Bert leaned across and pulled the passenger door handle. The bottom of the door scraped across the pavement and it protested with a loud creak. It hadn’t been opened in years, and an earthen mossy odour escaped with a barely audible whoosh.

‘Hop in,’ Bert said, with his most reassuring smile.

George ducked his head as he climbed inside. ‘Thanks very much, mister. Can ya drop me to the Haven Veterinary clinic on the far side of town? You’ll have to turn around. Do ya want me to direct ya?’

Bert checked his mirrors as he pulled away from the kerb. ‘No need. I know exactly where I need to go.’

George drew the seatbelt across his dog, strapping him onto his lap. Tinker blinked before narrowing his eyes at Bert, and a low rumble of a growl ensued.

‘Tinker, stop that,’ George said, stroking down the white hackles forming on the dog’s back. The car veered left and began to gain speed as it took a country road out of town. ‘You’re going the wrong way, mister, the vet’s back there.’ George jabbed his thumb behind him.

Bert stared firmly ahead. ‘In good time. There’s a few loose ends to tie up first.’

George’s straggly Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, his liver spotted hands shaking in tune with Tinker’s nervous shiver. Probably desperate for a drink, Bert thought, knowing that would be the least of his worries soon. As if reading his thoughts, the dog gave a low growl, enough to tell him he was up to no good. Bert smiled in satisfaction. He had George exactly where he wanted him. There was no way he could get out of the car while it was moving so fast. The metal box shook as it hit the country lanes, the worn-out suspension making every bone in his body rattle.

‘I don’t have time for this,’ George said, his teeth jarring as the car bounced out of another pothole. ‘Just bring me back to where you found me and I’ll be on my way.’

Bert tightened his fingers over the narrow steering wheel and threw George a poisonous look. ‘You’ll go when I say you can go. Now sit tight, this won’t take very long.’

George’s voice rose up a pitch. ‘What do ya want with me? Sure I’m just an auld fella on the street. What interest do ya have in me or me dog?’

Bert shook his head. ‘I saw your past, I read your cards. What’s the saying? What comes around goes around. Well today destiny is paying out.’

‘What?’ George said, craning forward in his seat as the car slowed to a halt. As he gazed at the landscape ahead, it all became clear. The earlier drizzle began to thicken, as black clouds blotted the landscape. A low rumble of thunder echoed from far away.

‘I’m not going in there,’ George said, as Bert opened his passenger door from the outside.

Bert leaned across and clicked the stiffened seatbelt free, pulling back his hand from the snapping muzzle. ‘Fine. Then we’ll do this the hard way, because I always get what I want.’

Bert ripped the blanket from George’s arms and threw it over the dog’s head.

‘What are ya doing to Tinker?’ George yelped, slapping away his hands. ‘Don’t hurt me little dog.’

‘I’m not going to hurt him, I’m just bringing him for a walk,’ Bert said as a sheet of drizzle showered his face. Wrenching the dog from George’s arms, he strode to the building ahead. George caterwauled in despair, shuffling and limping behind Bert, his black coat flapping in the rising wind. In the distance, a flash of light followed the boom of thunder.

The corners of Bert’s mouth cranked upwards as a flock of ravens cut through the evening air. One, two, three … there was no stopping the prophecy now.

Chapter Forty-Eight

Jennifer nursed her cappuccino as she inhaled the delicious aroma of freshly ground coffee beans in the small cosy cafe. While most police officers frequented pubs in their leisure time, Jennifer could usually be found in one of Haven’s coffee shops. Although she was not averse to going out for a drink, the smell of alcohol reminded her too much of her father, and the nights she had to pull on her coat to walk through the dimly lit streets to bring him home. Heads would turn as she entered each of the local boozers, full of drunken patrons elbowing each other to warn of the presence of a child. Their father had become an expert at dealing with the occasional visits from social services. Lying was a natural talent, and he used his charm to ease any lingering doubts.

Jennifer forced herself to snap out of it. Without work to occupy her, her thoughts often returned to the past. Only now could she comprehend how much danger she and Amy had been in. And yet her father was back, raking up old wounds.

She liked the coffee shop because she was always left alone to ponder. Nobody took your cup before you finished, or wiped your table to subtly pressure you into leaving. It was usually filled with young girls, admirers of the David Beckham lookalike barista who ran it. Jennifer turned her thoughts to Will, who had made the journey home to chat to his mum about their relationship. She didn’t know what worried her the most, the fact he deemed their relationship serious enough to involve his parents, or their reaction when they found out how smitten he was. He didn’t need to say he loved her, it was evident every moment they spent together. But it was no secret they wanted him to return to his remorseful wife, who was yet to sign the divorce papers citing her infidelities. Jennifer’s fingers found the nape of her neck as a cold breeze danced on her skin. She shook off the feeling, telling herself she was being silly. But as she gripped her mug, a ball of dread dropped like a stone inside her.

Students giggled as they waited to be served, toddlers whined in their pushchairs, and the man across from her rustled the pages of the Financial Times. But it was all lost to Jennifer as she sat stiffly in her chair, oblivious to the outside world. Something was wrong. It chilled her bones and filled her soul with dread, detaching her from reality until the only sound she could hear was the beating of her own heart.

She jumped out of her trance as her telephone rang, bringing up her knee and spilling the contents of her coffee cup across the table. Jennifer mopped the cold liquid with serviettes. Just how long had she been sitting there? Grabbing her handbag she squeezed past a queue of customers to the front door. Of all the places for that to happen, she thought. I must have looked like a shop dummy sitting next to the window in a trance. But the feelings of misgivings had not relinquished their hold, and her heart skipped a beat as her phone rang a second time.

It was not Will’s name that lit the screen but Christian’s. ‘Hello?’ Jennifer whispered, fiddling with her car keys as she strode down the path.

Christian’s voice was breathy. ‘I’m glad I caught you. Bert’s called my mobile. He said he was going to pay me a visit, but he had some business to take care of first. I’ve had a bad feeling all morning, I just knew something was going to happen.’

Jennifer’s heart flickered. ‘Did you hear any background noises? Anything to tell you his location?’

‘He said something about being in the highest point in Haven. I could hear someone shouting in the background, something about letting go of a tinker. That’s when the call ended. You need to arrest him, Jenny, please. I’m terrified he might come around and harm the children.’

Tinker? Jennifer searched the corridors of her brain as she tried to extract the information she needed. She stared at the cracks in the rain-dappled pavement, her forehead knotted in a frown. Tinker … ‘The voice, did it have an accent?’

‘It wasn’t local. He just kept shouting something about Tinker, and then the phone went dead. I didn’t even know Bert had a phone.’