I will get what I need out of you. Somehow.

Lauren wondered at this monomaniacal purpose which had taken hold of her. She liked it, and suddenly she thought maybe teaching wasn’t for her; she thought about being a police officer. It was a random funny sort of thought, as she’d never considered it before. Could she do it one day?

“I can’t help him.”

“Why not?”

Markus stared at her blankly. “Why do you think?”

“I’m not asking you to do anything. Just tell me what you said. Fiona said she backed off like that.” Lauren snapped her fingers. “Why? How?”

“You don’t know her,” Markus said, rubbing one hand over the other. “Not like I do. I won’t even let Polly see her real mum. I never will.”

“See her how, Markus?”

Lauren’s heart was thumping in a pleasant way. She wanted to help this man. But she needed him to help her far more. Scott was either an innocent man, and so deserved help; or he was guilty as fuck and deserved everything he was getting. But Lauren had to be sure.

“If I tell you anything…”

Lauren swallowed. She felt a little sick; the pleasantness was rapidly fading. “You can’t live your entire life scared of her. And you shouldn’t feel right, Markus, knowing another man’s out there, getting beaten up and God knows what else, when you could help.”

He was staring at the floor sullenly, and Lauren wondered if it was too far. She said it anyway. “Is that the sort of example you want to set for Polly?”

“You don’t know what you’re saying,” Markus said bitterly. “You have no bloody clue. Not a single one.”

“Give me one then,” Lauren said.

“You’re going to be sorry.” He laughed harshly as he strode around the coffee table and leaned down. He opened the drawer and brought out a small lockbox. Looking at her, he nodded. “I need you to turn around.”

“Really?”

He nodded.

“All right. Fine.”

She stood, facing the window: the voile made the passing dog walker into two silhouettes. When she heard movement behind her, she slowly peered over her shoulder. Markus had his back turned: another drawer, this one in the display cabinet.

He turned; Lauren snapped her head around.

Markus dropped the lockbox on the table. “We were burgled a few years ago. I installed security cameras out front and back. I didn’t tell Casey, so either she didn’t know or she didn’t care.”

“What did she do?”

“I need to get my laptop. It’s just in the hall.”

He stared at her as if to say don’t steal the lockbox. Walking quickly, he strode through the door. Lauren’s hand actually twitched, as if telling her to grab it, whatever it was. It was the whole reason she was here.

But then he was back. He sat and opened the lockbox, bringing out a portable hard drive. “I can’t explain it. I can’t even think about it. But I can show you.