The blame, he knew, could be attributed to his treatment of both women. Even as he nodded, the same small thought surfaced again. The one that reminded him that Caroline had wished ill on Ailsa, just as she’d wished ill on Joanne.

But wishing ill wasn’t the same as doing it.

And yet . . . and yet, she’d admitted she would have told Richard of Joanne’s whereabouts even had she known that he would be violent towards her. Because she hated Joanne, just as she’d hated Ailsa, because they had, in her words, taken him away from her.

The truth was he’d never been ‘hers’ in the first place. Just as Joanne didn’t belong either to him or to Richard.

Kath was waiting for his answer, so he gave it.

‘I’ll do whatever I can.’

‘Right, now tell me, have you heard anything from Joanne?’

He shook his head. ‘I keep an eye on her Maya Villan blog. She’s written about the virus and the wildfire, but nothing about Ailsa.’

‘Well, that story’s not yet complete,’ Kath said, reminding him of something he’d said to Joanne earlier in their story.

‘She’s also pursuing Richard and getting a lot of support from other women who have stories about him too.’

‘Good for her,’ Kath said.

‘How’s Finn?’

‘Caroline worries more about him than herself. She blames herself for getting him involved.’ She fell silent for a moment. ‘We all do stupid things in the horror of the moment. Things we ultimately regret. That doesn’t make us bad people. Just flawed ones.’

She continued. ‘You’ll have to forgive yourself some time, you know. Just like we all will. We imagine somehow we’ll see the bad things that are headed our way. The bad things and the good. So we can prepare for the bad and take time to enjoy the good – but, sadly, we rarely do.

‘You and Caroline weren’t meant for each other. You and Joanne are, despite the circumstances. My advice is to stand up in court and say your piece to help Caroline. Then get on with your life and make sure Joanne is a part of it.’

Greg

He’d read up on everything he could find that might have a bearing on the trial. What he couldn’t find online, he’d questioned Caroline’s defence lawyer about.

However, none of what he’d learned prepared him for what was to follow. In particular when he spotted Ailsa’s traumatized parents sitting in the gallery.

He spent every day in court, listening to the evidence, until he too was called to give his version of the events of that fateful night. That, and his relationship with both the victim and the accused.

It was a sorry tale, although he felt relieved to at last tell the full truth of what he could remember.