She was back at the apartment, the three images of the cards played over and over again in her mind. They went back to their strange dance of awkwardness. He went back to his apartment and didn’t bother making conversation with the other girls. Agatha came back with them and went to her room.

Poe sat beside her on the table, rubbing his head on her arm. She pushed him aside; he jumped to the other side of the table and stared at her phone, waiting.

It rang, and Bethan laughed, amazed by Poe’s intuition.

She reached for it, seeing that it was Saskia.

A sob came from the other end.

‘Bethan, I’m so sorry,’ she said.

Bethan had heard this call before with her mother.

‘Who?’

Tears welled in her eyes.

‘Lenovik,’ Bethan screamed and nearly dropped the phone, her hands too numb to hold anything.

‘It wasn’t age, sweetheart.’ Saskia’s voice was raw. ‘He was murdered.’

Bethan wretched.

‘His students found him; that is all I know. I’m so sorry.’

‘I’m sorry too,’ was all she could say. She reached for Poe to seek comfort, but he had run off.

Saskia said something else before hanging up. She threw her phone on the couch and crumpled to the floor, sobbing.

Elnora was the first to find her, then Circe and Agatha. Agatha cradled her as she wept. She tried to tell them, but a radio announcement played, recounting his death.

The girls held her tighter. Tears welled in all their eyes.

The door was blown off its hinges. Poe scurried inside, with Kell following behind.

‘What the Hells happened?’ he said.

Bethan couldn’t see his face because she was buried behind Elnora. Circe stood and saw Kellan’s worried eyes were on her.

He raced over, pulled her off Agatha, and held her against his chest.

He stroked her hair; her muffled sobs pressing into his shirt.

Her eyes were shut, but she could hear the distant sound of a phone dialling and ringing.

Circe and Elnora were speaking on their phones, racing around the house.

Bethan knew Circe was speaking to Edington.

She imagined those Hadwicke’s students walking into their class, excited to be taught by him, just like she used to be. Then finding him, dead, blood would have been everywhere.

Kellan continued stroking her hair.

The hikers who found Dana would have seen it. Seen death and noticed blood. She can’t remember if she ever saw Dana’s body; she can’t remember anything.

Someone else grabbed her arm.

‘I’m finding out all that I can,’ Circe said.

Kellan nodded.

Lenovik was a good person who nobody could want dead. Everyone adored him.

He was a harmless man. A good man.

Kellan slid an arm behind her knees, and he lifted her.

She clung to him. He spoke to her, but she didn’t know what he said.