Jane Lawrence had been as shocked and horrified as the other parents when they had learnt about Mrs W, but as the years rolled by, she had never been able to understand why Hannah couldn’t simply put everything behind her. It was over. Mrs W had gone to prison. It was time to start living her life again.

And, to an extent, Hannah agreed. But that life couldn’t be in Hixton, and even though she was trying her best to enjoy the new one she had built for herself, she had no control over the nightmares or the panic attacks that occasionally happened when she did return home.

Moments after the call ended, a WhatsApp came through. Hannah left it unread for now, knowing her mum would see if she read it. She would reply, but later.

She slipped her phone back into her pocket and whistled to the dogs, attaching leashes before rewarding all three with a treat. As they walked towards the woods, she considered the rest of her week and the other pets she had scheduled. She only had her regulars lined up, and she was feeding Tango and Cash, a couple of senior cats, while their owner was away on a work trip. She needed to start trying to pull in some new business. Maybe it was time to do another leaflet drop.

She was considering that as she walked deeper into the wood when her ringtone started playing, the harsh sound cutting through the silence and startling her.

She pulled her phone from her pocket, surprised to see Lauren Bell’s name appear on her screen. Although they had spoken on WhatsApp, she hadn’t had a physical conversation with Lauren in a couple of years. Was there an update on Jill?

‘They don’t think she was alone,’ Lauren was quick to tell Hannah, not bothering to return her hello. It was as if they had already been mid-conversation, not speaking for the first time in forever.

That was Lauren all over, Hannah remembered. The pair of them had been friends since they were six years old and Lauren had never been one for pleasantries, always cutting straight to the point.

‘Who wasn’t? Jill?’ Hannah asked. She was perhaps stating the obvious, but Lauren hadn’t said, so she wasn’t certain.

‘Yes,’ Lauren told her impatiently. ‘I went to see Adrian on Saturday, offer my condolences. Jill’s stepmother and stepbrother were there too. I’ve never met him before. Anyway, we were all talking and Adrian told us the police are saying it’s possible she was pushed.’

That wasn’t good. ‘Do they have any suspects?’

Thoughts of Mrs W and Bill raced through Hannah’s mind. Would they have travelled down to Croydon to get to Jill? And if they had, why hadn’t they targeted Lauren too? Sevenoaks was less than an hour away.

‘No, not yet.’