‘You are so kind, Reginald.’ Agatha let out a small sob. ‘It’s just that, with Charles gone, I’m shouldering the responsibility for the girls all alone.’

‘And I’m sure you’re doing an admirable job, my dear. Leave it with me. I’ll get my officers to look into it again, and be assured, if there is any wrongdoing, I’ll throw the book at him.’

Milly decided to bike up to Muntham Court. She was a little nervous, so was almost relieved when she’d knocked on the door, and thought no one was in. The place looked deserted. The gardens were badly in need of weeding, and the fishpond outside the front door was overgrown with algae. She walked around the back and tried the French windows, but they were locked. When she peered through them, the sitting room looked rather bare. Most of the furniture was gone. Her mother must be having the room decorated. Milly turned back to fetch her bicycle. As she reached the front again, a first-floor window flew up and Pearl leaned out. ‘Oh, it’s you. What do you want?’

‘I thought I’d come and see you, that’s all,’ said Milly.

‘What for?’

‘No reason. We’re still family, aren’t we?’

Pearl said nothing.

‘Aren’t you going to invite me in then?’

Her sister’s head disappeared, and the window was slammed shut. A few minutes later, Pearl opened the front door. She looked unkempt and dishevelled. Her hair was badly in need of a wash and, despite the fact that it was four in the afternoon, she was still in her dressing gown.

‘Are you all right?’ Milly asked as she followed her inside.

‘I’m fine,’ Pearl snapped.

Milly knew she was going to have to stay calm if she was going to build bridges.

Pearl walked towards the kitchen. ‘Do you want some tea?’

Milly was surprised at her sister’s offer – she had no idea Pearl even knew how to make tea. ‘That would be nice.’

Her sister busied herself filling the kettle.

‘Mrs Cunningham’s day off?’ asked Milly.

‘Mrs Cunningham left,’ said Pearl. Her voice had an edge to it. ‘So did all the others. We have to fend for ourselves now.’ It came as a bit of a shock, but Milly kept quiet. If she responded, Pearl was bound to work everything up until they had a row. ‘Mother and I are as poor as church mice these days,’ she said, slamming the kettle onto the stove.

‘How are you enjoying married life?’ Milly said, changing the subject.

She saw her sister stiffen. ‘It’s all right. You know I lost a baby?’

‘I guessed,’ said Milly, ‘and I’m truly sorry.’

She rose to her feet with the intention of giving her sister a hug, but Pearl deliberately moved away. Milly sat down again and fiddled with the tablecloth. ‘I think I saw your Freddie on a bicycle near Shoreham the other day.’

‘My husband is very keen on keeping fit,’ Pearl said haughtily. ‘He cycles all over the place, sometimes miles a day.’

‘Very commendable,’ Milly remarked.

‘It’s a German thing,’ said Pearl. ‘In his country, every young person is expected to exercise.’ She placed the tea in front of Milly just as they heard the sound of a car coming into the driveway. ‘That’ll be Mother,’ Pearl said casually.

Milly took a deep breath. Her heartbeat quickened as fast as her courage melted. This was a bad idea. A very bad idea.

An hour or so later, Milly was close to tears. She looked around the room. It was very dark, and the only furniture was a bare table and two tubular steel chairs with canvas seats. The room itself was quiet, but beyond the doors she could hear someone shouting and the sound of banging doors. This couldn’t be happening. It was like some horrible dream and yet it was real. The room smelled damp and of stale cigarette smoke. Milly was in Thurloe House, the bleak Victorian building that housed Worthing police station.

When she’d heard the car on the driveway at Muntham Court, both she and Pearl had thought it was their mother coming back home. It wasn’t. It was a police car and, what was more, the officers inside were looking for her. Apparently, they still had Muntham Court listed as her last known address.

Pearl had invited the two officers in, and they were in the process of introducing themselves as Milly came out of the kitchen. ‘Which one of you is Millicent Shepherd?’

Pearl pointed to her sister and Milly said, ‘I am.’

‘Millicent Shepherd,’ the more senior of the two began, ‘my name is Detective Sergeant Bradley, and this is my colleague Constable Brown. We wish to question you in connection with the wolf at Worthing Wonderland.’

Pearl gasped. The detective ignored her. ‘We can either do it here,’ he continued, ‘or you can accompany us back to the station.’

‘You can’t do it here,’ Pearl said quickly. ‘My husband would have a fit.’

‘Worthing police station it is, then,’ said Bradley.

Gobsmacked, Milly stared in disbelief. As they led her to the car, she heard Pearl snigger behind her back. ‘Thanks so much for coming,’ she said.

As soon as Milly arrived at the police station, she was brought into the room where she now was and, shortly afterwards, Detective Bradley and another officer, whose name she couldn’t remember, had questioned her about the capture of Seebold’s so-called wolf. Milly had answered their questions as honestly as she could, then they left the room, telling her to wait. So she’d waited. And waited.

She glanced up at the clock on the wall. Mrs Doughton, her landlady, would be wondering where she’d got to. A few minutes later, the door burst open, and Detective Bradley stood in the corridor. ‘You can go now, miss,’ he said curtly.

Milly rose to her feet. ‘You’re not charging me with anything?’ she said weakly.

‘Not at the moment,’ said Bradley, ‘but you are still under investigation. Inspector Young has vouched for you but we’ve got your sister, and her boyfriend has told us everything.’

‘My sister . . .’ Milly began.

‘They’ve both been charged,’ Bradley continued.

‘Charged with what?’ Milly cried helplessly. ‘They didn’t do anything.’

Bradley had a sceptical expression on his face. ‘That will be for the courts to decide,’ he said, ‘but for now, we’ve charged them with wasting police time.’

Chapter 26

When Freddie saw the newspaper headline, his blood ran cold, but he managed to keep his rising panic under control. Pearl and Agatha were sitting at the breakfast table with him, and he didn’t want to let them see that he was rattled.

‘More tea, Freddie?’

‘No thank you, Mother-in-Law,’ he said casually as he shook the paper ready to fold it again. ‘I’m going down to the darkroom to develop some more of my photographs.’

‘I don’t know why you can’t send them to the chemist,’ Pearl murmured in a disgruntled tone. ‘It would be a lot less hassle.’

He reached out and patted her hand. ‘But not nearly as enjoyable, my dear.’

He rubbed his forefinger along her palm before she managed to snatch her hand away.

Freddie rose to his feet. ‘I shan’t be in to lunch. I’m going for a bike ride.’