“Shit,” said Jess under her breath as she squeezed Alice’s hand tightly. “Not this again.”

There was a change in the atmosphere and Alice wished that the ground would swallow her whole. To their credit, the officers’ expressions didn’t change at Jess’s statement. Regardless, Alice felt as though she had suddenly been put under the microscope as all eyes turned in her direction. Her own lowered to the floor as she desperately avoided eye contact. This exchange would be difficult enough without being reminded of her past.

Alice’s uncle was never seen again after his introduction to Alice’s nightly companion. Alice could have comfortably lived with that. The man deserved what happened to him. On the other hand, the guilt of seeing her aunt distraught would haunt her forever. She could still hear her aunt’s plaintive questions repeating in her head when she thought back to that day.

“Why did he leave? Wasn’t I good enough?”

The police had been called when her aunt had arisen early and found his side of the bed empty. No evidence of foul play had been found within the home and the incident was written off as unusual but no longer a police matter. Family and neighbours had rallied around her aunt, putting up ‘missing person’ posters around town and adverts in as many local papers as they could. Their efforts amounted to nothing. Alice never told a soul about what had happened that evening, merely repeating her story that she had gone to sleep and had woken to her aunt shouting her uncle’s name around the house.

They had never crocheted again together after that day. Her aunt had done very little of anything afterwards. Instead, she would spend most of her day by the window, as though expecting him to return at any moment. It was considered a small blessing, though none of the family would admit it, when she passed away at a relatively young age. A heart attack claimed her life. Alice had always considered it no small coincidence that her aunt had quite literally passed away due to a broken heart.

“Sorry!” Jess exclaimed. Alice supposed that she must have realised how suspicious the statement sounded when out of context.

“Alice’s uncle went missing when she was younger,” Jess explained simply, giving Alice a sympathetic look. “It was… well,” Jess continued, struggling for words, “it was an ordeal.”

An ordeal sounded about right to Alice. How else could it have been described? Alice had withdrawn from as many people as she could after it had happened. Her uncle had been an arsehole of epic proportions, but she hadn’t expected even him to act as he did. She knew the rumours of what could happen to little girls from school, even at that age. Even now, there is always at least one teacher in each school with a reputation for paying a little too much attention to their student’s physical assets.

What if she had misjudged other people? What if other loved ones were hiding something dark and terrifying within themselves? Her parents had passed the test. Upon her return home, they had not been disappeared into the unknown. Nor had Jess, not ever, despite their frequent fallouts and arguments. Even when they were teenagers and Jess had swiped a bottle of vodka from her mother’s house, she had been judged as trustworthy. Even when they had fought like angry cats, spitting and hissing whilst so drunk that they couldn’t remember why they had begun the fight, Jess was declared safe and trustworthy.

Others had not been disappeared, but their failings had been unearthed by other means. Phones had been hidden when expecting a call from a date only to reappear on Alice’s nightstand where she had left it earlier in the day. Keys, either for the house or the car, went mysteriously missing when needed to go visit particular friends or potential boyfriends.

Alice trusted in the better judgement of her companion implicitly. He would protect her from the darkness in people as he had always had.

People were now moving, and Alice’s attention shifted. The officer had spoken but she missed the words, too caught up in her own thoughts. Jess was pulling her inside and inviting the officers with them. It would seem she would have the chance to protect him once more as well. Not that the officers would believe her even if she told them the truth. She felt that as strongly as she had back in her aunt’s house when the kind-eyed officer had asked her all those questions about her uncle.

It felt a little like a dream when Alice was sat on the sofa. She noticed that Jess’s eyebrows had knit together with concern, and she had that soft, worried look on her face again. She needn’t worry. Everything was going to be fine.

“Alice?”

The question jolted her. She glanced up at the officers, wide-eyed with shock. There were papers in her hand that she didn’t remember picking up. People and faces that she didn’t recognise. Except she did recognise one of the men. The one who had gone missing was in some of the photos.

“That’s him,” Alice said softly, tapping her finger on one of the photographs that showed him standing with two men who were strangers to her.

The officers remained silent, and Alice glanced up once more but was confused by their concerned expressions. She felt Jess gently put a hand on her shoulder.

“Are you OK, Alley-cat?” asked Jess softly.

“I’m fine,” replied Alice dismissively. She pointed once more at the man she recognised in the photo. “That’s the guy.”

“We can come back again tomorrow if she needs more time,” one of the officers said gently. The words were directed at Jess.

“I’m fine!” insisted Alice with exasperation.

“They asked about the other men, Alley-cat,” Jess whispered. She tapped a finger on the two other people in the photograph. Alice followed her finger hazily. Her cheeks felt warm. How had she missed that question? Why was it so hard to focus?

“I don’t…” Alice started, before bringing her hands up and rubbing her eyes wearily. “I don’t know them.”

The words must have sounded as hollow to Jess as they did to Alice’s own ears. She felt Jess’s finger gently squeeze her shoulder in reassurance.

“You’re sure?” asked the female officer.

Alice nodded and held out the photographs towards them.

As they were about to take them, Jess interjected with a request. “Would it be alright if we held onto them for a bit? Maybe, when she’s less tired, she might remember more?”

“Unfortunately, ma’am, we’re not allowed to leave them,” replied the male officer apologetically.

“GDPR and all that,” added the female officer, “you know how it is these days.”

“Oh,” replied Jess weakly. “I see.”

“We could come back in a couple of days though?” offered the female officer with a friendly smile. “Just to be sure?”

Jess gave a grateful nod and led the officers out, leaving Alice on the sofa. Bullet dodged. Home safe. Or at least, that’s what Alice assumed until Jess returned and stood at the doorway. She crossed her arms and gave an unimpressed pout, watching Alice intently.

“I really am fine,” Alice assured her. “I just need a cup of tea… and maybe a paracetamol.”

“You, Madam Spacey, need to go to bed,” replied Jess in a stern voice before shaking her head with a smile. “I’ll make the tea and bring it up for you. Shame you’ve no decaf.”

Alice grimaced, though Jess had already left the room. Decaf tea. May as well serve witch piss.