He laughed, then looked into her eyes sincerely. ‘I would never cheat on you, Ab. You know why?’

‘Because I’m a dreamboat?’

‘No, because this island has a very limited pool of eligible women.’

‘Shut up.’

‘I love you.’

‘I love you too,’ she said.

He pecked her on the cheek, then rolled over to switch off the bedside lamp. Within minutes, he was snoring.

For reasons she wouldn’t understand until much later, Abby tossed and turned for most of the night, slipping in and out of sleep like a boat through rough seas.

7

THE WIDOW

Kate didn’t know how long she’d be staying in Belport. She had made up her mind that, for whatever reason, John was staying in their holiday house on the island. He had tripped the house alarm – again, for whatever reason – and all she had to do was go and bring him back. Simple. It didn’t matter that the alarm company sent a security car to check the place out and found nothing. John would be there. She would drag him home and they would worry about the shattered remains of their marriage later.

Unfortunately, Kate wasn’t an idiot. She knew it wouldn’t be so easy. She might need to spend a night or two on the island, so she packed as if she were heading off to spend six months in Europe. Zipped up inside the suitcase she was now dragging out to the car were six bras (strapless, sports and push-up among them), two winter parkas, three pairs of jeans, one dress, three pairs of shoes (she had to remove a fourth pair to get the suitcase shut) and, most bizarrely, a swimsuit. It seemed she couldn’t even pack a suitcase anymore.

Since John’s disappearance, such simple things had become near impossible. Preparing meals, for example, now seemed like a bizarre foreign custom, needlessly complicated. She had attempted to cook noodles for Mia the previous night and quickly found herself lost in a sea of utensils. She had eventually folded to her knees on the kitchen floor, called for pizza and cried until it arrived.

Mia, who’d be spending the next few days at her grandparents’ house, had packed far more sensibly. Everything she needed was slotted into her pink backpack. Mia hadn’t insisted on coming to the island, to Kate’s relief. No doubt her daughter wanted to come, but in a wise, old-soul sort of way, she’d known better than to ask.

They bundled into the Lexus and Kate started the engine.

‘You sure you don’t need to pee before we go?’

It was only a short drive to Pam and Fisher’s place, but Mia had a habit of suddenly discovering she needed the bathroom seconds after the electronic gate clicked shut behind them.

Mia looked down at her bladder as if consulting it, then shook her head. ‘I’m alright.’