The Family

by Mandasue Heller

Genres: Amateur Sleuth; Suspense

Synopsis

HER BOYFRIEND'S A DREAM. HIS FAMILY'S A NIGHTMARE.

Since her mother died of an overdose, kind-hearted Cheryl's always had to look out for herself. Until Dale Moran walks into her life.

Dale and his family have just bought the house across the street, and within a day, he's chased off the violent thugs who've been threatening Cheryl for her ex-boyfriend's debts.

Dale is devastatingly handsome and a fierce protector. It's no wonder Cheryl falls fast and hard. But when Cheryl finally meets the family; when she notices that they go quiet as she enters rooms; when she hears gunshots in the middle of the night on their estate, she has to wonder whether her new romance has taken her out of the frying pan and into the fire...

Cheryl's not sure how wrapped up Dale is in his family's secrets. But she's certain of one thing: The Morans are hiding something. And unfortunately for Cheryl, finding the truth could mean losing her life...

Don't miss out on the thrilling and unputdownable new read from million-copy-bestselling author Mandasue Heller - order a copy of The Family NOW! Perfect for fans of Kimberley Chambers, Jessie Keane and Martina Cole.

Read what everyone is saying about The Family:

'Wow wow wow! Mandasue had some serious fire in her belly and her twisted mind was on point when she wrote this book... I did not want this book to end!' Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'This mind-blowing read has it all for me. LOVED IT!!!' Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Mandasue Heller is back!! Absolutely loved every minute of The Family, and what a family it was!!!... I didn't want it to end.' Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Wow what an amazing book, I have loved of her previous books but this is on another level.' Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Gritty, compelling and extremely difficult to put down... An absolutely brilliant book which I adored from beginning to end.' Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Wow what a cracker!... The dynamics of the family are so believable that you can imagine how easy it is for this to happen. Excellent ending too.' Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Wow what a page turning read!' Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'This was amazing!!! From the very first chapter all the way to the end. Didn't actually guess any of the twists that happened in this... what an amazing author she is.' Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release date: February 10, 2025

Publisher: Orion

Print pages: 368

Sample

It had been a busy day at The Bluebell Café, but the takings didn’t reflect that when Cheryl Taylor cashed up after showing her last customer out. Most of her regulars were elderly, and she knew they came for the companionship and warmth; but them nursing a single cup of tea for hours on end wasn’t good business, and the owner was already hinting that he might have to shut up shop if things didn’t improve. A lot of the other units had already closed, and the once vibrant market hall was beginning to feel like a ghost town as customers deserted it in favour of the newly renovated Arndale Centre. But she hadn’t lost her job yet, and she didn’t want to add the worry of that to her existing list of woes, so she pushed it out of her mind and got on with cleaning up before heading home.

It was dark and bitterly cold when Cheryl stepped off the bus after a hellish ride through rush-hour traffic, and she kept her head down and her hand firmly on the strap of her bag as she hurried past the high-rise flats that lined the perimeter of the Langley estate. She’d lived there for ten years, but this particular part had too many hiding places where muggers were known to lie in wait, so she was always cautious about walking through there at night.

Relieved to reach her own road on the more well-lit side of the estate, she glanced over at the derelict house on the corner when she noticed that the For Sale sign that had been standing in the jungle-like front garden was gone. The sole survivor of the privately owned Victorian villas that had once dominated the area, it had been left to rot following the death of its elderly owner three years earlier, and a gang of youths had been using it as a hang-out for the last few months, causing havoc for the residents as they raced around on stolen motorbikes at all hours – and threatening anyone who dared to confront them.

Hoping that someone had bought the place and the troublemakers would be cleared out, Cheryl walked on to her next-door neighbour Bob Baker’s house. His front door swung open as soon as she touched it and she shook her head in despair as she stepped inside. She was forever telling him to keep it locked, especially now it was getting dark so much earlier; but the stubborn old bugger seemed to think he was still young and fit enough to fight off potential intruders.

Bob was sitting in his battered armchair next to the blazing fire when she popped her head around the living room door. His mangy old cat, Cyril, was curled up on his lap, and the TV was blaring.

‘Bloody hell, Bob!’ She covered her ears with her hands. ‘That’s deafening!’

‘Sorry, love.’ He grabbed the remote and quickly muted the TV. ‘A load of workmen have been in Edna’s place making a racket, so I had to turn it up.’

‘Yeah, I noticed the sign was gone. Has it been sold, then?’

‘Looks like it, aye. A couple turned up this afternoon and took a look around.’

‘What were they like?’

‘No idea, but they had a lovely motor.’

‘Trust you to notice the car but not the people.’ Cheryl tutted. ‘Typical man.’

‘Couldn’t help it; it was a beauty,’ Bob chuckled. ‘So, how’s your day been?’

‘Not great. But that’s good for you, ’cos there were loads of butties left over.’

‘Thanks, love. What do I owe you?’

It was the same question he asked every day, and Cheryl gave the same answer as always in return: ‘Nothing. They’d only have gone in the bin if I hadn’t brought them home.’

‘There’s more than usual,’ Bob remarked, raking through the contents of the bag. ‘It’ll take me a week to get through this lot.’

‘I’m sure Cyril will help you,’ Cheryl said, watching as the cat sniffed the air before stiffly standing up.

‘What would we do without you, eh?’ Bob said, pulling a chunk of tuna out of one of the sandwiches and feeding it to Cyril.

‘It’s my pleasure,’ Cheryl replied, patting his bony shoulder when she saw the gratitude in his eyes. He’d been an active man when she first moved in, always out and about doing odd jobs for the neighbours and looking in on the older ones. In his seventies now, with his health in decline, he rarely ventured past the doorstep, and she knew he probably wouldn’t speak to another human for days on end if she didn’t call in on him each evening. Making a snap decision to stay a little longer than usual, she said, ‘Fancy a brew, Bob?’

‘I’d love one,’ he said. ‘But I don’t want to keep you if you need to get home to Chris.’

‘We split up six months ago,’ she reminded him as she slipped her coat off.

‘Did you?’ He frowned. ‘I could have sworn I saw him going into yours earlier.’

‘I doubt that, seeing as I took his keys off him when I kicked him out,’ Cheryl muttered, her jaw clenching at the memory of the day she had arrived home early from work and caught her boyfriend of four years screwing one of her so-called friends. A lot more had come out after that, and she’d been shocked to learn that he had not only cheated several other times, but had also been helping himself to her money and taking out loans in her name – some of which she was paying off even now.

Still furious with herself for ignoring the red flags that she would have seen in a heartbeat if it had been one of her friends’ boyfriends acting the way Chris had, Cheryl determinedly pushed him out of her mind and laid her coat over the back of the sofa before heading to the kitchen. It was the same layout as her own, with the same beige units and cheap council lino; but that was where any similarity ended, and she stared around in shock after switching the light on. The ledges were barely visible beneath mounds of rubbish, the dishes in the sink were immersed in a pool of slimy liquid, and there were so many bin bags piled up behind the back door, it would be impossible to escape if there was a fire at the front of the house.

Bob was a proud man and she didn’t want to offend him by offering to clean up, but it was obvious he needed help, and she wondered if she ought to ring social services and ask them to send somebody over to check on him. Or, better still, she could track down his waste-of-space daughter and tell her to do something. The selfish cow lived nearby, but she only ever showed her face when she wanted a handout – and she was always in and out within seconds, so she never spent any quality time with him.

‘You OK in there, love?’ Bob called out from the living room, breaking into her thoughts.

‘I’m fine,’ Cheryl called back. ‘Won’t be a tick.’

Sighing, she swallowed her revulsion and gingerly plucked two cups out of the swamp.

Bob had been in a talkative mood and his voice was still ringing in Cheryl’s head when she got home an hour later. Her house was freezing, but she was already dreading her next gas bill, so she decided to watch TV in bed rather than put the heating on.

The doorbell rang as she was about to make her way upstairs, and she was surprised to see her best friend, Anna Johnson, standing outside when she peeped through the spyhole.

‘What are you doing here?’ Cheryl asked, opening the door. ‘I thought you were going out with Sean tonight?’

‘He’s dumped me,’ Anna said, bringing a blast of icy air in with her when she stepped inside.

‘Why?’ Cheryl ushered her into the living room and switched the light on. ‘I thought it was going well between you.’

‘So did I, but he obviously thought different,’ Anna said, flopping onto the sofa.

‘What happened?’ Cheryl perched beside her.

‘He was supposed to meet me in town, but he didn’t turn up,’ Anna explained. ‘His phone kept going to voicemail when I tried to ring him, and I started to get worried that he might have had a crash or something. But just as I was about to ring round the hospitals, he texted saying he wasn’t coming ’cos everything’s moving too fast and he thinks we need a break.’

‘I’m sorry, babe,’ Cheryl sympathised, reaching out to squeeze her hand. ‘But at least he hasn’t finished it completely, so there’s still a chance he’ll change his mind.’

‘I just don’t get what I did wrong,’ Anna replied miserably. ‘Why do the nice ones always end up ghosting me? I’m not that bad, am I?’

‘Of course not,’ Cheryl assured her. ‘And Sean hasn’t ghosted you, so don’t write him off. I’m sure he’ll get in touch when he’s had a chance to think things over.’

‘Well, he’d best not take too long about it, or he might find I’ve moved on,’ Anna huffed. ‘I could walk into any club in town right now and have at least ten guys’ numbers by closing time.’

‘But they’re not the type of men you want,’ said Cheryl. ‘And if you went with someone to get back at Sean, I guarantee you’d regret it.’

‘I know,’ Anna conceded, sighing as she reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of vodka. ‘Oh well, there’s nothing I can do about it tonight ’cos he’s turned his phone off, so go get some glasses and let’s get hammered.’

‘I’ll get one for you, but I’m having tea,’ Cheryl said. ‘I’ve got work in the morning.’

‘One shot won’t kill you,’ Anna insisted. ‘And you can’t let me drink alone at a time like this.’

‘OK, I’ll have one,’ Cheryl agreed. ‘But then I’m going to bed.’

‘We’ll see,’ Anna said, grinning as she twisted the lid off the bottle and raised it to her lips.

Cheryl was woken by the piercing beeps of a reversing vehicle, followed by doors slamming and loud male voices. She groped for her phone on the bedside table and groaned when she saw that it was only 6.30 a.m.

‘What’s all the noise?’ a voice croaked.

Shocked, Cheryl twisted her head round and stared at the lump on the other side of the bed. ‘Bloody hell, Anna!’ she gasped when her friend’s bleary face emerged from under the quilt. ‘You scared the life out of me.’

‘Time is it?’ Anna asked.

‘Half six,’ Cheryl said, dropping her feet to the floor and grabbing her dressing gown before heading to the window to see who was making all the noise.

In the dawn light, a group of men in overalls were unloading machinery from the back of a van parked outside the empty house across the road. Annoyed that they weren’t even trying to be quiet about it, she was about to open the window and yell at them to keep it down, when a sleek BMW with tinted windows turned the corner and pulled in behind the van. She guessed that it must be the car Bob had mentioned, because no one on the Langley had the kind of money to afford a flashy motor like that.

Curious, she rested her elbows on the windowsill and watched as a dark-haired, middle-aged man climbed out of the driver’s side door and walked over to the workmen. Unable to see his face when he stood with his back to her, she switched her gaze back to the car when the passenger door opened and a blonde woman wearing a full-length fur coat and high-heeled boots stepped out and looked around.

‘Who’s that?’ Anna asked, coming up behind her and peering over her shoulder.

‘I think they’ve bought the old house,’ Cheryl said.

‘They must have more money than sense,’ Anna sneered. ‘It’s falling to bits.’

‘Bob reckons it’s huge inside, so it’ll be worth a bomb if they do it up.’

‘Not round here, it won’t. No offence, babe, but you’ve got to admit it’s a shithole.’

‘Don’t be cheeky.’

‘Not my fault I’ve got higher standards than you,’ Anna said, yawning loudly as she stretched her arms above her head. ‘Anything to eat? I’m starving.’

‘No.’ Cheryl straightened up. ‘But I’ll make you something if you come to the café.’

‘Nah, you’re all right, I’ll go to my mum’s and get her to make me a spinach smoothie,’ Anna said, patting her flat stomach. ‘Need to shift this lard now I’m single again.’

‘Behave,’ Cheryl snorted. ‘You’ll disappear if you get any thi—’

‘Oh my frickin’ God!’ Anna pushed past her and peered through the window. ‘Who is that?’

Cheryl followed her gaze and saw a younger, more handsome version of the BMW’s driver talking to the woman.

‘Maybe their son?’

‘Well, if he’s your new neighbour, get ready for a lodger, ’cos he is fit as fuck.’

‘Oh, so you’d leave your posh, rent-free flat to live in this shithole, would you?’ Cheryl teased.

‘If that was going to be my view every morning, you’re dead right I would!’ Anna gushed.

As if sensing that he was being watched, the man suddenly turned his head and scanned the windows on Cheryl’s side of the road.

‘Shit!’ Anna ducked as if he’d aimed a gun at her. ‘D’you think he saw me?’

‘Doubt it, it’s too dark in here,’ Cheryl said, pulling the curtains shut and switching the light on. ‘Hey!’ she protested when Anna jumped up and rushed to the door. ‘Don’t be hogging the bathroom. I need to get ready for work.’

‘Won’t be long,’ Anna called back over her shoulder. ‘Put the kettle on while you’re waiting.’

‘You’re a cheeky cow,’ Cheryl muttered.

‘Love you too,’ Anna trilled, slamming the bathroom door shut.

The BMW was still parked outside when Cheryl and Anna left the house a short time later. It was fully light by then, and the fur-coated woman was sitting in the passenger seat of the car, with the window rolled down and her mobile phone pressed to her ear.

‘Size of that rock,’ Anna whispered, nudging Cheryl when a beam of sunlight glinted off a diamond ring on the woman’s finger. ‘Bet it cost more than the house and car put together.’

Cheryl glanced over, but immediately wished she hadn’t when the woman glared at her.

Anna caught the look, but instead of averting her gaze, as Cheryl had, she smiled and waggled her fingers, yelling: ‘Morning!’

‘Pack it in,’ Cheryl hissed as the woman fired another eye-dagger in their direction.

‘Only introducing myself to my future mother-in-law,’ Anna quipped.

‘Rather you than me,’ Cheryl muttered. ‘She looks like a right bitch.’

‘A rich bitch,’ Anna countered. ‘Which means my new hubby will be too.’

‘I see you’ve got over Sean, then?’ Cheryl teased.

‘Sean who?’ Anna grinned, linking arms with her as they walked on.

In the back of the BMW, unaware that his mother, Sonia, had finished her call and was watching him in the vanity mirror as she reapplied her lipstick, Dale Moran twisted his head to watch the blonde and the redhead disappear around the corner.

‘Stop ogling those girls and go get your father,’ Sonia ordered.

‘He’s busy,’ Dale said, nodding to the porch of the house, where his dad was talking to one of the workmen.

‘Well, tell him to get a move on,’ Sonia snapped. ‘We’ve only got half an hour to get to the airport.’

‘All right, keep your hair on,’ Dale muttered, pushing his door open and wearily climbing out. He’d had a late night and could have done without being woken at 5 a.m. with the news that some relative he’d never heard of had died and his parents needed him to take them to the airport. Thankfully, his dad had insisted on driving there, giving him a chance to sober up before the return journey, but he couldn’t wait to get home and go back to bed.

‘About time!’ Sonia said when her husband, Alfie, followed Dale back to the car a few minutes later. ‘I was starting to think you were deliberately trying to make us late.’

‘Chill out,’ he drawled, settling into the driver’s seat. ‘We’ve got plenty of time.’

‘In whose universe is twenty-five minutes plenty of time?’ Sonia argued. ‘What if we hit traffic, or there’s a delay checking in, or—’

Sighing, Dale stuffed his AirPods into his ears and turned up the volume of the music to drown out the sound of her voice.

Exhausted after another long day at the café, Cheryl was looking forward to a bath and an early night, so she wasn’t pleased to hear the whine of drills and the thudding of hammers coming from the old house when she got home that evening. Lights were blazing behind the windows, and she could see workmen moving around inside. As she was passing, one of them came outside and lit a cigarette, and she glowered at him when he raised his hand in greeting.

After dropping off the leftovers she’d brought back for Bob, she went home and scooped up the letters that were scattered on the mat behind the door. She skimmed through them as she made her way into the kitchen, but they all looked like bills, so she shoved them, unopened, into the drawer with the rest and then switched the kettle on.

Suddenly, there was the sound of pounding on the front door. Her heart leapt into her throat when the letter box flapped open and a man called: ‘Open up! It’s payment time!’

Stomach churning, Cheryl flipped the light off and crouched in the shadows at the side of the fridge.

A few seconds later, a different, more aggressive voice called: ‘No point hiding, bitch; we saw you going in. Now get this door open or I’ll kick it in. You’ve got ten seconds!’

Cheryl covered her ears with her hands, terrified when more heavy booms followed. A few seconds later, the banging suddenly stopped, and she heard raised voices outside, some of which sounded foreign.

Curious to know what was going on, she crept to the front door and peered through the spyhole. The loan shark whose voice she had recognised, and a younger, more muscular-looking man, were having a heated discussion with the workmen from across the road, but they were all shouting over each other, so she couldn’t understand what they were saying.

As she watched, the BMW she’d seen that morning pulled up across the road, and a wave of shame washed over her when the man whom she presumed to be the new owners’ son climbed out and looked over. It was bad enough that Anna had made a show of her in front of his mother that morning, but now her new neighbours would think she was the kind of person who borrowed money and didn’t pay it back.

Dale had heard the commotion as he turned the corner, and he frowned when he saw that his dad’s workmen were involved. Pretty sure that it was the house he’d seen the girls coming out of that morning, he walked over and asked the crew leader, Jakub, who was standing at the back of the group, what was going on.

‘Alek went for smoke and saw girl go into house,’ Jakub told him. ‘Then two men came and start to kick door, so we come to make sure she is safe. They say they have warrant, but they refuse to show us, so—’

‘We’re court-appointed officials,’ a voice bellowed from the other side of the group. ‘And you boat-rats had better back the fuck off before I get you all deported!’

Dale narrowed his eyes and pushed his way past the workmen. Smiling slyly when he came face to face with Kenny Doyle, he said, ‘Thought I recognised that voice. Up to your old tricks again, are you, Ken?’

‘Who the fuck are you?’ the younger man demanded, squaring up to him.

‘Your worst nightmare if you don’t get out of my face,’ Dale replied coolly.

‘That supposed to be some kind of threat?’ the man sneered.

‘Why don’t you test me and find out?’ Dale challenged.

‘Leave it!’ Kenny hissed, eyeing Dale warily as he pushed the lad towards the gate. ‘We’ll come back another time.’

‘No you won’t,’ Dale said, switching his gaze back to Kenny. ‘This is our patch now, and there’ll be trouble if I see you around here again. Understood?’

‘Loud and clear,’ Kenny mumbled.

‘What the fuck?’ The younger man stared at Kenny in disbelief. ‘Don’t tell me you’re gonna let this ponce push you around? We might be outnumbered, but I’ll take the whole lot of ’em on if I have to.’

‘Shut your mouth and get back to the van,’ Kenny barked. Then, turning to Dale, his tone deferential, he said, ‘Sorry for the misunderstanding, son. Give my regards to your dad.’

‘Will do,’ Dale said. ‘Oh, and I’ll tell your clients the debt’s wiped while I’m at it, shall I?’

‘Absolutely,’ Kenny agreed.

Dale watched as the man scuttled away and hopped into a small van that was parked a few doors down. He had no idea how much the girls owed, but he hoped it was a lot, because Kenny Doyle was a parasite who preyed on the weak and vulnerable, and he welcomed any chance to deprive the bastard of his ill-gotten gains.

After the van had gone, Dale sent the workmen back to the house and then knocked on the door. When no answer came, he peered through the letter box. The house was in darkness and he couldn’t hear anyone moving around, but Jakub reckoned at least one of the girls had gone inside before Kenny and his goon had turned up, so he figured she was probably hiding.

‘If you can hear me, my name’s Dale and I’m from the house across the road,’ he called into the hallway. ‘I just wanted to check you’re OK and let you know that Kenny’s gone and—’

The door creaked open before he could go on, and he straightened up when the red-headed girl he’d seen that morning peered out at him warily through the crack.

‘Hi, I’m Dale from—’

‘Across the road,’ she finished for him as she looked out over his shoulder. ‘Has he really gone?’

‘Yeah, and he won’t be coming back,’ Dale assured her. ‘He told me to tell you the debt’s wiped.’

‘What?’ She looked confused. ‘He’s been hassling me for weeks, so why would he drop it just like that?’

‘I guess his conscience got the better of him.’ Dale shrugged.

‘I find that hard to believe,’ she said bitterly. ‘I’ve told him the debt’s my ex’s not mine, but he doesn’t care. He said it’s attached to the house not the person, so I’ve got to pay it.’

‘He’s talking shit to scare you into paying. But you shouldn’t have any more trouble from him now I’ve had a word.’

‘I hope not.’

Dale could see that she was unconvinced and took one of his business cards out of his wallet. ‘Here, take my number. You won’t need it, because that clown knows better than to mess with me; but feel free to call me if you think you see him hanging around.’

‘Thanks.’ She slipped the card into her pocket. ‘And can you thank the other men for me, as well? That thug would have kicked the door in if they hadn’t come over.’

‘No problem,’ Dale said, glancing at his watch. ‘I’m supposed to be somewhere, so I’d best get going. Are you sure you’re OK?’

‘Yeah, I’m fine. And I’m Cheryl, by the way.’

‘Nice to meet you, Cheryl.’ Dale winked at her. ‘Catch you later.’

Cheeks on fire, Cheryl closed the door and watched through the spyhole as Dale crossed the road and climbed into his car. Releasing a tense breath when he’d gone, she rested her forehead against the cold wood. She hoped to God he was right about it being over with the loan shark, because she could barely afford her own bills, never mind being stuck with Chris’s debts as well. If she’d had any idea where the bastard was living, she would happily have given his address to those men for landing her in the shit. But the last she’d heard he had moved down south to leech off some girl he’d met on a dating site, so it looked like he had got away with it.

Swallowing the bitter taste that always flooded her mouth at the thought of Chris, Cheryl went back to the kitchen. As she waited for the kettle to re-boil, she slid the card out of her pocket and gazed at the emblem of a black bird on a silver background. It read: BLACK SWAN INC, followed by Dale’s name and mobile number, and she smiled to herself as she traced the embossed lettering with her fingertips. He was very handsome up close, with a lovely smile and twinkly eyes. His voice was nice too, with the hint of another, softer accent overlaying the Mancunian twang; and his suit had looked as expensive as his aftershave had smelled.

A thrill rippled through her stomach when she recalled the way he’d winked at her, but she quickly shook any notion that it had meant anything out of her head. Men like him didn’t go for girls like her, not when there were beauties like Anna to choose from. In fact, it was probably Anna he’d been hoping to see when she opened the door, she guessed, and he had only been nice to her in the hopes that she would put in a good word for him.

Sure that she was right, Cheryl dropped the card into the drawer with the bills and finished making her brew.

Dale drove over to the family antiques shop in Didsbury. The shutters were down, but his older brother Stefan’s car was sitting outside, so he parked up beside it and rapped on the door.

‘You’re late,’ Stefan chided, giving him a disapproving look when he opened up.

‘I got waylaid,’ Dale said, handing over the package his father had asked him to drop off as he stepped inside. ‘I called in at the new house and ran into Kenny Doyle and his muscle putting the frighteners on a girl across the road.’

‘I thought he was dead,’ Stefan said, carrying the package to the office at the rear of the shop.

‘Not yet, but he will be if I catch him round there again,’ Dale replied, weaving around a pile of dusty old furniture as he followed. ‘Where’s this shit from?’

‘House clearance,’ Stefan said over his shoulder as he opened the safe and placed the package inside. ‘I know it looks like junk, but it’ll fetch a fair price once I’ve cleaned it up.’

‘If you say so,’ Dale scoffed, pushing his cuff back to look at his watch. ‘Hurry up, mate. I need to get moving before my date does a runner.’

‘You’ve got a date?’ Stefan raised an eyebrow as he took an envelope stuffed with money out of the safe and passed it to him. ‘Does Caroline know?’

‘What’s it got to do with her?’ Dale frowned.

‘Aren’t you back together?’ Stefan asked. ‘I’m sure Estelle said she saw you with her last week.’

Irritated to think that his sister-in-law had been spying on him and reporting back to his brother, Dale said, ‘I wasn’t with her. She turned up when I was at the gym – like the bunny boiler she is.’

‘So who’s the date?’ Stefan asked, lifting his jacket off the back of the chair.

‘No idea,’ Dale admitted. ‘She reckons I asked her out at the club after I split with Caz, but I must have been pissed, ’cos I’d totally forgotten about it till she messaged this afternoon asking where I wanted to meet up.’

‘And you’re still going? What if she’s a freak?’

‘She’s actually pretty hot,’ Dale said, taking out his phone to show his brother the photo attached to the WhatsApp message he’d received from the girl.

Stefan glanced at it and shrugged. ‘She’s OK, I suppose. But she’s no Caroline.’

‘What is it with you and my ex?’ Dale scowled. ‘Does Estelle know you’ve got a thing for her?’

‘Don’t be stupid,’ Stefan protested. ‘I only—’

‘I’m out of here,’ Dale said, cutting the conversation dead. ‘See you later.’

‘Are you still coming over for dinner next week?’ Stefan called after him as he walked out through the shop. But Dale continued on his way without answering.

A wailing alarm wormed its way into her dream and woke Cheryl, who had fallen asleep watching a film. Disorientated, she got up and stumbled over to the window, praying that it wasn’t a fire, because if one house on the block went up in flames, the rest would quickly follow.

No smoke was coming from any of the neighbouring houses, but she noticed the alarm box on the wall of the house across the road flashing. Afraid that the gang might have broken back in after the workmen had left, she was contemplating whether to get Dale’s card and give him a call, when the man himself rushed out of the front door and jogged across the road. Her stomach flipped when she realised he was heading to her house, and she quickly smoothed her hair and pulled on her dressing gow. . .