‘She’d love it. She’d love you smiling like this,’ he says, tracing her lips with his cold fingers. They continue kissing, time running away. Then, there’s a knocking on the window. They both look up to see Lumin and Rosa looking in at them. Amber winds down the window.

‘Well, this is awkward,’ Lumin says with a raised eyebrow.

Amber’s face flushes. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘We couldn’t risk you going on your own,’ Rosa replies, breath coming out in a fog. ‘Thought I’d test the roads with my car,’ she added, gesturing towards it. ‘Bit dicey!’

‘You risked your butt for me,’ Lumin adds. ‘So I’ll risk my butt for you.’

They both smile at each other. Then Lumin’s smile disappears from her face as she stares across the loch at the half-burnt remains of her family home.

‘We’ll find your mother,’ Amber says, squeezing her hand.

‘So we’re driving to Iceland now, are we?’ Lumin asks sarcastically.

‘I don’t think I’ll get away with taking you on another road trip,’ Amber replies. ‘I think we need to return to Winterton Chine and take it from there.’

Lumin nods. ‘Back to where I lost my memory.’

Chapter Thirty

Amber looks out towards the sea. It feels strange to be back here in her flat, like she’s been away for weeks, not days. They’d driven back the day before, once the snow had dispersed, this time with Jasper at the wheel. He’d recovered fine and they’d holed up in Rosa’s room as they waited out the snow, catching up on lost time as Lumin helped Rosa with a painting she was working on.

When they got back, Lumin had begged Amber to hold off calling the police or hospital yet to tell them she’d returned. It was late and all she wanted to do was sleep. So Amber had set up the pull-out bed and let Lumin sleep in her room. But as soon as they woke, Amber called Detective King and told him everything she’d learnt. He was angry, threatened her with arrest. But she could tell his threats were empty, just for show.

Now it is the next morning and she is waiting for him to arrive. Lumin watches out of the window and chews her lip. The doorbell rings and Amber opens it to see Detective King and Detective Matthews looking at her sternly from the hallway.

‘Tea, coffee?’ she asks them, trying to keep her voice bright.

‘Coffee, please,’ Detective King says. ‘I think we’ll need it.’

Amber busies herself making them hot drinks as they ask Lumin how she is.

‘Right,’ Detective King says after Amber brings them their drinks. ‘Tell me everything.’

As Amber and Lumin explain all they’ve learnt, he scribbles down notes, his closed expression not giving much away.