He knew the likelihood was that Julie would never touch her daughter again. That she wouldn’t be buried for a while and that it would be too late when the body was released to the family. Not that he thought it would stop her. She would need that final touch. That final contact. It would haunt her forever that she wouldn’t get it.

‘We don’t know if it’s her yet, Mum,’ Stephanie cut in, standing up from the chair and slouching against the wall opposite, repeating her now-familiar refrain. She’d been saying that a lot over the past couple of hours, as if doing so could make it true. ‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It could be someone else for all we know. It’s not like people haven’t made mistakes before.’

Mark could feel Stephanie’s eyes on him, but he chose to look at Julie instead. She was staring at the floor, but he could still see the dark marks underneath her bloodshot eyes. Her hands were cradled together, almost clasped in prayer. ‘If you have any questions, just ask, okay, Julie? We want to make this as painless as possible.’

That earned a scoff from Stephanie, which Mark ignored. He knew he was there as support first and foremost, but also as a punching bag of sorts. He would have to take the anger and hurt the family would soon be feeling. The endless questions they would have. The answers he couldn’t provide, leaving him looking toothless and pointless.

That’s how it always was.

He wished he’d taken the previous day off work. Called in sick or something. Stayed in bed with Natasha and missed all of this entirely.

‘What’s taking so long?’ Stephanie asked, pushing herself away from the wall and walking towards the double doors separating them from the inner corridors of the morgue. Mark watched as she peered through the frosted glass. He didn’t make any move, knowing they were locked and she wouldn’t be able to get through.

‘They’ll be with us any minute,’ Mark replied, shifting forward in his seat. ‘They’ll be making sure everything is prepared for us to go in and out, that’s all.’

‘I’ve never seen a dead body before,’ Stephanie said, moving back towards them now. She swiped a hand through her blonde hair, pulling it back from her face. She let it linger on the back of her neck as she did so. ‘I don’t know what to expect.’

Her voice was quieter now and Mark could see the strain creeping into her otherwise flawless features. She didn’t have the same dark rings under her eyes as her mum, but for the first time, he could sense that the weight of holding things together was becoming a burden.