact. That’s partly why I came. Harry was asking after you.’

‘He was?’

Ben’s face brightened slightly.

‘I’ll be there for them,’ Dani said. ‘Gemma too.’