Gina’s mobile buzzed across her bedside table. She reached out with closed eyes, searching for the phone with her fingers. As she grabbed it, Gracie called out. ‘Nanna. It’s morning, Nanna.’

She prised an eye open and accepted the call. ‘Hang on a minute, chicken. What’s up, Jacob?’

‘We’ve had an incident, guv. I know it’s your weekend off but it’s a biggie. A young man named Toby Biddle reported an incident just before seven thirty, saying that a woman jumped out of a van on Laurel Lane. Looks like she’s malnourished. Her hair and teeth are in an awful state. Something bad has happened to her by the looks of it as why would she jump out of the back of a van? Officers at the scene checked his car over and concluded that there hadn’t been any impact between the girl and his car. Paramedics are just attending to her at the scene and then heading to Cleevesford Hospital. It doesn’t look like she’ll make it from what they’re saying. If she doesn’t we could be looking at a murder case. Shall I meet you there?’ Jacob asked.

‘Nanna?’ Gracie giggled as she tugged on the curtains and began to sing.

‘Sounds like you have company.’

‘My granddaughter, and she kept me up half the night – I seriously feel like death. I feel even more like death now I have to call my daughter to say I’ll be dropping her off at this time on a Saturday morning. She’s going to be well thrilled with me. I’ll be there as soon as I can, within the hour.’

She ended the call and watched as Gracie began pulling the curtains harder. ‘Gracie, don’t do that, chicken. You’ll hurt yourself.’ Gracie returned her warning with a mischievous smile and yanked the curtain, dragging the pole down, which narrowly missed her head. The little girl began to cry as she realised she’d had a near miss. Gina stepped out of bed and lifted the child out of the chaos. ‘I told you not to pull it. Let me see.’ She ruffled her hand through Gracie’s light wisps and smiled. ‘Has Gracie hurt her head? Has Gracie hurt her arms? Has Gracie hurt her feet?’ Her granddaughter’s cries turned into shrieks of tear-sodden laughter as Gina touched her sensitive toes.

‘No,’ Gracie yelled. Gina moved her fingers away from Gracie’s foot and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

‘Right, Nanna has to go to work and I have to take you back to Mummy. We had a lovely night though, didn’t we?’

‘Want to stay, Nanna.’

‘So sorry, darling. We’ll do this again soon. You know Nanny loves you, don’t you?’

Gracie chuckled and held onto a strand of Gina’s frizzy brown hair. ‘I want to stay.’

Gina knew Hannah would be disappointed. Her night off would be ruined by the lack of a lie in. Nanny Hetty had never sent Gracie back early. They always reminded Gina about how good Nanny Hetty was, but Nanny Hetty, Gina’s ex-mother-in-law, was a lot older than Gina and had retired many years ago. She could never compete and she wasn’t about to start. She had a busy job that she loved and an incident had come in.

‘I promise we’ll do something fun very soon,’ Gina said as she fed Gracie’s dress over her head, pulling her chubby little arms through.

As she led the toddler to the bathroom, she phoned her daughter.

‘Mum? It isn’t even nine. Has something happened?’

‘I’ve had a call. So sorry, love. I need to drop Gracie home on my way to the station.’

‘For heaven’s sake. It was one night. One measly night and you have to go to work? I thought you’d booked the weekend off. I thought we were all going out later. I thought things were going to change – you promised. I even booked cinema tickets to watch Incredibles 2 this afternoon and was going to surprise you.’ Gracie began to laugh as she pretended to gargle while playing at brushing her teeth. ‘No, you’re not being fair with us.’

‘Sorry, love—’

‘You always say sorry. Even after what happened with your last case. You’ve let me down but this isn’t all about me or Gracie. What case is it? Not another where you’re going to be in grave danger or some madman is going to force his way into your home and try to strangle you? You’re really selfish, you know that? I don’t want to lose another parent and I don’t want Gracie growing up without her nanna.’

The moment she broke down in front of the workplace counsellor flashed through Gina’s mind. Hannah was right, the last case had hit her hard and Hannah had seen her slowly withdrawing afterwards. Their relationship had never been the best but deep down neither wanted anything to happen to the other. Hannah and Gracie were all Gina really had when it came to family. Her parents had passed away a long time ago and she had no siblings. The moment when her attacker was throttling her on her kitchen floor filled her mind and her heart began to bang as her throat constricted.

‘Mum, Mum—’

‘Sorry. I was just err…’ She was just what? She didn’t know how to respond to Hannah as she opened her mouth to continue speaking. The incoherent jumble of words remained in her head, unable to escape.

‘I was just saying, I’ve already lost a dad. I know things happened between you and Dad, and I know he wasn’t good for you—’

‘Good for me? He would have killed me if he’d had the chance. We’ve spoken about this!’ She began to tremble with rage. Had her daughter not understood a word she had said when she told her how severely Terry used to beat her? How he’d broken her ribs, thrown her around and kicked her, mentally chained her to their house. All those years it took her to finally confide in Hannah were now being repaid with a total lack of understanding. She wished she’d never said a word. Sometimes the truth is overrated, she thought.

She heard Hannah sighing. Gracie stared up at her, tap running and her toothbrush tickling her teeth in a poor effort to clean them. Gina pulled the little girl close to her, not wanting to upset her granddaughter.

‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.’ Hannah began to weep. ‘It’s just… I can’t lose you as well. I know I can be a bitch sometimes but don’t you ever put me through what happened last time, again. You shouldn’t be doing this any more.’

‘Are you telling me I should give up my job? I can’t do that. You can’t expect me to give up everything I love or else what the hell have I got to live for.’ Gina gripped the phone as she awaited her daughter’s response.

‘Now I really know where Gracie and I stand. Say no more, Mother.’ Hannah ended the call. The little girl wriggled free and began singing as she played with her toothbrush.

‘Bloody hell,’ Gina said as she dragged the brush through her tangled hair, and then tied it back. She realised what she’d just said to Hannah and wished she’d kept those thoughts to herself.

‘Bloody hell,’ Gracie said mimicking her angry expression. Gina smiled through the tears she was holding back and the toddler dabbed toothpaste on her button nose.

‘Whatever you do, chicken, don’t say that to Mummy, okay? Nanna said naughty words.’

‘Bloody hell,’ she shouted as she giggled. Gina knew she’d be in more trouble now.

She tied Gracie’s hair back. ‘There, you look lovely. Let’s go and grab your bag and get in Nanna’s car.’

‘Is Nanna crying?’

‘No, chicken. Nanna just has something in her eye. It’s nothing.’ She wiped the tear running down her face and kissed Gracie on the head. As she turned to the landing, a message from Jacob pinged on her phone.

She lifted Gracie, grabbed her bag from the bedroom and ran down the stairs and out the door.