I manage to grab half an hour to myself after lunch. I’ve no idea where Callum is; actually I’ve no idea where Eve’s got to as well, it seems she wasn’t too keen on working with me after our conversation in the utility room earlier. They must be together. I head back to the annexe, sprinting down the path to avoid being stopped by anyone else.

I pull open my bedroom door and fling it shut. Mum’s diary is sitting on my bedside cabinet; I haven’t had a chance to have a read of it since yesterday. I pick it up, clutching it tight. It’s impossible to believe Mum held this and wrote in it near enough every day.

Opening the flap, I turn to the next entry.

            9th September 2002

            Spoke to Oliver today about Bean’s education.  I know it’s a few months off yet before I’m due to give birth, but it’s been playing on my mind. Harvey’s never been to school, I think if we were to introduce him to one now it would upend him, there’s no way he would be able to fit in with everyone else, and I’m fearful for him if we did try. But with Bean, there’s a chance. Oliver keeps going on about how special Bean will be, the first child to be born here, the first person to be assimilated into our community from birth.

I read Mum’s words over again, her last line making me shiver. Mum’s making it sound like I was something awaited for a long time. It’s the first entry where Harvey’s been mentioned. So I’d been right about my education, we must’ve been home schooled. After I was born, Mum’s desire to send me to school must’ve been overruled, but by who, Oliver? I’ve no doubt he would’ve wanted to keep me secluded here, away from outside influence.

Oliver’s words about his wife from yesterday filter through into my mind. There’s got to be something about what happened somewhere online. I open my Gmail account, and my last message to Max. Perhaps Max can help me, if anything this could be something he could look into, that’s his expertise. I begin to type out a message. He would’ve been thinking the Zoom call was the last he would hear from me.

            From: Danielle Olsen

            To: Max Hardy

            Date: 15 June 2024 at 14:15

            Subject: Oliver Adams

            Hey Max,

            I hope you’re well. I was wondering if you could do something for me. There’s a person called Oliver Adams, who I need to find more information about and I was wondering if you could see if you could find something out for me, you might have more knowledge of where to look than I do. I know what you said about people threatening you the last time you looked into my family’s case, but you could do this discreetly, can’t you?

I press send. There’s no point giving Max any more information until he comes back to me. I’m still reading the message I sent to him when there’s a knock on my door which makes me jump. I shut my phone down.

‘Danielle, are you in there?’