‘It’s somewhere behind the cabin.’

Susso frowned.

‘She threw it away. I saw her do it, but I didn’t understand what it was.’

‘Where?’

‘Over there. She threw it that way.’

Diana carried the girl into the cabin, put her down on the sofa and locked the door. Then she walked over to the window and shut it. How had she managed to get it open? There was no furniture she could have climbed. She must have stepped up onto the frame to reach the top latch. She wondered who had given her that idea. And to take the key too. She shuddered. The little girl had curled up and was lying motionless with her eyes closed, but it was obvious she wasn’t asleep.

She could follow Susso’s movements as she wandered up and down the sloping yard with the rifle in her hands, scanning the grass.

Diana did a lap around the cabin, gathering up their things and throwing them in the suitcase. She patted her stomach and felt the phone through her fleece jacket and was just about to pull it out when a shot rang out outside. Diana ran over to the window but Susso wasn’t there. Moments later, someone yanked the door handle. A hard pounding. Through the window, she could see it was Susso.

Diana let her in and locked the door.

‘It’s impossible,’ Susso said.

‘Did you find it?’

‘There’s too many of them.’

‘Of whom?’

Susso put the rifle down on the table and rubbed her eye.

‘You didn’t see them?’

Diana shook her head.

‘They’re all over the garden. Nasty little brutes. About this size.’

‘Mice?’

‘Something along those lines, yeah.’

Diana walked over to the window to look out but changed her mind and pulled the curtain shut instead.

‘I think I hit one before. But it’s bloody hard. If only we had a shotgun.’

‘Where’s the squirrel?’

‘Up there, I think,’ she said, pointing to the roof. ‘He can take care of himself.’

‘But he can’t help us?’

‘I’m sure he’s doing his best. But we have to get out of here.’

‘We can run next door. There was a car there.’

‘How far is it?’

‘I’m not sure. Maybe five hundred yards.’

‘Five hundred yards is a long way on a night like this.’

‘I’m calling Dad.’

Susso picked up the rifle and took up post by the window, inching the curtain aside.

‘Tell him to hurry.’

Diana was holding her phone. She had punched in her PIN and her thumbs moved confusedly over the icons before she could locate the square with the phone receiver.

‘There’s people out there too,’ Susso said.

‘If it’s that blonde fucking bitch, feel free to shoot her in the face.’

‘Mummy.’