Jodie sat for another twenty minutes before getting to her feet. There was a pharmacy not far away, she’d go at nine and get a pregnancy test. As soon as she knew for sure, she could make plans to tell Flynn. This early in their relationship, having children hadn’t come up in conversation. Would he be happy? Or shocked?

Happy, she guessed. She could imagine him with children, a big goofy grin on his face.

In the hallway, the envelope on the floor by the front door caught her by surprise. It was too early for the post to have come. She leaned down to pick it up, stopping when she was within touching distance. Suddenly, with total certainty, she knew who it was from. A few steps backward took her to the stairway. She sat heavily on the second step and stared at the innocent-looking white envelope.

There’d be something less innocent inside. Not a dead mouse this time. But words could be more horrific, more wounding.

She was trembling as she stood, her hand shaking as she bent to pick it up. It was easier to sit back down on the stair while she opened it, her legs didn’t seem capable of going further. The flap of the envelope wasn’t completely stuck down. She slipped her finger under the opening and slid it across.

Inside, there was a folded sheet of paper. She removed it, dropped the envelope and opened the page out. It was short. To the point. Victor wanted to tell her something. Something she needed to know. Irritatingly, it was that vague. Something! But what?

He hadn’t asked to meet her anywhere but his address was written boldly across the top of the page. His address – she was shocked but not surprised to see that he lived only a short walk from her house. Did he expect her to call on him? Was he absolutely crazy? Or did he think she was?

She picked up the envelope, took it and the note to the kitchen and pushed them down into the rubbish bin. With the hot tap running, she squirted soap into her hands and scrubbed them, waiting until the water ran scalding hot to rinse it off.

Her nausea this time had little to do with the child she might or might not be carrying. Victor. What could he possibly want to tell her?

The reason he’d sent her those packages. That had to be it.

Or maybe not.

Victor, she knew had been watching her house. He would know about Flynn. Maybe he knew all about him – about his silly impersonation – and simply wanted to warn her about a lie she already knew.

But what if it were something else?

After all, the little voice inside her head whispered, Flynn had lied to her before. Maybe Victor knew something else about him.