Jenny was meant to have dropped her off at four. But now it was nearly quarter to five, and she hadn’t done so. Katie tried to phone her, but there was no reply. She tried to ring the school but there was no reply there either, the office was already shut. She tried to keep calm. Perhaps they had gone to the park. Or perhaps Jenny had forgotten the arrangement. She wished intensely for a moment that she had got to know Jenny better, so that she knew what she might do, where she might go. Perhaps she should go down to the school. But no, the school would have rung her if Anna was still there. She walked up and down, up and down. How long should she wait before doing something? She was putting on her jacket when the doorbell rang. It was Jenny, with Charlotte; Jenny looked completely distracted. She asked, ‘Is Anna here?’ ‘No, no, of course not.’ Katie instinctively turned and looked behind her, as if Anna might have somehow crept in without her noticing. ‘I don’t know,’ said Jenny, coming in, pushing past Katie, ‘I can’t understand it.
