Arguing against herself was just wasting time. She shoved the test back in its plain delivery box and stuffed it in the waste bin, dumping the toiletries she wouldn’t bother taking with her on top.

As she carried her case to the Land Rover, she spotted a car heading up the Beanach track. Recognizing it as Caroline’s, she covered the pink suitcase with her jacket and went back inside the house. Despite having made her decision, she would not give Caroline the pleasure of knowing what that decision was.

Joanne

Was this the real Caroline? The one Greg had fallen in love with? The one he’d almost had a baby with?

She’d apologized for turning up like this without warning, but she’d just come back from Inverness, and . . .

She’d stumbled at that point, trying to choose the words to explain.

‘I was wrong before for giving you the impression that I would withdraw my alibi for Greg. I didn’t intend doing that.’ She halted there, and the distress on her face made Joanne uneasy.

‘At first I confirmed my story of that night to the police even though it wasn’t the whole truth.’

Joanne wanted the whole truth, now more than ever, but she didn’t want to blurt that out, fearing that Caroline might change her mind.

‘It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t covered for him . . .’ Caroline stopped there.

Although looking straight at Joanne, her eyes were reliving some action or vision from the past which horrified her.

They had moved into the kitchen and were sitting at the table as before, although no tea had been offered, because Caroline had immediately launched into her story.

‘What is it?’ Joanne said, reaching to cover Caroline’s trembling hand with her own.

Caroline gathered herself. ‘When I gave the police my statement, they told me they had evidence to prove Greg raped Ailsa that night. They found his semen on her clothes. That’s why they arrested him.’ Her expression was a mix of puzzlement and horror. ‘And I had protected him. All this time I believed him when he said Ailsa was chasing him. Not that he was stalking her.

‘He has a temper. If he doesn’t get what he wants, he can get really angry.’ She looked up at Joanne. ‘Have you seen that yet? How he goes from funny kind guy to someone frightening?’

Joanne had, but didn’t confirm it.

‘Malcolm and Kath haven’t seen that side of him. Wouldn’t believe it if you told them. If you refuse Greg what he wants, he just takes it anyway.’

There were images being conjured by Caroline’s words that Joanne wasn’t comfortable with. Scenes with Greg that might well fit her story.

‘Once he has you where he wants you, that’s when things change. Maybe you two aren’t there yet?’