I stopped the car and Tia jumped out as Tobin ran to her. He was crying. I came around the car as she knelt in front of him. He made those odd hand gestures at her and she made them back at him. I watched her as she used one of the tissues I'd given her, to wipe his face. She made another few hand signals and he turned running back towards the house.

Roland stood in the doorway and Tobin stopped. To my surprise, Roland made one of those hand signs and Tobin made it back and then ran in.

Tia started towards the house and I followed. "Is he going to be OK?"

"He is..." Tia was flat again, this time I wasn't sure if it was because she was thinking or tired.

Her voice had been warmer when we had been talking in the car.

"Are you going to be OK without Burt?" She nodded at Roland's question.

Roland looked at me as Tia walked past him. "She needs to process I think."

Roland patted my shoulder and I walked in after her. She was standing in front of her chair staring at a bottle of whisky.

"After the day you've had I think one drink is a good idea."

She put the bottle back under the table. "I promised Burt I wouldn't drink without him here. It sets me off and without him, it's an unnecessary risk." She turned and walked out to the kitchen.

She stiffened in the doorway as Roland came up behind me. "I was clearing up when you came back... I thought I could distract Tobin with some cooking."

She walked in and I moved to the doorway. There was flour and eggs on the worktop. A cake cooking in the oven, and washing up half done in the sink. Tia picked up a cloth and Roland walked up behind her. "You go, sit down I'll make some tea and bring you a few of the biscuits we made."

She put down the cloth and turned to him. "Thank you." Her tone was still flat and she didn't meet his eyes.

It's interesting seeing her interacting with someone else. She was a lot more distant with Roland than she was with me earlier.

She left the kitchen. Roland put the kettle on and started cleaning. I turned to watch Tia. She sat in her chair looking over at Burt's chair. She seemed lost without him. I walked to the table and sat down, which seemed to snap her out of it.

She stood and walked to a bookshelf. She was looking through the titles there when Roland came in with a cup of tea. She pulled the books down that were stacked in front of the others and it looked like she was organising them.

She found the book she was looking for and moved to a new shelf. It looked like she was fiddling with something whenever she picked up a book. By the time Roland had cleaned the kitchen she had reorganised all the shelves and found three books which she had put to one side. Roland sat at the table with me as she was looking through another shelf.

Roland looked at me mouthing 'What's she doing?' I shrugged.

She turned picking up the three other books with the one in her hand and put the books on the table. She retreated to sit in her armchair. "What's with the books?" I asked.

She picked up the cup staring into the tea. "You indicated an interest in getting to know me. There are some people who believe the books we enjoy say a lot about us. So these are the books I reread a lot."

I looked at the four books she'd put in front of me. A horror book, a fantasy book, a real crime book and a book on cultists. "An investing section." I picked up the book on cultists. "You're a fan of this writer"

She smiled over her teacup. "What makes you say that?"

I pointed to the small bookshelf that stood alone, the only one without other books stacked in front of the ones on the shelf. "You're proud of those books. You don't hide them behind other books like the other shelves."

She nodded. "You could say I'm a big fan of that writer's work. You could say I know that work better than anyone."

Why do I get the feeling she's dropping hints? I looked at the name on the front of the book. Gail Tue? A strange name. I turned the book over and read the synopsis.

A deep look into the world of cults and the people that follow them. Have you ever wondered, why people get into a cult? This book will give you real people who have left these secretive and sometimes dangerous people. As well as a look back on some of the most famous cults in history with a fresh perspective.

"Would you mind if I read them too?" I looked up to Roland who was looking at one of the books.

"Of course" I looked over at Tia who was still smiling, she sounded amused.

"You know this Gail Tue, don't you?"

Her smile turned into a grin. "Very well."

All this is very amusing for her. She's doing more than dropping hints! She's testing me. I smiled back at her. "Challenge accepted!"

She laughed and Roland looked from me to her. "What challenge?"

I laughed at him and Tia answered. "I wondered if he was able to work out what I was trying to say, without me speaking. He did, he will do well with the puzzle I've given him."

"Ohhh puzzles are fun."

She took a drink and looked at the stairs. Tobin walked up to her and made more hand gestures.

The smile slipped from her lips. She gestured back at him after putting her cup down. "I'm sure you two have a lot to do today." At the tone in Tia's voice, I stood.

She sounded tense again. "Of course, you're quite right."

Roland stood too looking to me concern pulling at his face. "Thank you both for everything today."

"You're welcome Tia, anytime." Roland tried to sound as light-hearted as usual but it sounded a little forced.

Tia looked me in the eyes and said. "Don't use that number unless you have to."

I nodded and walked out. "See you soon my friend." She had followed me out to the porch and as I spoke she smiled.

Roland smiled at me and walked to the car. "I will see you before you see me, my friend."

I frowned at that. Another puzzle to work out it would seem. I walked to the car and Roland started it. I waved and she waved back to me. I got in and Roland started to turn it around. "Why has she given you a puzzle to solve?"

I smiled watching the house disappear in the mirror. "She wants to trust me. This is her way of seeing if she can."

"Why is she so cagey?"

The house disappeared from view and I looked up to see the black Volvo was there again. "She's been hurt in the past and maybe hiding from some people. If we solve her puzzle and keep our mouths shut she will trust us."

I looked at the book on cultists. "I think the writer of this book may have spoken to her, she may even work with her."

"You think her story is in there?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. I think we will if we can solve the puzzle."

I opened the book and my eyes went wide. Inside the cover was a photograph of Tia in a wedding dress. Her smile seemed genuinely happy and it touched her eyes which none of the other emotions I'd seen did. The man in the photograph wasn't smiling and his face was partly obscured by his hat. I turned the photograph over and on the back were the words my knife cuts the world bleeds.

"Well, that's not much of a puzzle."

I looked up and saw that the car was parked in our driveway. "More of one than you know. The words on the back were the ones she said in Latin in the interview room."

I closed the book and headed inside the house. "Wait... so she is giving you a puzzle."

I nodded sitting on the floor. I opened the cover took the photograph out and laid it to one side then turned the page. On the next page was another photograph. This one was Tia asleep on a sofa, on the back was written, a time of joy to us all.

"What could that mean?" Roland asked from behind me.

"I don't like where this is leading me."

He sat down next to me. "Why?"

"A time of joy after a wedding photograph, what do you know about her now Roland?"

He covered his mouth with his hand. "No wedding ring and she has no family.. you don't think she..." He left the rest unsaid as I put the photograph aside.

I turned the page and there was nothing. I let out a relieved breath. "Wait.... why would she let you see those and then leave the next page blank?"

I looked at the page it was the first chapter titled The Unexpected Recruit. "Maybe because the words are more important than a picture would be."

"Look at the next page." Roland sounded excited, but I was already reading the first paragraph of the chapter.

Does anyone go out in the morning and say I think I'll join a cult? Not usually, although there are always those who seem to want to join. Most followers of a cult are the relatives of those already in one. There are so many people who say, I was only following my husband or wife, or they followed a friend. The fact is cults are full of unwitting recruits.

I looked up at Roland who was also scanning the page. "This is either a lot deeper than it looks or..." Roland trailed off looking at the floor. He frowned. "Or she's telling you plain."

"What crossed your mind then?"

He picked up the photograph and showed it next to the wedding photograph. "These are taken from the same camera, probably by the same photographer."

I nodded. "I knew that cause in photography would pay off one day. What's wrong with that?"

He looked at me like I'd missed the point. "Her husband couldn't be in the wedding photo and behind the camera."

"Alright, I missed that and feel dumb now. So the joy could be an affair? If so why would they take a photo of Tia asleep? That would reveal the affair if it was found."

Roland sighed and put the photograph down. "Why do people do anything? They took the photo because they wanted to remember this moment, they wanted to capture the beauty of this moment so they can remember it over and over again."

"Your a hopeless romantic you know that don't you?"

He smiled and nodded. I turned the page and there was a lock of hair tied with a pink ribbon. The next page was a knitted boot in blue. I picked it up. "This truly is a puzzle. A lock of a girl's hair and a blue boot that looks like it's for a baby boy."

Roland turned a page. There was more hair and a photograph of Tia holding a child who looked asleep if it wasn't for Tia crying. "This is becoming worrying."

I nodded as I turned the picture over. On the back were the words, enough is enough.

The next page revealed a folded piece of paper. I unfolded it. "Her.. birth certificate? Why would that be here?" Roland asked as I looked down at the paper.

"It's fake. She's telling us Tia Frost isn't her name. That much is clear to anyone. Changing your identity when someone is after you is the starting point."

I turned page after page getting nothing more from the book. I took the next one in the pile which happened to be the true crime book. I opened the cover and there was a folded letter. It read.

My dear Annabel,

I've missed you. I know you are meant to be in hiding and I'm not meant to send things to you. I couldn't help it. I love you now more than ever. Not being able to be close to you is a dagger through my soul. If you but ask it of me I would follow you into damnation. I know you won't come home but if you asked me to I would come to you and sit at your feet. As you once did for my brother. I don't ask you to believe what we do or to come back. I only ask for the chance to love you the way I did before.

Yours always Owen.

"Such passion for this Annabel... could it be Tia?"

"I don't know Roland but it's the most likely Tia was Annabel."

The next few pages revealed more photographs of Tia.