Outside, the icy wind and rain blasted her face as she walked to the corner. She put up her umbrella and pushed her chin down into her scarf. There had been a market, she remembered, when she’d been here with Eddie. Perhaps she could pick up something smart and cheap – if those two things ever went together – for tonight. Would they be under cover at the track or standing around outside? She had no idea but didn’t much relish the thought of watching a load of dogs run round in circles while she slowly froze to death.

The high street was shabby and dilapidated with a lot of the shops boarded up. At the far end, three tall concrete towers loomed over the area. Even from a distance they seemed cold and inhospitable, like high-rise cells for the poorer residents of the area. She presumed they had been built in the Sixties but they were already showing signs of wear, the exteriors stained a dirty shade of grey from the traffic fumes.

It didn’t take her long to find the market and once she’d got into the centre of it her spirits began to rise. There was music and life here, hustle and bustle. The mingling smells of frying onions, soup and curry wafted in the air. Many of the stalls were selling festive decorations, tinsel and baubles, glittery angels, snowmen, stars and dancing Santas. There were strings of fairy lights, crackers and candles. She couldn’t help but smile as her gaze took it all in.

She and Joel would be spending Christmas together, and maybe – if everything went according to plan – it would be their last Christmas before they became Mr and Mrs Hunter. Sadie Hunter. She repeated the name to herself, liking the sound of it, liking the way it made her feel.

The market had a temporary cover stretched over the top, providing much-needed shelter from the elements. She walked up and down the aisles, feeling the warmth of the crowd as she drank in the atmosphere. There were plenty of clothes stalls and she rummaged through the goods on offer, checking out the prices.

After an hour of looking at skirts and shirts and dresses, she eventually settled on a pair of black trousers and a silky, rose-coloured, scoop-necked sweater. She suspected they’d both fall to bits after a few washes, but they’d do for tonight. The trousers were smart enough and the sweater was pretty without being too revealing. She paid over the money, took the carrier bag and pondered on what to do next.

It was as she was making her way back towards the high street that she first felt it, a hot prickling sensation on the back of her neck. Someone was watching her. She stopped, quickly turned her head and stared, but the crowd was thick and dense and constantly shifting. She scanned the faces, searching for the one. Maybe it was her imagination. Maybe she was just jumpy about tonight, her nerves playing tricks on her. And yet… She automatically rubbed her neck, still unable to escape the feeling that someone’s eyes were on her.

For a while she stood there, rooted to the spot. She felt assailed by something cold and menacing. A shiver ran down her spine. She wanted to get away but it took an effort to force her legs to move again. With her mood abruptly altered, she hurried out of the market, crossed the road and took sanctuary in a café called Connolly’s.

The place was packed, full of Saturday shoppers, and it smelled of fried bacon, cigarette smoke and wet coats. But at least it was warm and dry. A few seconds passed before she finally spotted a free table. She glanced towards the door, checking that no one had followed her in. Of course they hadn’t. She was stressing over nothing. What was wrong with her? But she knew what was wrong. In her desperation to free herself from Eddie, she had made a deal with a total stranger and now that decision was starting to scare her.

When the waitress came, she ordered a coffee and tried to relax. Her worries, however, refused to go away. Instead they tumbled in on her, making her pulse race and her hands go clammy. What if Nathan Stone was some kind of psychopath? Maybe there wasn’t any business meeting tonight. Maybe it was all a set-up so he could lure her to some lonely place and…

Sadie took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. She was overreacting. Velma would never have sent her to see him if he was that much of a danger. Her heart skipped a beat. Unless Velma was in on it too. It wasn’t as if she really knew the woman. Maybe she worked with Stone, procuring girls for him. Maybe she —

Sadie’s thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of coffee. She thanked the waitress, lifted the mug to her lips and took a grateful gulp. The caffeine seemed to restore some sense of balance to her mind. No, she didn’t really believe that her neighbour was involved in anything sinister. Sometimes you had to trust your instincts and hers were saying that Velma was sound.

Her gaze roamed around the room, settling on this person or that before quickly moving on. There was no one she recognised. Why should there be? She was a stranger here. And hopefully, before too long, she’d be back on that train and heading for home. If Stone came up with the goods tonight, she might even be able to see Eddie tomorrow. She could imagine the expression on his face when he opened the door to find her standing there.

The rain was lashing against the steamy windows. Sadie took her time over the coffee, not wanting to leave before she had to. She felt safe in the café now that her anxiety had started to recede. Everything would be okay if she kept her head and didn’t panic. She could handle Nathan Stone. He was just a bloke like any other. If she’d tolerated Eddie for all those years she could manage one evening with a lousy jumped-up gangster. Couldn’t she?

The rain had eased a little by the time she left. As she sloshed through the puddles, she tried to maintain her restored sense of calm. For some reason she couldn’t fathom, she still felt the urge to keep glancing over her shoulder. It was like a nervous tic she couldn’t quite shake off.

‘Stop it,’ she murmured. ‘There’s no one there.’

Still, she was glad when she turned the corner on to Station Road and the guest house was in sight. She broke into a trot, eager to get inside. Oaklands was unlocked and she stepped into the empty hallway, closed the door firmly behind her, jogged up the two flights of stairs, opened her room, dropped her bags on the bed, leaned her wet umbrella against the wall and went over to the window.

Sadie folded her arms as she gazed down on the street, watching the people pass by. It was still hours before she was due to meet Nathan Stone. She decided that the sensible thing to do was to let Velma know about the arrangement. That way there would be at least one other person in the world aware of who she was with tonight.

She was about to do just that when her gaze suddenly fixed on a girl going into the station. She couldn’t see her face, only the back of her head, but the short spiky hair was familiar and so was the black suede jacket. She gave a start. Was it? Could it be? She leaned forward, pressing her nose against the glass, but already the figure had passed through the entrance and disappeared from view.

Sadie continued to stare, a frown gathering on her forehead. It had been Mona Farrell, she was sure of it, except… no, she couldn’t be certain. Lots of girls had that punk hairstyle these days. Lots of girls had black jackets with fur around the collar. And what would Mona be doing in Kellston? Other than the market – and she couldn’t really see Mona shopping there – the area didn’t hold much in the way of attractions.

Sadie’s hand instinctively rose to the back of her neck again. She felt a stirring in her guts, a twisting. Was it possible that… But quickly she pushed the thought aside. The girl couldn’t have followed her here. Why would she? That was just crazy. And yet she had seemed a bit crazy, unbalanced at the very least. All that talk of her father and how she wanted to…