‘I need to make a quick call first,’ she said and was dialling April’s number when Josh disappeared into the shop.

Her friend answered on the first ring. ‘Hi, Tara. Are you on your way?’ she asked.

‘I don’t think it’s a good idea either of us seeing Faith tonight,’ Tara said as she began pacing. ‘Oh, April, I’ve had the worst evening. Olivia’s here and Josh has just told me Nick wasn’t trying to steal any of the money he raised in Erin’s name. Josh made a false accusation because he was angry. But that doesn’t make sense. Faith definitely told you Nick admitted it, didn’t she?’

‘Yep.’

Tara frowned. She was trying to work out why April sounded so chirpy, but then she heard Faith’s voice in the background.

‘I hope Tara’s not bailing out again.’

‘Oh, God. Are you with her?’ Tara asked April.

‘Yep.’ Her voice was more of a squeak now.

‘Can you get out of there?’ Tara asked, but she already knew she couldn’t leave April to deal with this alone, not again. ‘Never mind. Hang in there and I’ll be there as soon as I possibly can. If we do this, we do it together.’

42

Tara’s arrival was taking longer than April would have liked and Faith was knocking back the G&Ts at an impressive rate. It was hard to know who Faith was anymore and, as she gave an account of her recent incarceration, April’s attention drifted over to the bookshelves. She was looking for some hint of her friend’s true identity, only to find a confusing collection of fiction and non-fiction titles. There were romance novels next to autobiographies, cookbooks rubbing shoulders with thrillers, and a wide selection of practical guides, including several on the subject of grief.

‘I’m sorry if I’m boring you,’ said Faith.

‘You’re not. I was just looking at your books.’

‘Many of them were Derek’s. I expect I’ll have to throw them all out if I move.’

‘I never looked back when I left my flat,’ said April.

‘Hardly a comparison,’ Faith replied. ‘I’ve fought so hard to stay here, but now that I have no tenant and no job, it’s going to be tough. I only agreed to redundancy because I thought I was going into business with Nick.’

‘The papers said the redundancy was compulsory.’