Shoving these fruitless thoughts away, she tried to lighten the atmosphere. ‘Are you inviting Aunt Terri for Christmas, Rea?’ Terri was busier as a retired person that she had been when she managed a bookshop. Now she travelled, joined community projects, read voraciously and lunched a lot. ‘Or maybe she’s been invited to spend Christmas with Opal,’ she added. Opal had been Terri’s best friend even when Laurel had landed herself on Terri, all those years ago.

Rea looked relieved at the change of subject. ‘I’ve already invited her. She didn’t seem sure if she’d be going to Opal’s for part of Christmas because, apparently, Opal’s husband doesn’t always like guests.’

‘I’ll visit her when I’m more settled and see if I can persuade her to come to us for all of it,’ Laurel answered. She had lots of affection for her energetic aunt and it would be nice to share Christmas with her. ‘I don’t think they do their own Christmas baking at Opal’s and Aunt Terri loves the traditional stuff, like homemade mince pies.’

The bell pealed at the front door.

Rea put aside her magazine, now turned to a feature on decorating your garden for Christmas, picked up her phone and opened the doorbell app. Laurel had bought a doorbell camera for Rea for her birthday, because while Rea was OK with visitors she already knew, she wasn’t super-keen on answering to strangers. ‘Oh, it’s the Cassidy brothers,’ Rea said. ‘I suppose it’s about last night. You’d better answer, Laurel.’ Laurel and Daisy had, of course, told Rea all about the roadside rescue they’d performed on the way home from Bettsbrough.

An unpleasant knot formed in Laurel’s stomach. ‘I suppose so.’ Reluctantly, she left the cosy kitchen. Behind her, she heard Rea chatting to Daisy and the clink and scrape of crockery being cleared.

The front door was the kind with a sidelight so Laurel moved the curtain to peep at Grady and Mac. Even though she knew exactly who would be standing in the porch beside the bare, thorny rose bushes, yesterday’s snow still clinging to the ground around them, Mac’s presence prompted her to make it obvious she was checking before answering.

The pair looked back at her, their breath forming twin clouds that told her she was keeping them waiting in the cold. Both had hair so black and glossy they could give Claudia Winkleman a run for her money.

Laurel dropped the curtain and opened the door. ‘Hello.’

They returned her greeting. Politely, Mac said, ‘I wonder if I could have a word with you and Daisy about last night. Is Rea here?’

Laurel supposed it was second nature to a teacher to check an appropriate adult was around when he wanted to speak to one of his students out of hours. ‘We’re all here,’ she confirmed. ‘Come in.’