‘The website,’ said Maude, and the two older girls looked at her. ‘My dad said there was stuff about the history of the house on the website. He was going to show me, only…’ she stopped, hugged herself.

‘Should we tell someone?’ asked Evie.

‘No,’ said Maude, but neither of the older girls seemed to hear her.

‘Maybe see what we find out first?’ said Kym. ‘Maybe it’s no big deal. Maybe they’ve got a picture of them plastered over their website.’

‘I don’t think so,’ said Maude, doubtfully, ‘my dad didn’t say anything.’

‘And – they don’t bother you?’ Evie asked.

‘I like them,’ said Maude, standing up. ‘And I think we should keep quiet about them. We won’t tell anyone about Tyler, either, or me having the shoe – that way, none of us gets into trouble.’ She looked from Evie to Kym, straightening up, lifting her chin.

‘The kid has a point,’ said Kym.

*

Evie didn’t stay long after that. She seemed anxious, and said she ought to get on with some revision. They went back down-stairs and Kym saw her to the door.

‘You’re sure,’ she said quietly, once Maude had said her goodbyes and gone back into the living room, ‘that you didn’t see Tyler come up the yard?’

‘I didn’t see anything until you set the light off. But I’d been upstairs before that.’ Evie had the sense to keep her voice lowered too. ‘But it couldn’t have been anything else, could it?’

‘No. I suppose not.’ It was foolish, to have let Ty spook her so, and she was certain it had been him. Almost certain.

‘Should we tell?’

Kym glanced towards the living room. ‘We promised not to.’

‘She’s just a kid who doesn’t want to get into trouble.’

‘Me and her both.’ Kym smiled. She was tempted to ask Evie to stay, to hang out for a bit – she might even be persuaded to share her babysitting fee.

‘Are you sure you’re OK?’ Evie asked.

‘I’m fine.’ It was the house, that was all, finally being inside the house after all this time. There was a lot to take in.

‘If you say so,’ Evie smiled. ‘Text me if, you know, anything else happens.’

‘What? So you can come charging up the steps and rescue us?’

‘Oh, shut up.’

It was nice that she’d offered, though, kind. ‘Yeah. Sure.’ She hesitated. ‘I’ll text you anyway, first thing? I’ll check out those marks and we can talk properly.’

‘OK.’

Kym closed the door and locked it. She stood for a moment in the gloom, listening, just to make sure that Tyler hadn’t come back; pissed off that he’d managed to knock her off balance so easily.