Rita looked down at Tina and shook her head, spat at her before she started to walk away. She was humming something.

‘Hush little baby, don’t you cry …’

It flipped a switch somewhere deep inside Tina. She pulled herself to her feet and stumbled after her. There was no way anyone was stopping her having this baby, not now she’d come this close. She gripped the knife again, not knowing what she was going to do it with it. Hurt Rita? Threaten her?

But before she could decide, Rita turned round. Even in the gloom she could see the blade. She shoved Tina and the knife fell to the ground. Tina scrabbled madly in the grass looking for where it had fell.

‘Dozy cow. Did you think I’ve not had a knife waved at me before? I wouldn’t even peel my spuds with that. Now get out of here – and drop the tough bitch act. You’re a fucking liability. You’re a second-rate teacher at a crap school, helping kids because you can’t have your own – and you never will.’ She almost screamed the last words.

Tina couldn’t find the knife but as Rita’s words hit home, she grabbed at a branch that was lying by the side of the path. Without thinking she lifted it above Rita’s head and smashed it into her skull. The attack from behind was so fast that Rita didn’t have a clue what had hit her. She dropped to the floor like a lead weight. Tina stood over her, pummelling the wood into her victim over and over until she stopped moving.

It was only then that she seemed to come to her senses. She stepped back, shaking. What had she done? And even more pressingly, what was she going to do now? She had to move her. But how? She grabbed Rita’s ankles – she knew it would take all her strength, but desperation powered her on. Looking all around in case anyone else was out, she kept dragging her until she was out of sight and into the bushes. It was a struggle, the dead weight taking every ounce of her strength to move.

‘Look what you made me do, you stupid woman. You should have kept your nose out of my business and none of this would have happened. Look, look what you have made me do.’ Tina finally collapsed down next to Rita’s limp body and rocked backwards and forwards, lost in her own world. ‘Mummy’s going to sing you a lullaby,’ she sang under her breath.

By the time Tina got to the flat she was exhausted and soaking wet, strands of hair plastered to the sides of her cheeks. Her eyes were red and vacant. Amelia didn’t know what to say when she opened the door to her. ‘Are you alright, Tina. You’re scaring me. Look at you, you’re shaking. What’s wrong?’