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Lydia missed whatever Adrian said next – she was too busy staring in shock at Kelly. Alexandra’s grandsons had reached her, and one of them checked her pulse – though she surely couldn’t have survived both impalement and being smashed into the wall, could she? He said something to his brother and they carefully removed the icicle and lowered her down from the wall in a way that suggested she was.

What bothered her most, she realised after a moment, wasn’t the casual violence – Adrian had been defending himself after all – but the fact that no-one else seemed bothered at all. Even the woman’s family had mostly remained in place – only one young man who Lydia suspected was Kelly’s son, accompanying her from the room. The rest of them were glaring at Adrian but rather than anger, Lydia sensed a peculiar mix of resentment and speculation from them. She took a breath and mentally reached out for Karen.

Kaz, she said plaintively. Is this sort of thing normal at these meetings?

Karen glanced over at her before reaching out and squeezing her hand.

We don’t meet like this often enough for there to be a normal, she replied. But, no, people aren’t really surprised. There’s always a lot of tension at these meetings and it’s not the first time something has boiled over at one.

Is she alive? Lydia asked.

I don’t know, Karen said. If she is, it’s not because he wasn’t trying to kill her. She was trying to kill him – he didn’t have time to be gentle, and there’s never been any love lost between Kelly and him. We’re going to have to watch that family. They’ve been a Laverne satellite for a while but if they are stepping back from hunting the Miltons may well try to take their place. We can’t have that.

Girls, pay attention! Sonia said. Worry about the Miltons later. Marian is about to tell them about what happened to her.

Lydia looked back in time to see Adrian helping his mother to the centre. She sat down in the chair and looked around, then opened her mouth but was interrupted before she could speak.

“Bloody hell, Marian!” The exclamation came from the other side of the room. “Your son just admitted to being resonant and you aren’t trying to kill him. What’s happened to you?”

Marian twisted around and looked towards the speaker. “That’s what I’m here to explain, Glen. Just give me a moment to gather my thoughts.” She looked back at Adrian and squeezed his hand as he headed back to his own seat just behind Tara.

As he reached them, he paused and looked around with a frown. “Where’s Kayleigh gone?” he asked softly.

Lydia looked around and saw that his wife had indeed vanished from where she’d been sitting when they arrived. From the corner of her eye, she saw her mother looking around with a worried frown.

I think we may have a major problem, she said. Garret’s gone as well.

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