Ricky nodded eagerly, wondering where this conversation was going. ‘Yeah, he did. Why do ya ask?’

Sidestepping his question, she went on, ‘Do you remember anything about him, anything at all?’

‘No, I don’t, but why are ya asking?’

Poppy gave him a thoughtful look and lowered the excitement in her voice. ‘Oh, I dunno, I’m just eager to find out who killed my sister, I guess.’

Ricky looked at the hospital gown and bathrobe. ‘None of ya family know you’re here, do they?’

She looked down at the paper-thin garments. ‘No.’ She forced a laugh.

‘You don’t look like Kendall.’

Poppy shook her head and then looked Ricky over; he was handsome in a boyish way. She could see why her sister had found him attractive. His eyes crinkled at the sides, and when he smiled, a dimple appeared in his cheeks.

‘Kendall was my half-sister. She had a different father. We called her “the rebel”, but I admired her, really. She had gumption and a mind of her own.’

Ricky tilted his head to the side and smiled gently. ‘She was sweet and funny.’

Poppy frowned. ‘Sweet? Funny? I don’t know about that, but she was strong-willed and took no shit.’

‘She never said she had a sister. Well, she never spoke about her family at all, to be honest.’

Poppy felt a tear welling up; she hadn’t had time to grieve. But she held it back. ‘I’m not surprised, really. She hated Mother. And she wasn’t close to either me or my twin sister. I just wished she’d escaped to a better life, a longer life.’

Ricky’s mind wandered off to his own recent experiences. He knew how lucky he was to be alive and effectively to start his life anew. Then something she’d just said alerted him. ‘Escaped? From what?’ he questioned.

Poppy shook her head and let out a long sigh, her eyes on the door. ‘Look, she and my mother didn’t get on. She was so unhappy. I think it’s because Mother made her live with us. Kendall always assumed that my sister and I had it easy, but we never did. In fact, we’ve had it hard, but not in the way most people struggle. From an early age, we were controlled . . . Look, I think I should go back to the ward.’ She averted her eyes from the door and then looked back to him, wondering if she’d said too much. After all, she didn’t even know Ricky.

He smiled again. ‘I’ll walk you back.’

The soft glow in his silver-grey eyes made her look twice this time; he really was good-looking, although she wasn’t one for handsome men. Unexpectedly, she had the urge to know more about Ricky and Kendall’s relationship, perhaps as a way of understanding more about her sister before she was killed.