Angela cleared her throat and then went on.

"And then I remembered all the times I had gone into the shop when my mother was serving someone and she had snapped at me to get out. Or I had come to the door and heard her whispering to someone. It didn't seem odd at the time. Or at least, no more odd than usual. She always snapped at me and she never wanted me in the same room. So I never thought much about it.

"But now I think I know what was going on. I think she was ...