Realising he had no hope of escape, Callum spat at his daughter’s feet. ‘You ain’t no Haggarty,’ he said, his voice full of venom.

‘Good!’ said Suzie. ‘Because I wouldn’t want to be.’

Charlie looked at Suzie. ‘I know it’s a big ask, but we need you to come down to the station and make a statement.’

Suzie looked at her father, who was glaring fiercely at her in the hope that she would refuse, but Suzie had had enough.

‘I lost me mam and me gran because of you – everything you touch turns rotten.’

Callum hissed a warning. ‘You do this and we’re through – you’re on your own.’

She gave a mirthless laugh. ‘I’m better off without you. You never approved of me anyway, always having a go, saying I never did nothing right, but I wasn’t the one who drove Mam away, and I wasn’t the one who left Gran on her own in the middle of an air raid.’ Angry tears trickling down her cheeks, she shook her head. ‘I told you she couldn’t get down them steps on her own, but you were more bothered about the stuff you’d been nicking from other people’s houses than you were about your own mother.’

The truth hit Callum like a hammer. His face fell as the enormity of her words struck home. ‘How was I to know they’d hit our place?’ he said wretchedly. ‘You can’t blame me …’

‘Only I do,’ said Suzie frankly. She turned to Charlie. ‘I was catching the train to Betwys-y-Coed, but I’ll have to give that a miss, this is far more important. Can I just have a quick word with Felix?’

Nodding, Charlie indicated the steps that led to the station. ‘We’ll wait for you out there.’

Thanking the policeman, she spoke hastily to Felix as the train pulled into the platform. I’ll be brief. ‘Bernie told me what happened. All I can do is apologise. I was so jealous of Roz, and I blamed her for everything.’ She shook her head impatiently. ‘I haven’t got time to explain why, but I set out to destroy everything she had, and I can see I succeeded, because you’re still here, yet you should be in Glasfryn with Roz.’ She heaved a heartfelt sigh. ‘I’m going to make this right. I don’t know how, but I am.’

He shrugged. ‘You were only the messenger; everything you said was true, you just went about it in a spiteful manner.’

Suzie shook her head fervently. ‘If it hadn’t been for me, Roz would never—’

‘Roz doubted her feelings for me,’ said Felix plainly. ‘That had nothing to do with you, and that’s the part that hurt the most.’