‘No, but we’ll have the moon to guide us. It’ll be fine, I promise.’ But the lie tasted as sour on her tongue as the urine and the stale vomit tanging the air. ‘Let’s go and sit in the corner. We’ll hear them if they come back in and we can hide again.’

They huddled against the wall and played ‘I spy’ to pass the time. Nerves bit at Carly’s stomach. They’d almost covered every object in the room when Carly became stuck on Leah’s ‘something beginning with S.’

‘Sick.’ Marie pointed to the front of her shirt.

‘Nope,’ said Leah.

‘I give up,’ Carly said.

‘If you do you’re the loser.’ Leah made an L shape on her forehead.

‘What was it?’ asked Carly.

‘It was chandelier.’

‘That begins with a C,’ Marie said.

‘Doesn’t.’

‘Does too. It’s a ch like chef.’

‘Don’t believe you. It’s my turn again.’

‘It’s no one’s turn,’ Carly said. It was too gloomy to see. ‘It’s time to leave.’

The girls hands instinctively sought out each other’s. They crossed the room, retracing their steps to the entrance. They stood in the open doorway, rain pelting against them. It was blacker than Carly had thought, the moon barely visible behind the clouds.

‘Ready?’ she asked but it didn’t matter whether they were or not.

They didn’t have a choice but to step out into the unknown.

Chapter Thirty-One

Leah

Now

George and I glare at each other. He wants Archie to go on the nursery trip as planned and I am adamant he can’t.

‘Please, Mummy. Please.’

‘Leah,’ George’s voice a warning.

‘No.’ I turn away so he can’t see my tears. The one-day letter crinkles in my dressing-gown pocket. I haven’t even opened it.

‘You can’t stop him going because of… last night.’ George’s voice drips exasperation. He thinks it’s the beetles that are stopping me taking Archie to nursery, when in fact it is the man who had put them there.

‘But I want to go, Mummy.’ Archie slams his beaker on the table. ‘We’re going on a minibus and I wanted cheese dippers for my packed lunch.’ The proposed outing to the nature reserve to gather things for an autumn table has been the source of much excitement.

‘You could go on the trip with him?’ I offer George a compromise. I don’t want to let Archie out of my sight but I know how disappointed he is. The outing had originally been diarised for a couple of Fridays ago but due to staff illness had been rescheduled for today. I’d hoped that, now it was taking place on a weekend, George would be free.

‘I’ve got to work.’

‘It’s Saturday,’ I hiss.

‘All the more reason for Archie to get out and have some fun.’

‘One more day,’ I say to George. ‘Why can’t you give me one more day and then it will all be over…’

‘Until next time,’ he snaps. ‘I have to know you’re capable of looking after Archie, Leah—’