Anna looked at the way Miller nodded and didn’t believe a word of it. Only now did it make sense why they’d said Nick needed to be processed at a police station even though he hadn’t been arrested. They had wanted to keep the couple separated during the drive home, maybe so they couldn’t confer. Despite the fact that Nick had clearly been a victim, they still had suspicions.

She pushed ahead of everyone else to get inside first. While hauling the patio door open, she jumped as someone inside yanked the curtain open. It was her father, and behind him, standing by the sofa, was Jane, who had a mug of tea. From this angle she could see into the dining area, where a number of the bit players lurked and had created a NASA-like control centre with their laptops. They were all watching her, so she stepped to her left to kill their line of sight.

‘Why isn’t that man handcuffed?’ Middleton said, staring over her shoulder in absolute shock.

‘Dad, don’t. I’m not in the mood.’

Middleton grunted his displeasure and turned away. ‘These detectives have been questioning me about my past now. Who I know who could have done this. What’s that all about, Anna?’

‘Father, please,’ Jane said from somewhere behind him. ‘Until we know, we don’t know anything, do we? They’ve asked me, too. Whoever it is and whatever their connection to us, that’s hardly our fault, is it?’

Middleton moved to a wall, probably to make sure there was space between him and Nick. Anna stepped inside and was immediately grabbed in a tight hug by Jane. Nick entered with Miller and Bennet close behind and Jane somehow knew it was him. He got the same squashing hug. Middleton glared at everyone but kept silent. Jane traced a shape on Nick’s cheek and over his chin with her finger.

‘It means everything will be okay.’

He couldn’t read Braille and he didn’t know this secret language of the sisters, either. So he gave her a thumbs up and pressed it against her arm so she could feel the shape. She understood because she gave her own thumbs up.

‘Except that the police still doubt it’s a kidnapping,’ Anna said. Everyone looked at her. ‘They want to bring in a dog to search the house for signs of Josie’s blood. In case the kidnapping story is a lie and really we killed her.’

Middleton and Jane voiced their shock, but were washed out by Nick as he spun on the detectives and roared, ‘What?’

Miller stepped forward. ‘Nick, no, that’s not right. We don’t—’

‘That dog van outside, is that it? You want to bring a damn dog in to search for blood? Okay, I’ll help you.’