She rattled off the address, a little embarrassed, but mostly relieved when he told her to sit tight and keep the doors locked, that he was on his way.

‘Do you want me to stay on the phone with you?’

‘No, I’ll be okay. I’ll see you in a bit.’

She ended the call, wondering if this could be chalked down to her paranoia. Although she wanted to believe that, her gut told her she wasn’t overreacting.

A noise at the front door had her looking up, and she watched the handle moving up and down as whoever was on the other side tried to gain entry.

Okay, it was locked, but how tough would it be to break down if someone wanted in badly enough?

Not waiting to find out, Hannah ran back up the stairs and locked herself in the bathroom. She pulled her phone out and with trembling fingers called 999.

32

After speaking with Hannah, Lauren called Tash, explaining the situation with Jill and her plan of action. Tash took the news in her usual matter of fact way and Lauren was pleased she had left Rosie the basket case for Hannah to talk to.

She liked her other friends fine, but couldn’t deal with Rosie and her meltdowns, so these days tended to avoid her. She had successfully managed to do so now for the past four years. Yes, Rosie had suffered worse than the rest of them, but she could be so melodramatic. Lauren would never say it out loud to the others, but she sometimes felt her old friend needed a good slap.

Nipping outside for a cigarette, she messaged her private investigator, asking if there was any update, aware she had only hired him a couple of days ago and not wanting to seem too pushy, but conscious that she needed answers fast.

Noah Keen had come highly recommended by Lauren’s boss and she understood why, impressed when he called her back fifteen minutes after she chased him.

‘I’ve been following up on Bill Wickham,’ he told her. ‘He’s told the police he doesn’t know where his mother is, but I don’t buy that. Everything suggests he dotes on Eileen. He had been visiting her regularly in prison and was there to pick her up when she was released. His name is also on the tenancy agreement of the house she was living in.’

‘Do you know where he is?’

‘He works away. Not easy to track down, as he flits between jobs, but I’ve spoken with his most recent employer, who happens to be up on the North Norfolk coast. Bill was staying in a caravan during the week.’

‘You think he is responsible for harassing my friends?’