Holly had nodded and taken a deep breath. Her account would need to illustrate that she’d be an ideal employee. She didn’t want to inadvertently mention something that might overshadow her qualities.

‘Start right at the beginning,’ Brendan had said. ‘First of all, tell me about your parents.’

Holly had been a little taken aback. She’d not expected this kind of questioning at all. It was time to think on her feet.

Making sure to keep any traces of concern off her face, she’d begun to tell him about her parents. Only she’d described them as she’d have liked them to be, rather than the disaster that had been the real thing.

‘Dad was born down south, in Devon, and Mum was from Nottingham. They both loved the Midlands, I don’t think they would have ever moved if they’d still been here. When Dad came to work in the Midlands, he—’

‘Hang on. You said if they were still here; are they…’

She’d nodded. ‘They’re both dead now.’

It was only after she’d uttered the words and Brendan had raised an eyebrow that she realised it had sounded perhaps a little too blunt. Callous even. She’d known instantly she’d need to remedy it right away.

‘I’m sorry to just come out and say it like that,’ she’d said, looking at her hands. ‘I suppose it’s a defence mechanism I’ve developed over the years. Growing up, it was always the thing I dreaded. Where is your dad? I was young and it was just much easier to tell people straight, to take the emotion out of it.’

‘I understand completely,’ Brendan had said, nodding. ‘It must’ve been really hard for you.’

‘It was.’ She’d given him a weak smile. ‘But I’m fine talking about it now.’

‘And how – if you don’t mind me asking – did it happen that both your parents passed away, so untimely?’

She remembered it had crossed her mind at that point that this was a pretty deep conversation to be having with a guy she’d only just met, even if he was to be her new employer.

Certainly this kind of in-depth questioning – it felt like a sort of interview – wouldn’t happen in a regular job. There again, to be offered a position within a short time of meeting someone wasn’t that standard either. She guessed it worked both ways.

‘My dad was knocked down and killed as he crossed the road when I was only five years old, and my mum… well, she was a keen climber. She went out in adverse weather conditions in Derbyshire and slipped, falling to her death. That happened three years ago.’

‘My God, you poor thing,’ he’d murmured. ‘So, what happened to you when your mum passed away? Where did you go?’

‘My aunt and uncle took me in. I don’t know what I’d have done without them.’ She swiftly pushed aside thoughts of how she’d given the two of them a piece of her mind when she left the house.

Holly had paused at that moment, had wondered where the lies had come from. Her dad had been knocked over crossing the road, but she’d failed to add that he had been a certified schizophrenic who hadn’t taken his medication for over a week.

Coming up with a cause of death for her mother had been easy too. Holly had mentally rewound to the days when her mum had loved walking in Derbyshire. She’d often go alone, saying it cleared her head and helped her to feel better. That had been years ago, in the days before her drinking began.

As a child, Holly would sometimes worry if it started to rain or the wind whipped up while her mum was out walking. She used to fear she might be blown off the side of Mam Tor or something similar.

Put on the spot by Brendan, she had managed to concoct a touching story. Far better than admitting her father had been mentally ill and her mother a hopeless alcoholic. That wouldn’t have reflected very well at all on her own character, even though nobody had the luxury of choosing their parents.

They’d talked for a while longer, Holly managing to come up with some interesting filler about being taught to value education and feeling secure and loved at home with her aunt and uncle.

She managed to avoid telling Brendan how she’d twice been excluded from her old school for non-attendance. She could hardly say she’d been too tired to go to lessons after looking after her alcoholic mother, who’d been vomiting all night long.

She felt inordinately pleased with herself that she’d managed to create such a passable upbringing. If only it had been true, her life mightn’t have been in such a mess.

Markus returned to the room and Holly realised that she and Brendan had been chatting for about half an hour and it had all been about her childhood.

‘Well, you sound absolutely perfect for the role I have in mind, Holly.’ Brendan had smiled. ‘I’ll set up a meeting with my wife tomorrow, how’s that sound?

‘That sounds wonderful,’ she’d said, and for the first time in a while, she had spoken the truth.

---

The feeling of things going to plan felt incongruous now to Holly.

There had been so much disappointment, sadness and tragedy already in her life, she’d almost accepted it would always be her cross to bear.

But she hadn’t anticipated the job at Kellington’s going so well. Suddenly work felt like a massive priority to her. She thought of it as far more than a wage each month.

It was the key that would open so many doors.

If she continued with her successful sales record, she would soon have the money she desperately needed to enable her to change so much about herself and, more importantly, to fund whatever action was required to find Evan again.

It was the most effective tool in changing her world as quickly as possible.

She reached down for her laptop and opened it up on her knees, scowling at the bright screen.

The browsing history window was open on the desktop. She had a habit of closing all windows at the end of each session. Besides, she couldn’t even remember looking at the browsing history.

Still, she had to smile when she saw the list of entries.

Searching for missing persons, identity documentation and tracing information online… it made her sound like some kind of secret agent or master criminal. If only her life were that exciting.

She entered a few names into the Google search bar.

David Lewis.

Nick Brown.

Cora Barrett.

Baker Crescent.

Nothing of any significance came up. She closed the laptop again in annoyance. Why couldn’t she just get a break for once?

The people around her were keeping quiet about something that had happened to David. Nick Brown might have been involved too. And it seemed Cora knew all about it.

Holly hadn’t been living here very long, but Cora trusted her enough to invite her to move into her home and give her her own set of keys… so why didn’t she qualify to be told the big secret about David’s traumatic past?

It only served to make Holly more curious.