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CHAPTER TWO

PRESENT DAY: SATURDAY MORNING

W ith each stride, Ana’s mind became clearer and more resolute. She’d made it, and there was no going back. Then, as the sunlight caressed her skin, she took a deep breath of the warm air and steeled herself to think only of her future. With each stride after that, she felt more in command. Ana’s clear brown eyes scanned the concrete tower block and landed on the fourth-floor window. She smiled. It was ideal. Across the street stood an identical building. Its grey concrete galloped up to the clouds. Yes, it was more than ideal; it was perfect.

‘They make ’em too high if you ask me,’ said the estate agent approaching her. ‘Ana Rawlins?’ he asked.

She nodded. ‘Great views, though.’

‘If you’ve got a head for heights.’ He pulled a key from his pocket and opened the main doors to the smart foyer. There was a click, and the place was flooded with light. It smelt of polish and someone’s floral perfume. The black and white tiled floor was spotless.

‘Cleaners come twice a week. All part of the maintenance,’ he explained. ‘All included in the rent. The security light stays on for two minutes. Long enough to reach the lift, but there’s another button by the lift doors.’ He turned to her. ‘Sure you don’t want to see the flat on the first floor. Unfurnished and slightly cheaper.’

Ana shook her head. ‘I like a good view,’ she said, and the fourth floor would give her precisely the view she wanted.

The estate agent noticed she barely looked around the flat or took in the tasteful décor and furnishings. Instead, she went to the window and looked at the block across the street. The fourth-floor window of the opposite flat had pretty curtains with tiebacks, embellishing the window like a picture frame.

‘Like a goldfish bowl. You need to remember that,’ he said, standing beside her. ‘You can see right in here from over there.’ He leaned in like he was about to share a secret with her. ‘There was this story in the paper about this guy who was stalking some girl from a flat window. Took photos of her undressing using one of those long lenses.’

‘I didn’t read it,’ she said absently. I wonder if she’s home , Ana thought. Probably not.

‘All the same, best to get nets,’ he advised.

‘I’ll take it,’ she said, turning from the window.

He raised his eyebrows. ‘But you haven’t seen the other rooms.’

‘It’s exactly what I want. I’ve been waiting for a flat like this.’ She’d waited long enough, and now the time had come.