‘He doesn’t deserve this,’ April muttered as she threw a treat into the air for Dexter to catch. ‘He’s good most of the time but he only really listens to Mum.’
‘He’s unbelievably cute. Molly would be beside herself.’
‘I thought you might bring her with you.’
‘It’s half-term so she’s spending a few days at Mum’s while Lily’s visiting her grandparents in Newcastle. They’ll both be back for Halloween, but for now I’m enjoying some child-free time. And besides,’ Tara added, ‘I got the impression from your messages that you might prefer to talk without the interruptions of a squealing ten-year-old. So how are you?’
April yanked the lead to stop Dexter launching himself at Tara again and said, ‘Maybe we should start walking.’
‘OK, but let’s stay within sight of the car park for now. Faith shouldn’t be long.’
As they made their way down a sloping hill to the footpath that followed the banks of the Mersey, Tara expected April to explain what was behind her invitation to take a Sunday stroll, but instead she asked, ‘How’s the house move going?’
‘We’re on target to complete contracts by early December,’ Tara replied, rubbing her jaw. It had been aching for days and she suspected she was grinding her teeth in her sleep. ‘Six weeks and counting.’
‘I’m so happy for you,’ April said, but her voice cracked. Recovering quickly, she added, ‘Are the girls excited yet?’
‘We’re making progress of sorts. Molly made me an offer the other night that I couldn’t refuse.’
As April turned to Tara, she held up a hand to shield her face from the low sun. Dark shadows bruised her eyes. ‘Why do you make it sound like that’s a bad thing?’
‘We had a bit of a conundrum with the new house,’ Tara began. ‘Of the two bedrooms for the girls, one is a double and the other a tiny box room. Iain suggested they draw straws and when Molly won, Lily said she didn’t care, she would go and live with Joanna’s parents. The whole thing was about to degenerate into a family meltdown when Molly quietly suggested that she didn’t mind taking the smaller room if it meant Lily would stay … and if I agreed to get her a dog for Christmas.’
‘Wow, she’s some negotiator.’
‘I’ve told her I’ll only consider getting some sort of pet when we’re settled, and she seems happy with that for now.’
‘And Lily?’ asked April.
‘We’ll see what happens.’
‘It’s the unknown that scares her.’
‘It scares us all,’ Tara replied as they reached the river’s edge. ‘What’s wrong, April?’
Her friend looked across the water towards Ince Marshes where the brutal industrial landscape cut into the horizon. ‘Maybe we should wait for Faith.’
‘Did someone mention my name?’
Dexter had been digging up sods of earth on the embankment, but stopped at the sound of a new voice. His hindquarters tensed as he prepared to launch himself at Faith, who was wearing a full-length woollen coat in a beautiful shade of olive green.
Faith peered at the dog over the rim of her sunglasses. ‘Down!’ she said in a low growl.
Dexter pressed his body to the ground while April’s jaw dropped. ‘Here, you take him,’ she said, offering the leash.
‘Good grief, no. I can’t stand dogs. I’m more of a cat person.’
‘I didn’t know you had any pets,’ April said.
‘I don’t, but if I had to choose, it would be a cat. They seem less needy.’
‘You make a good point,’ Tara said as she watched Dexter slink away from Faith to hide behind April. His lower half was caked in mud and he no longer looked like a teddy bear that anyone would want to cuddle. Perhaps she should have brought Molly with her.
‘Which way should we go?’ asked April when Dexter resumed tugging on his leash.
They had the option of walking upriver for a closer view of the bridges spanning the Mersey at Runcorn, but Tara turned her back on the sun, and they set off on the path that skirted the edge of the pasture and led to an ancient duck decoy cut out of the salt marshes to attract water fowl. ‘We might be able to spot Hale lighthouse across the marshes.’
‘I imagine this would be quite a nice route for a jog,’ said Faith.
‘You’re taking up running?’ asked April.
‘No, I meant for you,’ Faith replied. ‘You seemed very interested in Nick’s fitness regime. I thought you two might have formulated a plan by now.’
Faith’s comment sounded innocent, but Tara picked up an undertone. Did she think there was something developing between the group’s newest members? Tara had seen April and Nick talking after the last meeting, but when she had gone over to join them, April had looked relieved to have the extra company. If there was any interest, it was one-sided.
‘He hasn’t been pestering you, has he?’ asked Tara.
April’s laugh held no mirth. ‘No. And how could he? He doesn’t have my number.’
‘But he—’ Faith snapped her mouth shut before she could finish her sentence.
‘What?’ demanded Tara. ‘You didn’t give it to him, did you?’
‘Of course not,’ she said. It wasn’t often that Faith was wrong-footed, but she sounded unsure when she added, ‘He mentioned setting up a WhatsApp group, that’s all, and I presumed you’d all swapped numbers.’
‘He never mentioned it to me. Do you think he needs more support than a monthly meet-up?’ asked Tara. ‘According to Justine, his only family is one sister. Could he be reaching out?’
‘He’s not shown any interest in going over to the pub whenever Steve’s asked,’ April said. ‘I get the impression he’s the type who prefers women’s company.’
Tara was inclined to agree. Nick did appear more at ease talking to the female members of the group, in fact she could remember him making a point of saying goodbye to Faith. She could see Nick with his phone in his hand. ‘Did he ask you for your number, Faith?’
She huffed rather than give an answer. ‘Was there a point to coming out today? I thought you had some news for us, April.’
When April dug her hand into her pocket, Dexter’s ears pricked at the rustle of the treat bag, but the object she pulled out was smooth and white.
‘I found this on Jason’s grave,’ she said, unfurling her fingers.
The three women stopped to gather around April’s open palm. Her hand shook, not least because Dexter had lost interest in them and was straining on his leash again.
‘Here give me that,’ Faith said, taking the leash and yanking it hard. ‘Hey, you!’
Dexter froze immediately. The leash relaxed.
‘Come here, sit down, and be quiet.’
The dog crept towards her, tail between his legs.
‘I said sit!’
White crescent moons rimmed the dog’s eyes as he sat down and gazed up at Faith. For the moment at least, they could concentrate on the object in April’s trembling hand.
‘What is it?’ asked Tara.
April lifted the stone between her finger and thumb and turned it from side to side so it caught the light. ‘It’s a heart,’ she said. ‘I found it on Jason’s grave. Someone had hidden it there.’
‘Can