‘Are you still letting those other women visit?’

Mia shook her head. ‘I only saw Laura twice.’

Laura had visited near the beginning, and Mia had been grateful for the chance to talk about what had happened that night. To tell her again how indebted she was for Laura’s silence during those first few days of questioning.

She’d also thought Laura had come because she’d wanted to hear Mia explain again how she’d never been out to get her. There was something so fragile about the woman, whom Mia had always been led to believe was so strong.

After two visits it was clear they had little left to talk about.

‘And what about Janie Wood?’ her mum asked.

‘I’ve seen her a few times,’ she admitted. ‘The barrister she put me in touch with is amazing. Are you still okay – you know, you’re still getting the payments?’ Mia asked.

Her mum nodded. ‘It isn’t right though, her paying us.’

‘She wants to. And while she does, take the money, Mum. You know you need it, and they don’t.’

‘That doesn’t matter,’ her mother laughed. ‘It doesn’t make a difference if they need it or not. She shouldn’t be paying us, especially not after what happened to her husband.’

‘Mum,’ Mia urged, ‘Janie wants to do this; and it’s for Jess, for her to get help. It’s only for a few months, so please, promise me you’ll use it.’

Mia had been grateful for Janie’s money and contacts, though she couldn’t deny she’d been playing on the woman’s guilt. Janie’s reaction to realising who Mia was had been superseded by everything else that unfurled the night of the fire, but it had become clear during later visits how heavily her part in Jess’s demise weighed on her. The impact of her job was suddenly all too clear to her.

It wasn’t until the third visit that Janie admitted to Mia that Miles had done the same thing to her best friend, and Mia wondered if they would have been in the same position if that hadn’t happened. If Janie had learned that Mia had been trying to exact revenge on her one night while her husband’s offices were burning to the ground, would she have been so supportive if she didn’t have Sophie preying on her conscience? Mia honestly didn’t know.

Janie had wanted to know why Mia had been watching her. ‘What were you trying to do to me?’ she had asked. ‘When you were outside my house – the girls …’ She hadn’t been able to get the sentence out.

‘No, no, I’d never have hurt them,’ Mia promised her. ‘I never wanted to hurt any of your family, not like that.’

Janie had nodded slowly, her head hanging questioningly. ‘Then why?’