Naomi cradled her coffee mug in one hand. ‘I’d agree if she hadn’t changed her expression so quickly to cover it up. Lloyd and Joanne are connected to all of this. I know they are.’

‘You could have a point,’ Morgan said. ‘But Lloyd has guns. We should be careful around him.’

‘He’s got guns?’ Naomi echoed her stepdaughter’s words. ‘How do you know?’

‘Dawn told me when we went for a milkshake. She’s not as sweetness and light as you think.’

‘What sort of guns?’ Naomi wondered if it was something she could report.

‘They’re for hunting. She said lots of the locals have guns. He carries a pistol for shooting injured deer, too. I’ve heard shots before. It was probably him. He gives me the heebie-jeebies.’

‘Me too,’ Naomi said. ‘So, don’t mention any of this to Dawn. Don’t tell anyone in the village, for that matter. I don’t trust any of them.’

But Morgan just laughed at the suggestion of her spilling the beans. ‘Like I’m going to stroll into Joanne’s coffee shop and say, “Hey, my stepmum thinks your husband’s a paedo and you’re all in on it.”’

It was said in such a theatrical manner, Naomi’s lips curled in a smile. ‘All right, smart arse. You know what I mean. Don’t let them know we’re on to them.’

Morgan’s gaze was focused on the screen. ‘But even if he was up to no good, why would the whole family disappear? Surely he’d be the one to take the flak. I mean, especially if Joanne knows.’

‘Or maybe she got rid of the problem.’ Naomi sighed. ‘I dunno. I shouldn’t be telling you all this stuff. To think he was in our house. I wonder if he was armed then.’

He shouldn’t have been, Naomi thought. At that hour of the night, in uniform, it wouldn’t be acceptable, surely? She might not have squared up to him, had she known. It scared her, how dangerous this situation had become. She would look into changing the locks and speak to Ed about returning to London when he got home. But first, she would speak to Petunia. She couldn’t leave without satisfying the question that burned at the back of her mind – where were the Harpers?

‘Do you think Dad will get back today?’ Morgan approached the window, which was crusted with snow. It would have looked quite pretty, had the cottage not been tainted with malice. As big as their dump of snow had been, news reports stated that Scotland had it far worse.

‘I hope so.’ Naomi yawned. ‘He’s doing the best he can.’