She put her head in her hands. What was she doing? Why was she insisting on terrorising herself?
Too afraid to look out again, she kept her eyes down, trying to hold herself together. She ran through everything that had happened since she had arrived – right through from her first memories with Adam … the night he had disappeared … coming back, and the lonely weeks since, as she had tried to figure everything out. All of which had led her to this point – lost within the fall of night, snow suffocating the world.
She felt for the newspaper article in her pocket, and switched on the overhead light. She stared at the photo of Jonny, wondering how much he knew of Adam, and if this amiable-looking man had ever tried to make contact with his son.
Something told her that she was close to uncovering the truth. Everything she had discovered had proved that her suspicions were well founded. So if Jonny didn’t hold the answer, who did?
Finally, she saw the glow of headlights on the horizon, gradually becoming brighter. She kept concentrating on the newspaper article, and her memories and discoveries of the past few weeks spun and whirled. As Ben’s Land Rover drew nearer, an idea flitted across her mind, so rapidly that it was almost gone before she caught it and reeled it in. It danced in front of her so vividly that for a moment she was spellbound. At first it seemed absurd, but as she twisted this strange notion over in her mind, it began to make perfect, awful sense.
By the time Ben got close enough to see her, she had jumped out of her car and was racing across to him. She flung open the passenger door, breathless and agitated.
Ben stared at her. ‘Grace, are you okay? I’m sorry but you’re going to have to spend another night here – there’s no point in attempting to get your car out until morning. It’s too treacherous to drive in the dark anyway.’
Bess was there, trying to scramble across Ben to greet her, but Grace wasn’t paying attention to either of them. Instead she was looking frantically through all the windows. ‘Where’s Millie?’ Panic filled her throat.
‘Claire’s got her, at the schoolhouse – I didn’t dare drive up the hill in this weather without her strapped into a car seat. We’ll pick her up on the way back.’
‘Oh god, Ben,’ Grace screamed at him. ‘What have you done? We need to go and get her NOW.’
‘Grace, I don’t understand.’ Ben was frowning, while the snow sprayed up against either side of the Land Rover as it ploughed down the hill. Bess leaned between the seats, her nose pressed onto Ben’s shoulder. ‘Why are you so upset? What’s going on?’
Grace gripped the front dashboard, steadying herself while willing him to go faster. ‘Do you remember Adam having a fling with Jenny while he lived here? Back when you were teenagers?’
Ben shook his head. ‘No, I don’t – he was always with Claire, if anyone.’
Grace could see the lights of the schoolhouse getting closer. She concentrated on them, collecting all her energy together so she could use it to spring out of the Land Rover and run as fast as she could to get Millie.
‘Grace, talk to me,’ Ben insisted, alarm plain on his face. ‘I don’t understand – why are you so worried about Millie? She’ll be fine, I promise – I know my family can be difficult, but I wouldn’t have left her there if she was in danger.’
‘I know you wouldn’t,’ Grace said hastily as the car pulled onto the gravel drive. ‘I have to get Millie back first, and then I’ll explain.’ She opened the door before he’d even stopped, leapt out and ran towards the house.
As she neared the front door, she saw there weren’t many lights on. She nearly barged right in, but at the last minute something told her to play it a little cooler, at least until she had Millie in her arms.
Ben came up behind her as she knocked. ‘Grace, what the hell –’
The door opened and Claire stood there. She looked worried. ‘Grace – are you all right? Ben told us you got stuck.’
‘Yes, thanks, I’ve come for Millie.’ Grace was trying to act normally but she could tell it wasn’t working. Her voice was strange – high-pitched and too rushed.
‘Right,’ Claire said. ‘She’s in the dining room, with Jenny.’
Headlights illuminated them all as another car roared onto the gravel. Grace looked to see Meredith climbing out of her four-wheel drive, and for once her face was a true picture of uncertainty. ‘Grace – I saw your car up there. Has something happened?’
‘I’m here for Millie,’ Grace said. She turned back to Claire. ‘I’ll just go and get her.’ She headed inside without waiting for Claire’s answer, aware of worried voices close behind her. Footsteps followed, but all she wanted was to find Millie.
The corridor was dim, only a halo of light shining through the crack of the closed dining-room door. She flung the door open, rushing into the brightness of the room, praying that her fears were unfounded, and that she was only being foolish.