He shakes his head. ‘When I got to your room she was already in there with you. She’d waited until my mum and the others had gone, and you were on your own.’

I nod slowly before getting up and walking away. ‘I just don’t believe this. It can’t be true. It isn’t true. It’s mad. It’s not happening. I’m drunk, or dreaming, that’s all this is.’ I chew the inside of my mouth and rub at my arms, feeling like a crazy person.

Toby follows my erratic pacing around the room. ‘Zoe, I know it’s a lot to take in. Why don’t you come and sit down?’ He gestures back to the table and chairs and tries to put an arm around me, but I shake him off and whirl around with a glare.

‘If all this happened like you say it did, why don’t I remember any of it?!’

Twenty-Five

THEN

This woodchip wallpaper is an absolute nightmare to strip. If I’d known what a hideous job it was going to be, I might have taken Toby up on his offer to do it on his day off. But he works so hard and most of his spare time is taken up with running for town council. So I’m happy to make a start on decorating the baby’s room. Annoyingly, instead of loosening the wallpaper, this handheld steamer is reducing the woodchip to a gloopy, porridgy mess that has to be painstakingly peeled from the walls with a palette knife. I’m hot and tired and bored, so when my phone rings, I welcome the distraction.

The number isn’t one I recognise, but right now I’ll take a cold call over woodchip removal, hands down. I turn off the steamer, wipe my hands on my dungarees and snatch up my mobile before it goes to voicemail.

‘Hello?’

‘Hello, is that Zoe Johnson?’

‘Yes, speaking.’

‘Hi, this is Police Constable Alfie Graham. We spoke a couple of months ago about your sister, Dina Williams.’

‘Oh, yeah, hi.’ I remember talking to him at the station. Celia and I joked afterwards about how he didn’t look old enough to be a police officer, with his smooth skin, pale blond hair, and wide-eyed concern. Despite his looks, he seemed capable enough.

‘We’ve got some follow-up news for you. Is it okay if we call round?’

‘To my house?’

‘Yes, if that’s okay? Or you can come to the station if you prefer.’

‘No, that’s fine. You can come here. Have you got the address?’

‘Yes.’

‘Did you find Dina? Is she okay?’

‘There’s nothing to worry about. We’re just up the road from you, so we’ll be with you in a couple of minutes.’

‘Okay, see you soon.’