His finger hovered over the Off key, undecided, but as he looked at the fraught expression on his sister’s face, he decided to do as she asked. They’d all been through a lot, and now she wanted his attention, he would be all ears.

‘Sorry, Rebecca, what were you saying? Something about Alastair, wasn’t it?’

‘Alastair’s gone missing. He won’t answer his phone, and Lance was here—’

‘Lance? What the hell for?’

Rebecca knew that her brother had every reason for being sceptical of Lance, but he’d never divulged his concerns to her. She knew it was to do with work.

‘He wanted to know where Alastair and Poppy were.’

Conrad’s eyes narrowed. ‘What the blazes has Alastair or Poppy got to do with him?’

‘Well . . . he—’

She was on the point of replying when the sound of car doors slamming and a loud bang at the door interrupted her.

‘What the hell’s going on?’ asked Conrad, as he stepped down from the bar stool.

‘Police! Open up!’ came a deep voice.

Conrad and Rebecca both gazed at each other, totally dumbfounded.

As Conrad headed for the door, Rebecca was hard on his heels. However, on opening it, he gasped in utter shock. Two policemen, one with paperwork in his hand, looked grimly at Rebecca and Conrad. But that wasn’t the issue. It was the sea of reporters, microphones, and TV cameras behind them, ready to make the most of this heaven-sent opportunity to claim the scalp of the local MP.

‘Sorry, sir. Would you step aside? We’ve a warrant to enter these premises and to arrest Mrs Rebecca Mullins for failing to stop and report an accident.’

‘What? Don’t be so ridiculous.’

‘Sir, her neighbour across the road has presented us with his camera footage of Mrs Mullins knocking down a young woman in this road a few days ago and driving away without stopping.’

Conrad turned to face his sister. ‘What the hell are they talking about?’

She didn’t have a chance to answer before a reporter started snapping away. ‘Is it true, Mrs Mullins, you drove away from the scene of an accident? Were you drinking that evening? Do you know who you knocked down?’

The barrage of questions left Rebecca speechless.

The officer held up his warrant. ‘We need to look at your car, madam.’

‘Rebecca, is this true?’

His sister’s face was whiter than white, and the look in her eyes said it all.

‘Jesus, what the hell have you bloody done?’

Before Rebecca could answer, a car came tearing along the road and stopped next to the police vehicles. It was Lowry. He was out of breath and flapping. ‘Sir, I’ve been trying to call you.’

Conrad’s expression of disgust at his sister’s incompetence was written all over his face, and he shook his head. ‘You stupid, stupid woman.’ He looked at the officer. ‘Was the woman killed?’