‘An innocent child is dead. Danny Evans is dead. Jamie Evans is missing and his mother is beside herself. A whole family decimated, Marilyn. You’ve had your own disasters, your own challenges as a family, if you know something that can help us … Put yourself in Sharon’s shoes for just a moment. If it was Emma that was missing …’

‘I … Lots of colour … on the ward, it’s bright and she has her teddy now. Just like when she was a child. Emma’s safe.’ Marilyn’s eyes slammed shut, the grip tightened and Joel felt the pressure increase on his foot. He was losing her, she was shutting them out. She was shutting everything out.

Joel felt a soft touch on his hip and he half-turned as DS Rose stepped in next to him. She was gentle as she covered Marilyn’s fingers. Joel stepped back, his shoe squeaking again as he pulled it out of the gap. When DS Rose spoke, it was still to a woman with her eyes tightly shut while she repeated the same words about Emma’s secure ward in a terrified murmur.

‘Hannah was my friend. She was fearless and she was fierce when she needed to be. But she had a heart so big it was always going to be what brought her down. She cared about you, about Emma, obsessed over it even, and she is the reason we are here. You can’t help Hannah now, I can’t either, and that eats me up inside, but I can find answers and I think you can help me with that. Why is our friend dead, Marilyn? Because I think that’s eating you up too.’

Marilyn’s lips stopped first. Then her eyes opened to focus, her eyelids fluttering like a settling butterfly. A couple of times she looked like she was ready to speak but stopped herself. DS Rose was patient. Marilyn took a final look beyond her doorstep and out into the steady din of traffic behind them. She cleared her throat before croaking a single word.

‘Inside.’

Chapter 57