I needed to talk to her – alone. For Ruby’s sake too.

I needed Ruby in my life, I knew that: right now, I needed her.

‘Hurry up,’ Rex muttered. ‘I want to get inside. It’s cold.’

I didn’t look back to see if Fin was still there.

Ruby

WEDNESDAY 4 OCTOBER

In bed on Tuesday night, unable to sleep, the idea of trying to talk to Marcus dawned on me. Of appealing to him to talk to Willow again, to find out more details about what really happened.

But, pummelling my pillow into shape, I supposed it was unlikely he’d see me alone. And anyway it was hard to forget my shame on Saturday night as I left their house. After he’d shut the door in my face.

Still, on Wednesday morning, I woke Zach, dragged him out of bed, cooked him eggs. I’d rung Diane and asked her to open the shop as I set Zach up with some maths I’d found on his online homework portal. Contacting the school was just one thing on my growing to-do list, but it could wait.

I popped next door and asked Mrs Goodrich to sit in my living room until I got back. ‘Zach’s poorly, but he’ll stay in his room,’ I told her. ‘If he goes out, can you ring me straight away?’

I told Zach that Mrs Goodrich had no heating and was waiting for the plumber in our flat.

‘Poor old lady. Now, promise me you won’t do anything daft if I pop out?’ Still, I was terrified to leave him. ‘I just need to do some quick errands.’

‘I promise, Mum,’ he sighed.

‘I won’t be long.’ I kissed him, waved at Mrs Goodrich, already enthralled by This Morning, and then I headed to the house that had struck the fear of God in me when I first saw it.

That struck far more fear into me now.

Of course, it wasn’t Marcus who answered the door.

It was the boy, Beau.

‘Hello,’ he said. ‘You’re Zach’s mother.’

‘Yes,’ I agreed.

‘You didn’t eat the mackerel.’

‘Oh.’ I was surprised. ‘No, you’re right.’

‘Zach’s in trouble.’

‘Yes,’ I agreed again, but I felt the bolt of lightning through my chest.

‘He was sick because Willow gave him something.’

God. Finally, an admission about the hash brownies – and yet far too late; far too irrelevant now.

‘In the woods? Well, he wasn’t sick exactly.’

‘He was sick. I saw him, up there.’ The boy pointed upwards.

‘What – here? Zach was sick in your house?’

Beau nodded slowly. ‘Yes, in the bathroom, last weekend.’

‘Sorry – when?’

‘On Sunday, at 4.32 a.m.,’ the boy said in his clear little voice. ‘In the night that was almost morning.’

My mind was working fast now. ‘And then what happened?’

‘Willow got him. She was wearing a baby dress, and when he stopped being sick, she took him to her bedroom.’

Nella appeared behind the boy. ‘Ruby, I’m not sure you should be here, should you? Go inside, please, Beau.’