Marnie was looking at Camille deVillars. She was watching the old woman’s hands. Mrs deVillars didn’t look at her husband. She held Marnie’s eyes.

She signed: It was Edward.

Edward was Alice’s father?

Mrs deVillars gave a small nod, and signed something else, panicky now, her hands rushing, tripping over themselves.

He said he’d gone fishing the evening she disappeared but his rod was in the boot room all night.

The evening Alice disappeared?

I knew he was lying so I went to her caravan the next morning and she wasn’t there.

He killed her?

‘Camille, what are you doing, darling?’ asked Mr deVillars, stepping forward, approaching his wife. Marnie didn’t take her eyes off Mrs deVillars’ hands.

He was responsible for your mother’s death and he killed Alice too. He will kill me next, she signed, and then he’ll blame me for Alice.

63

John Morahan came back into the boot room.

‘That was Mr deV,’ he said.

‘Does he know I’m here.’

‘I didn’t mention it.’

‘What did he say?’

‘Nothing. I tried to explain but he was anxious to get back to his wife. How’s the patient doing?’

Will washed warm water over the dog’s back. He could see the shape of its spine through the blue-grey pelt.

‘I think it looks a bit better.’

John came round to get a better view.

‘I reckon you’re right. She’s a girl. Pretty little thing.’

‘Do you think she’ll make it?’

‘If she doesn’t, it won’t be through lack of trying. Is she warming up?’

‘A bit.’

John ran his hands over the dog. ‘She’s definitely better than she was. Breathing stronger too. Bring her over to the heater. We need to persuade her to drink something, to warm her up from the inside.’

Will reached down into the sink and lifted the dog out, soaking himself again as he did so. He placed her carefully into the nest of towels John had made and wrapped her up, so that only her snout and her eyes peeped from a hood made of towels. She looked at Will and he felt as if she was looking right into his soul.

I almost let her drown, he thought and swallowed back his shame.

‘Bring some warm water and a spoon and let’s see if she’ll take it,’ said John.

‘This is like the old days, John,’ said Will. ‘You telling me what to do.’

‘Ha,’ said John. ‘Someone bloody needs to.’

64

Mr deVillars turned to Marnie. The benevolent-old-man mask had slipped. His expression was angry, his posture threatening.

‘What was she saying? What was she signing?’

‘Nothing,’ said Zoe. ‘She moves her hands like that all the time. It doesn’t mean anything.’

Mr deVillars’ eyes studied the faces of the three women in the room and settled on Marnie. Marnie was used to making herself unreadable and gave nothing away.