She stood there for a few moments, looking into his bright blue eyes, unable to put words to what she’d just experienced.

‘Why don’t you get in?’ he said. ‘I’ll drive you back to your car.’

She hesitated for a few moments, glanced around instinctively to check if anyone was watching her, then got in the Tesla.

Dale turned to study her for a few moments.

‘Are you okay, Bailey?’

But she just stared straight ahead without replying, still lost in thought.

‘You look really out of it, Bailey. I’ve never seen you like this before.’

‘I’m fine,’ she murmured, blinking herself out of her trance.

‘Did you meet Mister Snigiss?’ he asked tentatively.

She finally turned to meet his gaze, her grey eyes boring into him. She nodded slowly.

‘And?’ he whispered nervously.

‘I can’t talk about it.’

He frowned. ‘But did you find out about your sister?’

She nodded, remembering the snake necklace in her pocket. Was it still there? Did it really exist? It was physical proof of something so unbelievable to Bailey that she had to convince herself right now that it hadn’t been some dream or hallucination. She slipped her hand into her pocket to feel for it. It was still there.

Dale glanced at her pocket curiously, then up at her face. He looked deeply puzzled. Then his eyes widened in realisation and his mouth dropped open. ‘She’s alive, isn’t she? Your sister’s still alive.’

Bailey looked up at him sharply, taken aback by the incisiveness of his guess. But she shouldn’t have been too surprised; he was a smart guy and very perceptive. She desperately wanted to tell him all about it. But she knew she couldn’t. Not the full truth of it. Not now. Not yet. It was too much for her, let alone anyone else, to take on board.

So she just bit down on her lip and gave him another nod.

‘So where is she?’ he asked breathlessly.

‘Right now,’ she said. ‘I haven’t the slightest clue.’

She stared into his concerned handsome face.

‘Someday I’ll tell you what happened, Dale,’ she said. ‘But I can’t right now. So please don’t ask me anything more about it.’

He smiled sympathetically. ‘You can talk about it whenever you’re ready, Bailey.’

As he pulled away from the kerb, Bailey realised that was the problem – she didn’t know if she’d ever be ready.

62

Nancy Molloy reflected bitterly on Grecken. She’d been so sure that he was their man. It had been so disappointing to find out that he wasn’t. Maybe they needed to cast their net further afield. Or maybe they’d just been barking up the wrong tree with all that snake stuff. She hated it when she was wrong about things.

There had to be another way to find Mister Snigiss. She was certain of it. She wasn’t just going to give up. Oh no. She wasn’t that kind of person. She had grit and determination. That was why the Molloy family were still holding the whip hand after all these years.