“Hey, so why are your mum’s files at your house?” Ruby said as she twisted in her seat to retrieve the purse she’d tossed in the back. She sounded deliberately casual, as if she was always interested in mundane details about filing.

“Got stuck down the back of the desk, that’s all,” I said. But all my sleepy happiness vanished, like it was sucked out, leaving me cold.

“Why did your dad say your mum would be mad?”

“Because they’re private.” I wouldn’t look at her. I made a production of checking my mirrors instead. My chest tightened.

“No, I mean he said your mum would go ballistic instead of will go ballistic. And you asked if she helped people. Like it was past tense. But she isn’t . . .”

“Dead?” I finished coldly, trying to cover for the nauseating sense that the thing I’d been trying to stay one step ahead of was about to reach out and grab me. “You’d be being pretty insensitive if she was. Why were you listening to our conversation anyway? And memorizing the exact phrasing to catch me out like you’re bloody Jessica Fletcher or something.”

I crossed my arms in front of my chest. I wished she’d just get out of the car. Why was she ruining everything? She kept doing this.

Ruby huffed and threw her hands up.

“Get over yourself,” she snapped. “No one’s listening to your secret conversations. I didn’t mean to overhear.”

“Get over myself?” I blinked, disbelieving. I heard my voice rise. “Get over myself? What are you, twelve?”

“I’m twelve? You are so immature. It’s not interesting and mysterious to keep secrets, you know. Fine. I do know there’s something going on with your mum. I don’t get why you won’t tell me. I told you about Noah.”

My heart stopped for a second and when it started beating it did so at double time. Bubbling anger churned in my stomach and my head was loud with buzzing.

“How do you know there’s something going on with my mum?” I asked through gritted teeth.

I suddenly remembered the dinner, Beth and Ruby arriving together. Had they spoken about it on the doorstep? Had she known all this time?

“It’s obvious.” Ruby said it as though I was stupid for not realizing. “You never talk about her and I knew you were lying when you said I could meet her, so I asked Oliver—”

Oliver.

After our talk about how it was my business and ethics and everything, he’d told anyway. I felt betrayed by both of them.

“You went behind my back?”

“I wanted to ask you.” She pointed her finger at me, her face contorted. “But God forbid we have a serious conversation about anything to do with you.”

“So instead of respecting my privacy, you found a way around it? Nice.” I spat the words out.