Picking it up, she unlocked it before quickly scrolling the notifications. Seeing a missed call from her mother, she ignored it, and tapped the email icon, certain there would be some news regarding Joshua. But to her surprise, there were just two new emails – a reminder about the upcoming Easter bank holiday from Sylvie who did their HR and a request from Elaine to submit her expenses before the end of the month.

She looked at her phone in disbelief, wondering if her inbox was working properly. Quickly, she sent a test email to herself. It arrived, pinging into her line of vision immediately. She should have been relieved. No news was good news, she reassured herself. Of course, it was. So why then did she feel such an intense sense of foreboding?

*

Claire woke the next day to the trill of her phone. Instantly awake, she thought it would be Chris and quickly grabbed her phone from her bedside table and slid her finger across the screen.

‘Chris!’ she said, in relief.

‘Claire?’

‘Yes?’ Claire was confused. This was a woman’s voice and it took her a few seconds to work out that it was Julia.

‘Sorry to call you so early,’ said Julia.

‘What time is it?’

‘Just gone six.’

Claire felt her stomach clench in suspense. ‘What is it?’ she asked.

‘I’m sorry, Claire, but Joshua is going to be arrested. Rose is sticking to her story.’

Claire felt herself crumple. She’d hoped that they would be able to get Rose to admit she’d made a mistake without it getting this far. Now he’d be in the system, interviewed, questioned, statements taken. It would all be on file. In court.

Oh God.

‘Claire, you still there?’

Claire lifted her head. ‘Yes, I’m still here. You believe her?’

‘To remember someone so late in the game, well it’s odd. But we’ve had her assessed for trauma and it’s possible that she blocked some of it out. The photo just triggered the memories. There’s also the matter that another witness has come forward,’ said Julia.

You didn’t answer my question.

‘A new witness? Who?’ asked Claire.

‘I’m sorry, you know I can’t tell you that. Even telling you this much… But once you get a lawyer everything will be disclosed then.’

Claire closed her eyes tightly. This couldn’t be happening.

‘I’m sorry, Claire,’ said Julia eventually. ‘You should also know that Rose will be getting new representation from another law firm, which is disappointing but no surprise really. We can’t continue to represent her with the conflict of interest. She’s hired Miller & Co.’

As Julia continued to talk, something about meeting the board again, getting a lawyer, Claire felt herself tune out. The only thing that mattered now was telling Chris.

‘I’ll call you in a day or two,’ finished Julia.

‘Yes,’ replied Claire not having heard a word.