She started to kick at the bottom of the already cracked windscreen, away from where Callie hung sideways in the driver’s seat and down near Tony. ‘Hold on,’ she said, ‘I’m getting you out, just hold on.’ Within seconds she had the frame of the windscreen loose and she was able to crouch down, get hold of it with her hands — the sharp edges cutting into her skin — and rip at it until it was pulled away enough for her to fit. She dropped to her hands and knees and started to climb in, going a little slower now. She didn’t know how steady the car was, balanced on its side like this. What if she caused the whole thing to tip over onto its roof. Her entire body was trembling as she eased her way in. Her face came right up against Tony’s before she could twist herself around and then carefully stand up inside the car, her legs brushing up against Tony’s motionless body. The car remained still and Mimi exhaled, she’d made it.

‘Tara,’ she said, ‘I’m going to get your sister free from her belt and then I’m going to climb back there and help you out, okay?’

‘Okay,’ Mimi heard her say in a small, scared voice.

‘Are you hurt? Does anything feel . . . ?’ She was going to ask her if anything felt broken but she couldn’t finish the sentence. She changed her mind and just repeated, ‘Are you hurt?’

‘I think I’m okay,’ Tara said. And again, her voice was so tiny that it shattered Mimi at her core. She was so used to her always sounding so firm, so sure of herself, so much more grown-up than her age.

She put her arms around Callie to support her and then pushed on the seatbelt release. She felt the weight of Callie’s body in her arms and then braced her as she lowered her legs down until she was standing next to her on the smashed passenger-side window. Between Mimi, Callie and Tony, there was barely any room for them to move, and Callie’s entire body was shaking against Mimi’s.

‘You’re okay,’ Mimi said to her, even though she didn’t know if her daughter truly was okay. Nor if Callie was going to be able to climb out of the car while she was shaking so much; her legs were barely holding her up.

‘You’re going to be okay,’ Mimi said again, more firmly. She needed Callie to believe it. ‘Now, I want you to crouch down and climb out through the gap in the windscreen down there. Then I’m going to get Tara out.’

Callie nodded and started to lower herself and then she stopped. ‘Mum . . . I have to tell you something. Something about Uncle Tony.’

At that moment, Mimi knew that there was no doubt about what Jill had been trying to say to her.