‘I think so. As long as they don’t clash with the school run.’ Dee owns Row Your Boat – a busy café in South Street just up from the river. I’ve been waitressing there for the past five years, and Dee has become a good friend of mine. She and Matt have known each other since they were kids – even though Dee’s a little older than us. But all the while I’m talking to Matt, I can’t stop thinking about Bella. About Holly. About Kate, and if she might be the person who took my child. If she did take her then I should call the police. I’m desperate to race round to the station right now. But what if they don’t take me seriously? They’ve never had any luck finding my daughter before. Back when she was first taken, the police said they had leads, but then everything fizzled out to nothing. I need to get definite proof before I go to them. I can’t risk them dismissing my claims. And if they tip off Kate before getting enough evidence to arrest her, she could do a runner. Disappear with Holly again.

I can’t believe I’m actually planning some elaborate strategy in my head. Am I crazy to be thinking that Bella is Holly? Maybe I should be thinking more about why my reaction to the likeness is so strong. Why I’m so convinced…

‘You okay, Rach? You seem a bit… I dunno… distracted.’

‘Yes, I’m fine. Just trying to work out how many more hours I should do for Dee.’

‘Don’t do it if it’s going to stress you out. We can manage.’

‘No, it’s fine. I’m not stressing about it.’

‘Okay, if you’re sure.’

‘Definitely. Now the kids are at school all day, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t do a few more hours.’ I feel strange about not being able to confide in Matt. Normally we tell one another everything about our days – commiserating or congratulating, laughing or crying. But there’s this one big secret he doesn’t know about. And it’s always weighed heavily on me.

We met not long after Andy and I split up and I moved to Wareham. Jess and I had just moved into a flat, but the wiring was faulty and kept tripping the electrics. I couldn’t even put the kettle on without everything shorting out. After what I’d just been through, it was the last straw. I called my landlord and he sent an electrician to take a look – Matt.