I paced in my room, trying to figure out what to do for music. My only options were to find out which instrument caused the problem or see if I could find someone to retrieve the music on my phone. I didn't want to be exposed to those sounds again.

CHAPTER 71
There had been a moment or two through that evening where I had found real sustenance, especially as I had spent time sitting with Lexie and Lisa. ‘Not the only lesbian’, et cetera, was well past its sell-by date. Lexie picked up on one particular chuckle, so I tried to explain.

“Ah, it was a while back. Can’t remember if there was a guest on, but that woman you say is your friend, she was here with a load of girls”

I was watching them both for a reaction, to see how Alys would be received when she met them, and the first response was from Lexie.

“Oh, god, how many that time? Like an invading army, they can be”

Those doubts and uncertainties had not gone away when Sergei left the house to go into Reading the next morning. Almost as soon as he got to the railway station, he felt that something was wrong. Both the car park at the station and the platforms were almost empty.