“Bye, Mum. I’ll try to drop by later.” Joanna knew that she probably wouldn’t.

Marianne smiled thinly and tipped her head at the Christmas tree in the corner, decorated with paper angels. The familiar sight of them tugged at Jo. She remembered making them with a six-year-old Ruby, gluing the silver foil, cutting sprigs of tinsel to make the crowns. Under the tree were two piles of beautifully decorated presents, ten or more in each pile, with a card on top.

“Don’t forget your gifts, darling,” said her mother. “And Phillip said you wouldn’t mind passing on little Ruby’s presents when you see her?”

One card said Joanna. The other said Ruby. Tears pricked at the corners of Jo’s eyes. She bent and picked up Ruby’s card. It was thick, probably with cash. Marianne rose and stood behind her daughter, both of them facing the decorated tree. The anger she felt toward her mother was still there, but it had faded into the background, replaced by pity.

“Mum, I don’t think I’ll see her today.”

“Tomorrow, perhaps?”

“I … maybe.”

The next thing her mother said was almost a whisper. “I know she’s gone, Joanna. I know we’ve lost her. I lost her.” The words were flat, emotionless. But repeated in the reflection on every bauble, Harper could see the tears rolling down her mother’s face.

“She hasn’t gone, don’t say that. I can’t take the presents but I’ll give her the card, Mum. I’ll find her. I’ll make sure she gets it. Then she’ll come over and you can give her the presents yourself.”

She gave her mother a quick hug, then walked out the front door and climbed into her car, pushing the envelope into the zipped pocket of her satchel. She took out her phone and checked her email, hoping to see a message from the automated mobile phone signal detection service that Eddie had set up for her, which would ping whenever Ruby’s phone number was used. It was a spam email from a sports drink company. She set off for home.

CHAPTER

43

NOW

Ruby

Tuesday, December 25