Page 89 of The Girl in Room 12

‘The police are here,’ I tell them. ‘We’re safe now. Let’s go and let them in.’ I turn on the lights and take their hands as we walk downstairs. I notice Ivy’s is trembling. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ I say. ‘They’ve come to check everything for us.’

There are two officers this time, one male and one female. The female officer, who looks around my age, asks if we’re okay.

‘Yes, we’re fine. This is my daughter and her friend. They were having a sleepover.’

‘Okay. I’m PC Everett. How about I stay down here with you all while my colleague PC Rowan has a quick look around?’ She looks at the girls. ‘Nothing to worry about. We do this all the time.’

They step inside, and PC Rowan disappears into the living room, while the rest of us wait in the hallway.

Max is long gone. There’s no way he would have stuck around to wait for the police to get here. I feel as if I’m holding my breath while we wait for PC Rowan to come back. The girls are still clinging to me.

‘All clear,’ PC Rowan announces as he comes downstairs. ‘Shall we go and have a chat? PC Everett can stay in the kitchen with the children.’

I watch as she escorts the girls to the kitchen, and prepare myself to tell more lies. I need to speak to the driver of the Golf first. I’ll give him until tomorrow, and then if our paths don’t cross, I’ll go to the police. And I’ll tell them everything that’s happened since I found that key card.

‘Why don’t you talk me though what happened?’ PC Rowan says, when we’re sitting on the sofa, out of sight of the girls.

I’ve had a few minutes to rehearse this, but still it’s not easy to lie to the police. ‘A loud noise woke me up, so I checked on the girls then came downstairs. That’s when I realised the alarm down here wasn’t on. And I definitely remember setting it.’

‘Do you always put it on at night?’

‘Only since my husband went missing. He was badly attacked on his way home from work, and now he’s been missing for over a week.’ To my surprise, tears begin to trickle from my eyes, without me forcing anything.

‘I’m sorry,’ PC Rowan says. ‘I appreciate this must be difficult.’

I nod, keeping my voice low. ‘When I came downstairs, someone rushed out of the front door. I didn’t want to tell the girls that. They would have been even more scared.’

‘Did you manage to get a look at this person? Were they male or female?’

‘I don’t know. I think male, but I can’t be sure.’

‘Okay. Have you noticed if anything’s been taken? Or has anything moved?’

The kitchen knife Max was holding must have been one of ours. ‘I don’t think so,’ I say. ‘I haven’t had a chance to check, though. But it didn’t look like the person was carrying anything.’

‘I notice you don’t have a video doorbell or CCTV.’

‘No.’

‘And there’s no sign of forced entry. How might someone have got in?’

I haven’t considered this. Is this where everything comes undone?

‘With my husband’s key?’ This idea crashes its way into my head. It’s the perfect lie. ‘Someone must have it!’ Again, tears fall, and PC Rowan shifts in his seat. I sense that he isn’t comfortable around a crying woman, although I can’t be the only one he’s encountered in his job.

‘We’ll keep all options open,’ he says. ‘Had your husband mentioned losing his keys before he disappeared?’

I dab my eyes with my sleeve. ‘No. He’s always careful. He doesn’t lose things. And when he was attacked, they didn’t take his keys. Just his phone and wallet.’

The officer nods. ‘Okay. We’ll send someone around in the morning to check for fingerprints, but there’s not much chance anything will come up. People who break into houses tend to cover their tracks. Wear gloves. That kind of thing.’

I nod.

‘Is there anywhere else you can stay tonight?’ he asks. ‘I assume the girls might be too scared to stay here.’

‘It’s late. There’s nowhere we can go at this time. We’ll be okay. I’m sure it’s helped them that they’ve seen you check the house. And I’ll double-lock all the doors and put the alarm on. If I put my keys in the front and back doors then no one can get in that way, even with a key. And I’m sure whoever it was won’t try again tonight.’

‘It’s hard to be sure of anything when it comes to criminals,’ PC Rowan says, and the way he’s looking at me tells me he doesn’t trust a word I’ve said.

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