we’d talked about it to each other,’ she says. ‘We could have gone to the police immediately, or at least had the locks changed.’
‘Yes, you’re right. I’m really sorry, it’s all my fault,’ says Ruby. Her eyes fill with tears. ‘If I hadn’t left the key in the lock …’
Amber gets up and goes over to her, crouching down and taking her hands.
‘I know what it’s like when you’re looking after a baby. It’s hard, you make silly mistakes. The thing is, Rubes, we know what happened now. It’s a breakthrough.’
‘But it means some paedophile has got her,’ Ruby croaks. ‘I can’t bear it. What if—’
‘Stop it!’ says Amber, shaking her. ‘We mustn’t think like that. The police have got a lead now, and there’s been the reconstruction today. Somebody will have seen something suspicious, they’ll come forward, there’ll be more CCTV images …’
‘I hope so, I really hope so.’ Ruby sniffs up her tears.
‘Try to remember if you saw someone lurking about that day, following you around the park.’
‘Yeah, I will.’ Ruby stares into Amber’s eyes. ‘I’m so sorry for the things I said, Amber; you know, about you lying, and about George not being Mabel’s father.’
Amber gasps. ‘Shh! For God’s sake, Rubes!’ She looks anxiously towards the door. Did George hear that?
‘Why? What’s wrong?’ Ruby gives her a strange look. ‘Amber?’
‘It’s nothing, nothing,’ she replies quickly, feeling her cheeks heat up. She stands and moves away from Ruby. ‘Things are bad enough without George thinking …’
‘Yeah, of course. Sorry, I didn’t mean to … Are you okay?’
‘He’s really suffering right now. I mean, we all are,’ Amber rattles on, ‘but it’s even harder for him because he wants to do something and he feels powerless.’ She puts her hand on her chest to steady her breathing. ‘But this is good news in a way, because now the police know what they’re looking for.’
‘Yeah, that is good. It’s really good.’
‘Because it didn’t make sense before and now it does, even though it’s horrible and unthinkable and makes me feel sick. It means it was a random person, some stranger, nobody connected to us.’
‘Well that’s how it looks, but we mustn’t jump to conclusions,’ warns Ruby. ‘You know what the police say about keeping an open mind.’
Amber feels her sister’s gaze boring into her, mining for secrets. She braces herself. Now is not the time to confess. It would only cause more pain, send everyone spinning back into the abyss. DI Benedict wants her to tell George the truth, but her instincts have been telling her to hold off until absolutely necessary, and now she’s been proved right. She will tell him, but only once they have Mabel back safely and there’s a chance, however slim, that he might forgive her.
‘What is it, Amber?’ asks Ruby. ‘You’ve gone all weird. I can almost see the cogs whirring in your brain. You seem … well, pleased. Why? Were you thinking it was somebody in particular?’
‘No! If I thought that, I’d have told the police immediately,’ Amber snaps. ‘I was just trying to process it, that’s all. To work out what this means for Mabel.’
‘Of course, sorry. She’s all that matters.’ Ruby gets up. ‘I’d better go. Lewis is waiting outside.’ She offers a small smile. ‘He said you wouldn’t believe me. I’m so relieved you did.’
‘It’s George who’s got a problem,’ Amber says. ‘He sees things very simply. You were the last person to see Mabel alive, therefore you—’
‘She’s still alive,’ Ruby insists. ‘We have to keep believing that.’
‘Yes, I know, and I try, but it’s hard sometimes …’ Now it’s Amber’s turn to take the baton of tears and run with it. Ruby hesitates for a second, then rushes forward to embrace her.
‘We’ll find her, I know we will.’
George comes back into the room. He looks disgusted by the sight of the sisters hugging.
‘How can you believe her?’ he says. ‘Can’t you see it’s just a story?’
Amber pulls away and turns to him, throwing an apologetic look at Ruby. ‘But what about the wet sock I found?’ she says. ‘That was the same day the key turned up. It proves the abductor was in the flat.’
He huffs. ‘Now you’re really clutching at straws.’
Ruby stands her ground. ‘The police believe me.’
‘Hah! You think? Sally made all the right noises, acted like it was an important moment in the investigation, but she wasn’t fooled for a second.’
‘I’m going,’ says Ruby, not rising to the bait. ‘Let me know if you hear anything.’