Claire drove the ten miles, thinking only of what she would say when she saw Rose. Every so often she checked her rear-view mirror, but it was dark and the only thing she could see were beams of headlights. As she pulled off the main road, and into a side street, she didn’t notice the car behind. She turned left, then right, right again, and then a final right before stopping on a nondescript, quiet residential street.

Slowly driving along the road, she found number 61 and parked just before it, not wanting to draw attention to herself. The terraced houses looked small but each one rose at least three floors and most likely had a basement too. There were small gardens at the front and a quick glance through the windshield told Claire that number 61 was overgrown. A gravel path ran up to the front door, splitting the paved terrace in two, which housed a few shrubs and dead flowerbeds.

Now she was here, she hesitated. She caught herself in the mirror and stared back, shocked. Her earlier crying had caused her mascara to leave a trail of shadow under her eyes and her hair was wild around her face. She quickly got a tissue from her bag and wiped the residue away, and then pulled a comb through her hair. Taking a breath, she stepped out of the car and walked up the path, unaware of the eyes watching her from a car parked further down the street.

*

The house was divided into flats and Claire rang the buzzer for 61A, the noise sharp against the darkness of the house. She didn’t see any lights come on, nor hear footsteps in the hallway. The house remained silent and closed off. Without thinking, she placed her hand on the door handle, and was about to move it when she heard a rustle behind her. She whirled around and saw on the pavement outside the house a man of about sixty with a Jack Russell who was scrabbling in the leaves.

She removed her hand guiltily, hoping he hadn’t seen her. Claire watched him walk away before checking her surroundings again. She tried the handle, but it was locked. Disappointed, Claire turned back towards her car. There was nothing left to do except go home.

38

Paul cursed under his breath. Despite the month of March promising the early signs of spring, his feet were like ice. He had broken his golden rule of avoiding Castlefield unless absolutely necessary but the desire to see her had been overwhelming. She hadn’t updated social media in days and he felt desperate.