We follow him into his office, and I spend the next few minutes describing how she looked this morning – her clothing and hair, and also the man she was with. And that’s it. That’s all we can do for now. Celia and I get up to leave.

It hurts to think that my sister may be back in town but hasn’t contacted me. Okay, so we weren’t exactly close, and we didn’t part on the best of terms, but that was all years ago. I’d have thought she would at least have wanted to speak to Dad, if not to me. I just have to hope that the police have better luck locating her than I did. And if they do, I pray that Dina isn’t in the same vindictive mood as when we last spoke.

Ten

THEN

I’m twenty minutes early for my appointment so I sit in the busy waiting room, pick up a gossip magazine and start leafing through it absent-mindedly. It’s two years out of date and I haven’t heard of a single person in it, so I give up and replace it on the end table, deciding to stare out the window instead. A flock of sparrows lands on the frost-tipped hedge, hopping from leaf to leaf. They stay for a good long while until, as one, they rise up and move on to their next destination. Did they just decide to move on, or did something startle them?

Yesterday, Toby and I returned from a two-week honeymoon in Lanzarote. Our hotel was set right on the beach and the weather was glorious. The complete opposite to a freezing Dorset winter. But, despite the weather, it feels good to be back in Shaftesbury. I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my life here with Toby. That is if I can shake this damned fuzzy headache I’ve had ever since we got married.

The wedding reception flashed by in a blur. Toby was a dream husband, staying by my side and making sure I was happy. Celia and Malcom were the perfect in-laws, dealing with everything at the venue and checking that I was okay after my fainting episode. I danced with Toby and with my friends. I managed to avoid my ex-friend Cassie, apart from a fake hug. And thankfully my bridesmaids didn’t kill one another. Even so, I was relieved when the day was over, and Toby and I could finally be alone in our hotel room. My headache had reached epic proportions by that time, but I took some more painkillers, and I lied, telling Toby I was fine. No sense in ruining both our days.