He sat in the car and looked at the pictures of houses and flats in the estate agent’s window. He wondered if the estate agent had been telling the truth when he said that the seller hoped a young couple would buy the flat. It didn’t really make sense. If Letitia and David had suffered at the hands of Lucy and Chris, why would they want another young couple to undergo the same fate? Maybe Lucy and Chris hadn’t driven them out like he suspected. Or, most likely, it had just been the estate agent spinning them a line, a bit of spiel, like estate agents do. He considered going inside to ask. But what was the point? He doubted if they would remember, or tell the truth. And it wasn’t important anyway. The matter was in hand.

He drove away, back to the flat. He was sure Kirsty would understand eventually. Once Lucy and Chris had been dealt with, there would be no need to move out. They could build their little nest in the flat after all. They could still win.

Later that afternoon, he went to pick Kirsty up from work. She wasn’t waiting outside, so he parked the car and went in. He checked the children’s ward but he couldn’t see her. He spotted Heather over the far side of the ward and went over to her.

‘Hi Heather.’

‘Oh, hi Jamie.’

He hated the way she looked so sorry for him, like he was some pathetic loser. When would people realise, he was going to win? He would show them. He wasn’t weak. He would show them all.

‘Where’s Kirsty?’ he asked.

‘She finished about fifteen minutes ago. I thought she’d be waiting outside.’

‘She’s not.’

Heather’s eyes widened. ‘Oh God, do you think she’s alright? You don’t think she’d do anything stupid, do you?’

He felt a fluttering in his stomach. That was exactly what he’d thought last night when she said she wanted to be left alone in the bathroom. That she would try to harm herself.

‘Come on, follow me.’ Heather led him towards the doctor’s offices. She knocked and entered. ‘Have you seen Kirsty Knight?’

Nobody had.

‘Jamie, I’m sure she’s OK.’

‘So why did you ask me if I thought she’d do something stupid?’

‘I don’t know. I was just…’ She broke off. ‘Come on, she’s probably in the canteen.’