Louisa gave her arms a rub and, head down, carried on to the meeting place. A few minutes later, with the darkness beginning to envelop her, she came to the entrance of the common. She gave a furtive glance around her. The road was quiet and the small tarmacked area on the opposite side where people often parked their cars whilst visiting the common was empty – a chain looped across its narrow entrance. She slipped through the kissing gates without any hesitation – the time for that had long passed – and took the right-hand path that led to the top of the disused quarry.

Why hadn’t Oliver asked the reason she wanted to meet him; queried the location?

Louisa knew he’d taken many walks at the common since Melissa’s disappearance, which was one of the reasons she’d suggested it – that and the fact it was most likely to be deserted in the evening. Since the quarry had been totally fenced off, even the teenagers had abandoned it as their favourite drinking spot and started using the back end of the park behind the skatepark as their meeting place. The quarry no longer held the sense of adventure and danger, so walking that far just to be out of sight had lost its appeal to them.

Louisa held her mobile out in front of her and used the flashlight app to guide her along the bumpy, muddy path to the fenced quarry. As she turned and began to ascend the incline, a figure came into view – a dark shape motionless against the fence. If it wasn’t for her phone, she’d be unable to make out anything but the trees; the light was fading fast, the night stealing it.

Louisa didn’t like it; she’d never felt so vulnerable. Unsafe.

‘Hello, Oliver,’ she said when she reached him, her breathing shallow from the excursion. From her nerves.

‘This is all rather cloak-and-dagger, Lou-Lou.’ He grinned. ‘I think I like it.’

God, did he think she was there to have an illicit encounter with him? Perhaps that was why he hadn’t questioned the meeting place – he’d naturally assumed she’d chosen it as a good place where they could get up to no good without being caught. The thought both horrified and excited her. If it hadn’t been for Melissa hiding somewhere close by, would she allow something to happen between them – to punish Brian’s attempted infidelity with Tiff by doing the same with Oliver? She had to admit, she would’ve been tempted once. But that was before.

Before she knew what a low-life liar he was.

‘Don’t get too excited. It’s not what you think.’

She could see disappointment hit him first, followed by confusion.

‘Why are we meeting here then?’ His brow lowered, making his eyes appear even darker than usual.