Nick phoned the bank from the car. Nothing, nothing would stand in the way of opening Malone’s in September. If it meant going over budget and paying off Trevor to work beneath the council’s radar on the other project, then so be it. Five grand wasn’t going to make much difference in the scheme of things. He had to keep Trevor quiet somehow.

He’d made his excuses to the others, saying he had to dash back to London to sort out a crisis, which wasn’t exactly a lie. A disappointed look swept across Claire’s face, momentarily replacing the mask of worry. He promised he’d be back in the morning.

Nick parked a couple of streets away from the bank in Exeter, joining the queue inside. He mulled over what had happened in the last twenty-four hours, his mind flooded with a bittersweet mix of memories he knew were best forgotten as he shuffled forward. He recalled the day Lenni disappeared – horror mixed with the elation he’d felt at him and Claire finally kissing. That beautiful timeless moment when they’d stood waist deep in the sea, their bodies pressing against one another, their lips finally meeting.

Decades later, he could still almost feel the chilly swell of the sea buffeting him as he surfed the waves to impress Claire. He recalled her sauntering down to the beach in her red swimsuit, kicking off her flip-flops at the water’s edge. Had she known he was watching her? Aged eighteen, it was their last summer together before they went their separate ways, which only heightened the tension.

Claire had tentatively dipped herself little by little into the chilly sea, getting used to the temperature, while he allowed the current to drag him closer. Somehow his hands had found their way around her waist – God, he remembered the surge of courage that took – and, using the current as an excuse, he drew her closer. She was shivering out spasms of laughter as the waves crashed around them, until he silenced her by pressing his mouth firmly over hers. He felt the resonance of her moan as she settled into the kiss. They’d both wanted it for so long. And they’d have had more of it too, if it hadn’t been for Lenni.

---

Claire felt lightheaded as she stood opposite PC Wyndham in Callum’s study. She gripped the back of a chair, bracing herself.

‘We’re still trying to piece together Rain’s exact movements, Mrs Rodway. We know that Rain was, at some point, in your bedroom.’ She waited for a reply.

Claire took a breath, going back over what Callum had said. She didn’t like it one bit, lying to the police, but it was probably easier to do as he’d told her. ‘Yes, that’s right. We were having a chat in there. On Saturday.’ She swallowed.

The officer nodded. ‘And what time would you say that was?’

‘Four o’clock,’ Claire replied. ‘Four to half past four,’ she added, trying to sound casual. She was a terrible liar but didn’t want to get Callum into trouble, not since he’d seen fit to protect Rain. She hadn’t had a chance to check her jewellery box yet, but she couldn’t imagine Rain stealing from her. Maggie might be rather slack with ground rules, but she’d brought her daughter up not to be a thief, she was sure of that.

‘Where did she go in your bedroom, exactly?’

‘Exactly?’ Claire’s heart raced. Callum hadn’t mentioned this. ‘She… knocked on the bedroom door while I was in there. I called out for her to come in and she sat down. We had a nice chat.’

‘Where did she sit?’

Claire felt her cheeks flush. ‘On the chair by the window.’ Claire nodded, almost believing it herself. ‘I’m not sure how this helps find her though.’ She just wanted it to end.

‘Believe me, Mrs Rodway,’ PC Wyndham said. ‘It’s amazing what we can glean from a few simple questions.’

Claire didn’t like the tone of her voice, and it really wasn’t fair that Callum had told her to lie. Perhaps she should just come clean now and say she was mistaken, tell the truth.

‘Did she go anywhere else in your bedroom?’

‘I don’t think so. Maybe she had a quick browse in my wardrobe, that kind of thing.’ Claire’s cheeks felt on fire now as she tried to cover all bases.

‘So, she sat on a chair by the window and not on the bed?’

‘Yes,’ Claire said immediately. She could hardly contradict what she’d already sounded so sure about. ‘That’s correct.’

‘Did she go into your en-suite bathroom?’

‘No,’ Claire said less convincingly, hoping that was the right thing to say.

‘Thank you, Mrs Rodway. You’ve been most helpful. I’ll also need to speak to Marcus about Saturday night. If you could arrange for him to come down to the station this afternoon, that would be helpful.’ She smiled, snapping her notebook shut.

‘No problem,’ Claire said quietly. She didn’t like that her son was going to be questioned – it triggered feelings of her ordeal at the same age – but if it helped find Rain, then they would comply. She knew Marcus had nothing to hide.

She watched as the officer drove away before going upstairs to her bedroom, taking the stairs two at a time. She tentatively opened the lid to her jewellery box, concerned she’d find things missing. She didn’t have a great many items, but what she did own were of high value, either pieces given to her by Callum on birthdays and anniversaries, or necklaces and bracelets owned by her grandmother. All were priceless in their own right, and irreplaceable should Rain have done the unthinkable.

Claire breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw that everything was still there. Rain had probably just been in their room out of simple curiosity, or perhaps the other bathroom was occupied and she needed the toilet. She didn’t believe it warranted Callum lying to the police and telling her to do the same. Her heart was still thumping from the deception.

She sighed when she saw the underpants and socks strewn on the floor beside Callum’s side of the bed. She bent down to pick them up to put in the wash, but something caught her eye. With the bunched-up socks and pants in one hand, she reached under the bed with the other. She pulled out a bangle. A cheap, gaudy thing that certainly didn’t belong to her. She turned it round and round, staring at it, not recognising it.

Still unnerved by PC Wyndham’s visit, Claire went back downstairs to the kitchen, dumping the dirty laundry in the utility room on the way. Then she went to see how Maggie was, but before she could even ask, Maggie was suddenly on her feet, her mouth wide open as she stared at the bangle Claire had forgotten she was holding.

‘Where did you get that?’ She reached out, snatching it from her.

‘It was upstairs in my bedroom. Why?’

Her face was pale and her eyes sore and red-rimmed. ‘Are you certain?’

‘Of course. I literally just picked it up from under the bed. Maggie, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a—’

She slumped down in the chair again, clutching her hands against her heart, the bangle encased in her fists. ‘It belongs to Rain.’