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Fiona was about to step into the shower, keen to wash the day from her skin – the prison, the train, all the people she’d been around; dust and dead skin – when the doorbell rang.

She checked the Ring app on her phone and, seeing that her caller was Ethan, experienced something rare: a flutter of fear in her belly. What if Rose had told tales? Spilled the beans about the cookies and the visits to Max’s house?

No – then it would be the police calling.

If she believed Rose was going to betray her, she would have already run.

Killed her and then run.

She put her robe on, leaving it loose around the neck, ensuring a little flesh was on display, and headed down to the front door, flashing back to Friday and the immediate aftermath of Max’s death.

‘I don’t understand,’ Rose said. ‘You told me it was a prank.’

Fiona had brought her home, the two of them hardly speaking on the way back, Fiona telling the girl to save it until they were somewhere private. She had always known this would be the first big test. How would Rose react?

Now she would find out.

‘Are you upset?’ Fiona asked. ‘I mean, do you feel sad about what you saw? About Max dying? Look inside yourself and be honest.’

Rose, who was sitting cross-legged on the rug in Fiona’s living room, shifted around, clearly made uncomfortable by this question.

‘I don’t know,’ Rose said after one of her customary pauses. ‘I don’t know how I feel.’

Fiona had expected that. She needed to give Rose permission to tell her truth. ‘Let me tell you a story,’ she said. ‘Don’t roll your eyes.’

‘Sorry.’

‘It’s not a boring story, I promise. When I was your age, I lived near a beach and used to go there all the time with my mother, some of her friends and their children. I liked swimming and was really good at it. People used to joke that I’d been a dolphin in a previous life, though I preferred to think I’d been a shark.’

She could see she was losing Rose already, so hurried the story on. ‘One day, when I was almost twelve, I went swimming with this girl called Sienna. She was a little bit younger than me, but a real show-off. Always bragging about how great she was at sport, how rich her dad was, blah blah. She drove me nuts.’

‘She sounds a bit like Jasmine,’ Rose said. ‘My old best friend.’

‘Yeah. An annoying little cow, huh?’

Rose laughed.

‘Sienna was the most annoying girl, and this day at the beach she was going on and on about how she had won all the medals at her swimming gala and could swim further and faster than anyone else. So I challenged her. When our mums were busy chatting, I told Sienna I was going to swim out to this buoy that was, like, two hundred metres out, maybe more. I could see she was sceptical, but she couldn’t bear the idea that I was better than her, so she followed me.’

Rose was hooked now, waiting to see what would happen.

‘I’m sure she thought I would stop and turn back before we reached the buoy, but we kept going. I just wanted to prove I was better than her. I didn’t know she’d get a cramp. That she’d go under. I didn’t even notice at first. She was behind me and I was exhilarated, knowing I was going to beat her to the buoy and shut her up. When I turned back and couldn’t see her I was confused. Then I saw her, thrashing in the water. Going under. By the time I got to her, it was too late.’

‘She drowned?’

Fiona nodded. ‘There was a terrible hoo-ha about it. Sienna’s mum was screaming. My mum was totally freaking out. The lifeguards hadn’t spotted us until it was too late. They hauled me out and wrapped me in a silver blanket even though I was totally fine. Then one of the lifeguards carried Sienna out, limp in his arms, and her mother howled. I can still hear it. And do you want to know how I felt, Rose?’

Rose’s voice was hushed. ‘Yes.’

‘Confused. I didn’t understand why everyone was so upset. Sienna was so freaking annoying. Surely the world was a better place without her in it? Watching the reactions of all the other people, seeing their distress, was fascinating to me. All the tears, the hysteria. I was like, get a grip. The only part that worried me was that I might get the blame, but I had already figured out I should tell them that swimming to the buoy had been Sienna’s idea, not mine. I got treated like I was strong and precious, and like my parents were so lucky. The only person who didn’t seem thrilled by my survival was Sienna’s mum. She resented me. But no one ever blamed me. See, it wasn’t a boring story, was it?’

‘No.’

‘Now, back to my question: how did you feel watching Max die?’

Fiona could see Rose’s brain working as she struggled to articulate it. ‘I was ... surprised, because I thought he was going to spit the cookie out and complain it was hot. Confused too, that he didn’t have his EpiPen. And I was worried he would tell people I had given him the cookie.’

‘I knew you’d be worried. But did you feel upset?’

‘I . . .’

‘Come on, Rose. You can be honest with me like I was just honest with you. I’m not going to judge you. I promise.’

Rose fidgeted and shifted her position on the rug. Then, finally, she admitted it: ‘I guess I felt ... curious? Wondering why it had happened? Once I realised it was because of his allergy, I didn’t understand it. You told me there weren’t any nuts in our cookies.’

Fiona had expected all this. Numbness. A lack of empathy. Cold, scientific curiosity overwhelming emotion. But it was still too early to tell Rose everything.

‘I know. I didn’t understand it at first either. But here’s the thing: I told you a little lie.’

‘A lie?’

‘Yes. Those cookies. I didn’t make them. I bought them from a bakery. I was feeling too lazy to bake and, well, I didn’t want you to know that. I brought them home from the bakery and rubbed chilies on them, for the prank, thinking it would be enough, but I guess it must have come off in the bag or I didn’t put enough on ... I don’t know.’

Fiona glanced up at Rose. Was she buying this? She didn’t want her to believe it entirely. She wanted her to figure it out herself – with Fiona still having plausible deniability, just in case Rose didn’t react the way Fiona thought she would.

‘So ... there were nuts in the cookies you bought?’

‘There must have been. Or maybe they’d just been baked in a kitchen where there were nuts around. It only takes a tiny amount. Thank God I didn’t eat any myself, eh?’

Rose furrowed her brow. Fiona could see her struggling, trying to figure out whether to believe this. She would be asking herself, Why would Fiona lie? Because if Fiona was lying, didn’t that mean she had intended to kill Max?

Fiona needed that to remain a question in Rose’s mind.

‘The problem,’ Fiona said, ‘is that if anyone knows that we gave Max that cookie, we’re going to get asked a lot of questions. Difficult questions.’

‘Like ... they might think we did it on purpose?’

‘Exactly. The police might not believe it was supposed to be a harmless prank. I’ll get into a lot of trouble.’ She flicked her eyes towards Rose. ‘We’ll both get into a lot of trouble.’

‘Me?’

‘I’m afraid so. I mean, it was you who actually gave him the cookie that killed him.’

Now Rose looked scared. She didn’t seem to care that Max was dead. But she clearly did care about getting the blame for it.

‘It’s okay, though,’ Fiona said. ‘Nobody saw us with the cookies. You just need to be careful not to tell your mum and dad. Because even if they say it was all my fault ... well, even in the best-case scenario – where I don’t get charged with murder or manslaughter – they won’t let us see each other again.’

Rose had gone pale. ‘That would be the worst thing ever.’

‘I agree.’

They sat in silence, listening to Karma purring from her bed in the corner.

‘So whatever you do, don’t tell anyone we gave Max those cookies, okay? Promise?’

Rose nodded, then spoke very softly. ‘I promise.’

She opened the door to Ethan. It was still bright outside, pink-tinged clouds stretching languorously towards the horizon. It was the first time she had seen him since the barbecue, forcing herself to flirt with him that evening when she would rather have pushed his face on to the hot grill.

She conjured a smile from her repertoire.

‘Hi Ethan.’

He cleared his throat. ‘Can I have a word?’

‘I was about to get in the shower,’ she said, letting the words linger, noticing how his eyes strayed to the open neck of her robe. Her clavicle. A hint of cleavage. So predictable and easy. ‘Is it urgent?’

He tore his eyes from her flesh. ‘It’s kind of urgent, if you don’t mind.’

‘Of course.’

She gestured for him to follow her inside, taking him into the kitchen.

‘What’s the problem?’

‘Rose told me she saw a man die in the park on Friday. Anaphylactic shock.’

Fiona let that sink in. So Rose hadn’t kept the whole secret. But was that all she’d said? Should she expect the flash of blue lights next, the wail of sirens? Was she going to have to make a quick getaway? Would Ethan try to stop her? Her eyes flicked towards the block of knives on the counter.

‘Is it true?’ Ethan was asking.

She cleared her throat. ‘Ah. Yes. In Brockwell Park.’ Time to bring out the actress. Act concerned. Use the soft voice. Be maternal, not sexy. She pulled the robe tighter around her upper half. ‘How is she doing?’

‘She seems fine. But the thing is, I only know about it because I found her re-enacting it with her Barbies. Why didn’t you tell me or Emma?’

‘I was going to talk to you tomorrow when I picked Rose up.’

‘You didn’t think it was important enough to inform us straight away?’

This was interesting. He wasn’t flirting with her now. His only concern seemed to be his daughter’s well-being. ‘I had to visit an old friend in Shropshire. Anyway, I assumed Rose would tell you, and that if you had any questions you’d come round, like you are now, or phone me. What exactly did Rose say?’

He spelled it out and Fiona inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. There was no hint that she’d revealed where the cookies had come from.

‘I looked it up online,’ Ethan said. ‘It was in the south London papers. It says police are looking for witnesses. Did you speak to them already?’

She considered saying yes but wasn’t sure what follow-up questions he might have. But what if he contacted the police himself, volunteering his daughter as a witness? She really didn’t want that to happen.

‘No. I didn’t realise they needed witnesses because it was obviously an unfortunate accident. I’ll call them tomorrow. Do you ... want me to mention Rose? It might be quite distressing for her, having to talk to the police about it.’

Now he seemed unsure. ‘I don’t know. Can you tell me what happened from your point of view?’

She parroted what he’d said back to him. Rose’s version of the story. No mention of Rose giving Max the cookies. Being careful not to use Max’s name or give away that she knew him.

‘How did you know he died of anaphylactic shock? How did you recognise it?’

‘I told you I’m allergic myself, didn’t I? I’ve imagined it happening, watched loads of videos about it. I recognise it when I see it.’

‘And you couldn’t have helped him? With your own EpiPen, I mean?’

‘I left it at home. I know, I know: stupid. I’m terrible at remembering it. But I won’t forget it again, that’s for sure.’

‘Hmm.’ Ethan rubbed his face, a little confused. ‘Okay. Well, thankfully, Rose seems fine. At the moment, anyway. But if anything upsetting or serious happens again, will you please tell us right away?’

‘Of course. But I’m sure there won’t be a next time. Tomorrow we’ll just stay here and play chess. Zero drama guaranteed.’

She smiled at him, turning on her full beams, and she saw all the annoyance drop away. Once again, he was a rabbit caught in her headlights, blinking at her, confused and guilty.

‘Is everything all right otherwise?’ she asked, moving a little closer. ‘With you, I mean? You and Emma?’

‘I ...’ He was flustered. ‘Fiona, you won’t tell Emma I mentioned why we moved house, will you?’

‘Her affair?’

‘Emotional affair.’

‘Sorry, that’s what I meant. Of course not. My lips are sealed.’ She reached out and laid her hand on his arm. ‘But if you ever need to talk, you know where I am.’

‘Yes. Thank you.’

When she closed the front door behind him, the fake smile slipped from her lips. She headed back up to the bathroom for her shower.

Thank goodness Rose hadn’t told her parents the full story. Fiona hoped she hadn’t told her brother either.

She would really rather not have to kill that entire family.