She sighed and glanced up, half expecting to see him, and found Douglas watching her. She must have dozed off. It was a relief to know that after everything that’d happened, after her failure, he was still here. But then Nick’s death was as much down to him as it was to her. If he hadn’t flown off the handle like that it might not have been a civilized encounter, but it wouldn’t have ended in a fatality. And Douglas had implicated himself by disposing of Nick’s body, so he must truly love her. They had rolled him up in an old blanket. Douglas had driven off with Nick in the boot of his car at two in the morning. The shock of it had nearly tipped her over the edge, but he had steadied her, drummed into her what they needed to do. Anna had spent the next two days scrubbing the house and had almost been caught by Grace when she turned up on her doorstep on the Monday wanting a cuppa and a sympathetic ear. Jesus. She had scared the life out of her.

‘I have to go,’ Douglas said.

‘When will I see you again?’

‘Soon. Who the hell’s that?’

Someone had knocked on the door. Not the tentative knock of a concerned neighbour, but a firm, double rap that smacked of authority.

Douglas ducked out of sight of the window, then motioned her to follow him and keep down. She slid off the sofa and crawled out into the hall. They hunkered at the bottom of the stairs, Douglas with his finger pressed against her lips. The house seemed to pulse with an unfamiliar energy.

‘Anna Foreman, can you open up, please? It’s the police.’

She froze, her heart crashing.

‘Shit,’ Douglas muttered.

‘Mrs Foreman? The hospital says you walked out. We just want to check you’re OK. There’s nothing to worry about.’

Anna waited, pressed into Douglas’s frame, his body heating her, their heartbeats in sync. The crackle of a police radio was audible.

‘She’s not here,’ the officer said. ‘Waste of time. We’ll come back in an hour.’

Another ten seconds and a car door clunked shut. As the car drove away, Anna released her breath.

Douglas unfolded his body and patted her on the shoulder. ‘This is not going to work. I shouldn’t have come here. I’m finishing this, Anna.’

Her blood stopped moving. ‘What do you mean, finishing?’

‘It’s too dangerous for us to be together. You can see that, can’t you?’

‘But you can’t walk away from me.’

‘Of course I can.’

‘I won’t let you.’ Her voice was urgent, frightened. Her head ached so much.

He looked down at her and frowned. ‘Don’t be silly. There’s nothing you can do.’