Marnie’s father had come good but who was she to judge her mother? She was no better, hiding away from Lucy’s school, staying in the shadows.

After a short while, Maya and Zoe emerged from the brightness of the service station, the nurse carrying a bag full of shopping. Maya was now eating a packet of cheese and onion crisps.

Zoe said ‘hello,’ to Marnie. ‘You heard the news about the park? Shocking, isn’t it?’ Her voice was tired. Maya paused, her fingers inside the crisp packet, and looked from Marnie’s face to her mother’s, trying to work out what was going on.

‘Poor Camille,’ said the nurse, ‘she doesn’t understand. We’ve tried to keep the worst of it from her but it’s hard with the sirens going up and down the road and the journalists… And on top of everything, the police were at the Big House earlier talking to Mr deV. He’s upset too, of course. Guy is on his way back from London.’

‘What’s happened?’ Maya asked.

Zoe ignored her daughter and continued: ‘Mr deV doesn’t want to tell Camille the truth but it’s heartbreaking to see her so upset. I think it would be better if she knew. God knows what’s going through her mind. Don’t you think we should tell her? At least then we wouldn’t have to keep making up stories. I swear she knows when she’s being lied to. I’ll have a word with Guy, when he arrives.’

The door to the service station swung open and Lucy emerged clutching a greasy bag and a bottle of lemonade.

‘The man in there said they found a dead body at the holiday park,’ she said. ‘He said it was a girl. Is it true? Who is it? Who’s died? Is it someone we know?’

Maya’s eyes widened dramatically. ‘Someone’s died?’

The nurse and Marnie exchanged glances.

‘The police think it’s a young woman who went missing a long time ago,’ said the nurse, ‘before either of you girls was born.’

‘She went missing? Didn’t people look for her?’

‘They looked, but they didn’t find her. The body had been hidden.’

‘Somebody hid her?’ asked Maya. ‘Who? Why? The person who killed her? Was she killed?’

‘We don’t know. Probably. The police will investigate.’

‘They’ll find out who did it and arrest them?’

‘Yes.’

‘Why didn’t they do that before?’

‘They didn’t know a crime had been committed. They didn’t have the body.’

Maya processed this information then looked at her mother again.

‘So whoever did it might still be in Severn Sands?’

‘It’s possible.’

‘It might be someone we know?’

‘Come on, Trouble,’ said the nurse. ‘We need to get back.’

‘But, Mum…’

‘We’ll talk about it later.’

12