‘I just didn’t want you to freak out like last year,’ Jasmine said, although that was only part of it; the other part was that she didn’t want to be this eternal victim, she just wanted to be normal and like all the other girls in her year without her parents hawking over her every move and making her feel like somehow this was all her fault. Whether or not that had ever been their intention, it was how they made her feel, and she was the one who had to adjust her behaviour after the incident at school. It had all felt like a punishment.

‘I think you should write down what you remember from last night. I’m going to grab a shower and then we will call the police when your father comes home,’ Lisa said, seeming exasperated.

The legal proceedings against Mr Morrell had been very public and exhausting, with some people more than convinced that Jasmine was lying just to ruin a good man’s career, despite the fact that there was video evidence and it wasn’t Jasmine who was pushing the case forward, it was her parents. The thought of going through all that again was less than appealing and Jasmine knew that if it wasn’t for this missing girl and some form of civic duty, her parents would probably want to keep the police out of it. As much good will as they had within the community, it would always be hard to be a talking point in a small town like this.

Her mother left her coffee on the table and disappeared upstairs. Jasmine grabbed a pen and paper from the kitchen drawer.

‘I saw you at the fair,’ she said to Tim. ‘You were arguing with one of the blokes who worked there. I thought I was imagining it, until you found me talking to Mr Morrell.’

‘I was just asking him if he had any paid work going,’ Tim said, shifting uncomfortably, tightening his crossed arms.

‘I won’t tell the police what I saw.’

‘What do you think you saw?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘You tell the police what you need to tell them. Tell them you saw me at the fair if you want, or don’t, it makes no odds to me. You don’t have to lie for me,’ Tim said, before disappearing into the pantry again.