‘Sorry. You’re lucky you didn’t crack a rib. Actually, I’m not so sure you haven’t.’

‘Yes, I’ve been feeling incredibly lucky all morning.’ Nell gasped again as Gina dabbed at a particularly tender spot.

‘Have you slept at all? Maybe you should get yourself checked out.’

‘I did. They looked me over once they’d done with Maude, no broken bones and a leaflet about concussion.’ She gave Gina a watery smile ‘It’s not me I’m worried about.’

*

Kym sat on the bunk opposite Maude’s, looking up at the ceiling. If she concentrated she could just make out the daisy wheel etched into the beam above them. It was a nice design, she thought – simple, pleasing.

She had placed the vase of flowers on the floor in front of the trunk, their sweet old-fashioned scent masking the musty air. The kid looked better than Kym had been expecting. A bit pale, perhaps, with blotchy red patches on her arms, and she wondered if there was something going on there, allergies, eczema. The shoe lay on top of the trunk in pride of place. It was soft and stained and Kym was reminded of that time she lost her house key and as a last resort she’d had to go through the kitchen bin, through all the overripe vegetable cuttings and peelings, pulpy matter on the verge of decay.

She glanced up at Maude, then reached across and gave the dark leather a poke.

There. Not frightened of you.

‘Tell me again,’ said Kym. ‘Tell me what happened. Slowly.’

‘We were in the kitchen,’ said Maude, ‘and then – there was a noise, like someone was walking around up here.’

‘Not like the other night?’

‘No. This was definitely inside.’

‘Where? Which room?’

‘Nell’s room, I think. Nell and Dad’s room.’

‘Not up here?’

‘No. I’m not sure.’

‘And have you told her about the other night?’

Maude snorted. ‘No.’

Kym picked up one of Maude’s books, and began to leaf through it. ‘And on the stairs?’

Maude’s expression changed, she looked furtive, guilty. ‘Nell slipped.’

‘Does she normally get wound up about stuff like that?’

‘Stuff like what?’

‘You know’ – Kym waved the book at her – ‘spooky stuff.’

‘Dunno. It’s never happened before. She’s a bit weird about the shoe, though. She doesn’t like it, I can tell.’

‘And you do?’

‘Yeah. It’s cool.’ She glanced at it again.

‘What do you think it was? The noise?’

Maude sat up, leant forward, and her expression was serious. ‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘But once it started, it sort of felt like I’d heard it before, you know? But I’d always thought it was Nell, or Dad. Only now, I think maybe it wasn’t them after all.’

Kym, settled back on the bunk, closing her eyes. ‘Are you sure?’