And then she was born. How wondrous that moment was. I felt the Lord hold my hand that day. It was hard when Martin had to go back to work. When visitors stopped coming around. When Grace refused to settle, day or night. How she kept going on so little sleep, I do not know. But at fourteen weeks I found the strength to walk the long road ahead. My little girl was sick. I had to find out what was wrong. Again, Martin supported me, always by my side. Speaking to doctors, giving me the right advice, picking up her prescription drugs.

She will always be my little girl. It’s lonely, having nobody to talk to and Lord knows, Martin tries to understand. He suggested writing my thoughts down in order to make sense of them all. Maybe it will help. I hope it does. I’m scared for the future. I want to keep Grace by my side, safe and secure. But I see the frustration in her eyes. The flash of anger when she can’t be like the other kids. There are so many temptations outside these four walls. And I know that sometimes you doubt yourself as a parent, when all you’re trying to do is to keep your little girl safe. The thought of her ever leaving me makes my heart ache. I know that Martin shares my pain. Despite the time he spends away, he needs his family here, waiting for him. He told me last night that he couldn’t live without us, and I truly believe that.

Naomi jumped as the doorbell rang. It had to be John.

Flicking through the rest of the journal, she waited for Morgan to let him inside. Many of the pages were torn out. Others contained recipes, and the names of illnesses and their symptoms. Allergies, side effects. Details of drugs. Did Susan’s sister know about the presence of the journal when she put the house up for sale? He told me last night that he couldn’t live without us and I truly believe that. Were Susan’s words a premonition of what was to come? Quickly, Naomi’s hands flew to the last page of the diary as her thoughts bounced between past and present. If this solved the family’s disappearance . . . but the last entry was similar to the first. Susan worrying about her ability as a parent. Her determination to keep her daughter safe from the outside world. Sighing, Naomi slid it beneath her arm as a voice rose from below.

‘Permission to enter?’ John’s voice rang out. ‘The back door was open.’

Naomi frowned. The little minx hadn’t even let him in.

‘I’m up here!’ she cried out.

It was a ridiculous situation, and she had no clue how to handle her growing rift with Morgan. The maggots, the missing ladder. She was becoming unpredictable and dangerous – just like her mother.