Callum walked briskly down the hospital corridor towards the canteen to meet Claire, the nausea rising in his stomach. He couldn’t face the sandwich his secretary had fetched him for lunch, could barely keep down the coffee she’d left on his desk.

‘Darling,’ he said, holding out his arms. She was sitting at a table in the corner of the canteen, the place already filling up with the lunchtime rush. She stood up as soon as she saw him, her hands pressing lightly against his chest as they embraced. The fresh smell of her hair grounded him, making him believe everything was going to be fine.

‘What’s going on?’ she said. ‘You sounded really worried.’

‘Sit down.’

‘Sure, but…’ Her face folded with worry.

‘Those cops came to see me again.’

‘Here at work?’

He nodded. ‘I was about to go on ward rounds. It was very unprofessional.’

‘It might be worth a complaint.’ She reached out, touching his hand.

‘Look, I’ll get straight to the point.’ His mouth went dry. ‘It turns out they’ve found Rain’s fingerprints in our bedroom. They were asking me if I knew how they got there.’

‘What?’

He paused, allowing her to process the implications. He wasn’t about to spell it out, but he also needed to be sparing with the truth. It was for her own good.

‘I mean… but… how?’

‘Exactly.’ He locked on to her eyes. ‘It must mean that she was snooping about in there.’ He sighed heavily, shaking his head. ‘It’s horrible, and the last thing Maggie needs to be dealing with under the circumstances, but I want you to check your jewellery box. Don’t make a big thing about it. There’s bound to be an explanation.’

‘I don’t understand…’ Claire was squinting, frowning, thinking. ‘Rain wouldn’t steal from us. No way.’

‘I know. I don’t want to believe it either. But why else would she have been in our bedroom?’

Claire swept her hair off her face. ‘For any number of reasons. It doesn’t mean she’s a thief.’ Callum watched as she tried to assimilate the news. She shook her head, biting her lip. He knew her default setting was trust.

He allowed himself another sigh and squeezed her hand. ‘Look, it probably wasn’t the right thing to do, but I felt I had to say something to protect the silly girl. And even after everything, I felt sorry for Maggie too. Her daughter’s gone missing.’

Claire was looking right at him, studying his expression. ‘I know, but… after what you said Maggie did to you?’

‘They’ve both clearly got issues, love. I’m not heartless.’ Callum tilted his head, touching Claire under her chin. ‘And Maggie’s not exactly a great maternal influence. Why do you think Amy is such a delight?’ He stroked her cheek.

‘So what did you tell the police?’

‘This is where it gets tricky,’ he replied, unable to hide the tension in his voice. ‘I said she’d been in our bedroom with you.’

‘With me? Why?’ Claire recoiled.

‘It was a spur of the moment thing. I wanted to make things easier for her. I said I’d seen you both chatting in there on Saturday and that’s how her prints must have got in our room.’ He watched as Claire absorbed the news. ‘It’s not going to make a scrap of difference to whether they find her or not, but it might make things easier for Rain if it turns out she has stolen something. The insurance will cover it, so we don’t need to make a big song and dance.’

‘I’m really not sure that’s right, Cal.’ Claire was quiet, thoughtful. ‘Why didn’t you just tell them the truth, that you didn’t know why Rain was in our room? What if it does have something to do with her disappearance? I can’t believe you lied to the police.’

‘Look, I told you. I didn’t want to get her into trouble. She was obviously snooping. I thought I was doing the right thing covering for her.’

Claire frowned. ‘No, it’s not right at all.’ She stared up at him. ‘Oh God, it’s all so awful.’ Her voice wavered. ‘It’s far too much like…’ She covered her face, then looked up again, her eyes welling with tears.

‘Love, not now. People are staring.’ Callum patted her on the shoulder. ‘It’ll all work out fine, you’ll see. I just need you to tell the police that Rain was chatting with you in our bedroom on Saturday afternoon, OK?’

‘No, Cal, I can’t do it. No way,’ she said, pulling a tissue from her bag and blowing her nose. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Love,’ he replied, taking her by the elbows. ‘I honestly don’t think we have a choice, not after I stuck my neck out and covered for her. You want to get me into trouble?’ He sighed heavily.

‘No, of course not. But what if—’

‘There are no what ifs, Claire. Tell them you were in our bedroom with Rain on Saturday and it’ll all be sorted.’

‘I don’t know…’ Claire felt the grip on her elbows tighten a little. She gave a small nod. ‘Maybe you’re right.’

Callum stared at her for a second, measuring the depth of her conviction. ‘Good girl. I have to get back to work now,’ he said, kissing her on the top of her head. ‘I’ll see you at home later.’ Then he turned and strode back to the neurology department, feeling a fraction less distracted.