Tara rubbed her chest. Conflicting emotions weighed her down; guilt, fear, and a selfish desire to dismiss her doubts and let the dead rest, whether that was in peace or otherwise. ‘I know you have,’ she said when they had taken their seats. ‘I’ve been checking Twitter.’

‘Have you seen the things people are saying about us? It’s getting ridiculous.’

‘I can agree with you there.’

Justine leant across the table and lowered her voice when she said, ‘I think one of us is going to have to have a word with Jodie. I know she’s only trying to defend the group, but she’s doing more harm than good.’

‘I was about to say the same to you. We agreed to release one statement, Justine. One,’ Tara repeated for emphasis. ‘You can’t become embroiled in arguments because people choose to believe all the rubbish being spread by the media. Too many lies have been spun already and it’s getting to the point where none of us can see the truth. You have to stop.’

Justine sat back and folded her arms, saying nothing as Michelle brought over their coffees.

‘I’m not certain,’ Tara continued when they were alone again, ‘but I think one of the people you’ve been arguing with is Erin’s husband. He’s on Twitter as Peters J.’

‘I know,’ Justine said, not looking directly at Tara.

‘Then you should also know that whatever we say can’t undo the harm Nick caused. It can only add to it,’ Tara said. ‘We used to be a good team, didn’t we?’

‘I thought we still were.’

Tara wanted to believe that too. ‘It’s painful to see our group being attacked and, depending what happens in court today, things are probably going to get worse before they get better,’ she said softly. ‘You were right about our members needing support. April’s struggling and she won’t be the only one. I imagine that’s why Jodie has been hitting out on social media.’

‘You think?’ replied Justine.

Tara stretched her back to loosen her shoulders. ‘If I’m honest, I was being selfish postponing the meeting. My heart isn’t in it like it used to be, but it was unfair of me not to consider everyone else’s needs. Maybe we should call a meeting soon.’

‘Without waiting for Faith?’

‘I have no idea what to do about Faith, I really don’t.’

‘Does that mean you’ve seen through her at last?’ asked Justine. Finally, she met Tara’s gaze. ‘I know we’re all supposed to feel sorry for her, but we can’t blame Nick for all the fractures in the group. It was never the same after she joined. You weren’t the same.’

Tara went to say something but found she couldn’t defend Faith as once she might. She couldn’t defend herself for that matter.