‘Nope! I didn’t see you in Sparrow Lane. Only caught sight of you when I turned the corner.’

She looks back to where she ran from. ‘Someone was there … watching me.’ Or had someone simply pulled into the lay-by to check their phone or something? Was she acting paranoid? Being unfair on Leon?

‘Well it wasn’t me.’ He looks behind him. ‘Do you want me to check it out? See if someone’s there?’

‘We could both go, maybe.’

‘OK.’ He stretches across the seat further, flings open the car door. She climbs in, closes the door behind her, and clicks the seatbelt. She feels safe beside him, despite her outburst. How could she have thought he would lie to her? Watch her? Leon’s one of the good guys.

Without a word, he spins the car around in the road. Turns right into Sparrow Lane.

‘Whoever it was pulled in there.’ She points towards the empty lay-by. ‘Did you see anyone when you drove up here?’

He shakes his head, and shrugs. ‘Not that I noticed.’

‘They may have turned out their lights.’

‘Why?’

He was right. She was being ridiculous.

He sighs deeply. ‘This is where it happened, isn’t it? Where they found your dad?’

She looks down at her hands, wanting him to take her in his arms, tell her everything is OK. ‘I didn’t imagine the car, Leon. If that’s what you’re saying.’

‘Of course you didn’t. But this place holds awful memories for you.’ He turns the car round in the narrow lane. ‘I’ll take you home, shall I?’

*

‘Thanks,’ she says, as Leon pulls onto the drive outside Butterfly Cottage. ‘So, why were you in Sparrow Lane?’ she asks, looking at him.

‘I told you. Faith said you’d just left the pub, and I got to thinking about you – us.’

‘Faith,’ she says, smiling at her friend’s clear attempt at matchmaking.

Leon looks at the steering wheel, then at her. ‘I wanted to see you, Alice. Talk to you. There are things you need to know.’

‘Like, who you were with earlier?’

‘You saw that?’ He moves from her gaze.

‘Sorry, it’s none of my business. You have every right—’

‘It was Tegan.’

‘Tegan Matthews?’

He nods and shrugs. ‘A while back, she said she was interested in my book—’

‘Ah, I see. That makes sense. That’s good though, isn’t it?’

‘I guess. We’re friends, nothing more.’

‘You don’t owe me an explanation, Leon. You have every right to be seeing someone.’ She turns, climbs out of the car. She hasn’t seen Tegan since her father’s funeral. A couple of emails flew into her inbox in the weeks following that awful day, but that was it – so much for having her back.