Everything slots further into place. Of course that’s why she’s returned. She must’ve been terrified when Nina got in touch. She’s here to find evidence and destroy it. My being here has thwarted that.

I can’t sit. I can’t concentrate. I take Goldie on her longest ever walk while I come up with a plan.

I phone Deborah and ask her to pick Felix and Emily up from school and cook them dinner. I don’t give her the chance to say no, I simply insist that it’s an emergency. I walk to the guesthouse, let myself in and wait for Camilla.

She walks in with Louise. She stops.

“Hi, Louise,” I say. “Deborah and the children are expecting you at the house for a bite to eat.”

Camilla looks as if she’s about to object, but she’s not stupid. After all, she’s been half expecting and dreading this moment for so long.

“That’s right, sweetie.”

Louise looks confused—of course—but acquiesces, nonetheless.

We both wait until the door shuts behind her.

“I guess you know why I’m here,” I say.

She doesn’t question me.

“Let’s go for a walk.”

Camilla opens the door. I follow her out. We walk along the track to the forest at the back in silence. When we reach a secluded clearing, she takes a cigarette packet out of her bag, pulls one out and lights it.

I could do with one, too.

“Well?” she says.

“You and Nina—you killed Charlie.”

For a brief moment, her expression is one of barely perceptible terror.

“Of course we didn’t. It wasn’t like that.”

Hearing her confirming the words is freshly shocking, yet it’s an equal relief to hear her almost dismiss it. I thought she’d deny everything outright, but it’s unreal that she’s so quick to admit defeat.

“How was it then?”

“It was an accident. Really, it was.”

“You’ve lied about so much.”

“You’ll know what it’s like, the moment you give birth. You’ll do whatever it takes to protect your child. I can’t ruin Louise’s life any more than Nina could ruin Felix and Emily’s.”

“Tell me what happened.”

“How did you find out?”

“Nina wrote an update to her diary.”

Camilla gives a wry smile. “I knew she would do something.” She pauses. “Well, I imagine that’s a good thing, in a way. I guess she described how everything was an accident?”

I ignore her question. “Is that the real reason you came back? Have you been looking for something?”

“Yes. I didn’t know what I was looking for. I knew it wouldn’t be an outright confession, she wouldn’t take the risk of Felix and Emily finding it. Can I see what she wrote?”

“No.”

I’m not going to give her the chance to read it so that she can match her story with Nina’s so-called accounts. I’ve also made copies in case she gets hold of them.

“Did you try to get in before?” I need to know.

“Yes. It turns out it’s more difficult to do than I thought. Nina mentioned in conversation that Stuart was really bad at locking the interconnecting door to the garage. Turns out he wasn’t. And you nearly caught me in the guesthouse, you and Deborah. I knew it was highly unlikely that there would be anything incriminating hidden in the cottage, but I felt I had to do something when I couldn’t find a spare key to the main house. I’d focused my attention around the front door area when the one by the back door was in such an obvious place. Stupid me.”