Page 161 of Serenity Falls

‘I thought. I mean—’

He shakes his head. ‘Trust me. That man is already a big enough pain in my backside, always coming round to bother me about trivial stuff to do with the school or curfew or students.’

‘Right.’

So that might explain why he was there the other day. But what about the note – Alert LH?

I start the truck. Jerry stares at me. ‘I understand you lost your wife.’

‘She … disappeared.’

‘I’m sorry about that. I guess your daughter is very important to you.’

My hands clench the wheel. ‘Yes. She is.’

He nods. ‘Don’t do anything stupid, Mr Barker. Trust me on this. Look out for your daughter.’

I glance at him. I can’t read his face. But I nod. ‘I always do.’

Ellen

The front doorbell chimed. I composed myself and smiled widely.

Then I pulled open the door and my smile faded.

‘You?’

‘Well, that’s not much of a greeting, Ellen.’

I stared at the interloper on my doorstep. Freya stared back at me, blinking behind her large glasses. Her eyes still looked bloodshot and sore, I was pleased to see.

‘Why are you here?’

‘The Conservators sent me.’

‘But I was expecting …’ I found myself peering around her.

‘Oh, I’m so sorry. The person you were expecting is busy tonight.’

‘But why you?’

‘Ellen, you should know, not just anyone can move to Serenity Falls. There are standards, requirements.’ She cocked her head to one side. ‘I fitted all the criteria, and more.’ She lowered her voice. ‘I don’t like to boast about it, but I have family connections.’

I felt an unpleasant stirring in my stomach. I’d been fooled. Bested. I had underestimated young Freya. The naivety, the sweetness. All an act. She was indeed my nemesis. But not in the way I’d thought.

‘Now are you going to invite me in?’

I gritted my teeth and stood aside. ‘Come in.’

Freya wafted past me. ‘This is a beautiful house, Ellen.’

‘Thank you. I suppose you might as well come through to the kitchen.’

I led the way. The smell of baking filled the air. As it was so close to Halloween, I had gone the extra mile and made some of my gingerbread pumpkins. Right now, I felt like dumping them all in the bin.

‘It smells divine in here.’

I had laid the table. My best tablecloth. My famous sponge was on a cake stand, macarons on a small circular plate and the pumpkins on another. I had set out two of my best china teacups, milk in a silver jug, and the tea was brewing in a proper teapot with a cosy on it.