‘They’re desperate for porters, always, and I’ve got experience. Done deal. You want coffee?’

‘Please. Then I’m going to take Wookie across the field.’

‘I’ll come with you. Tell you what as well, there are some daffodils just showing through on the edge of the spinney.’

It was cold but the sun was out, the sky brittle blue. Wookie no longer raced up and down but he trotted ahead of them happily, his back legs looking stronger.

‘You’d be all right about it, wouldn’t you?’

‘Sammy, I have absolutely no problem with you being a hospital porter. I’m not a career snob and I know it’s a very valuable job. Hospitals couldn’t function. Do it while you work things out.’

‘Cool. But actually, I meant Rosie. If I went back to live in the flat.’

‘You . . . could you do that?’

‘Why not?’

Cat hedged her way round the question. ‘Once she’s qualified, she probably won’t be there though.’

‘Not that actual flat. You know.’

‘With Rosie. Wherever?’

‘Well, yes.’

‘Sam, five minutes ago it was all off. You can’t blame me for wondering if I’ve missed something.’

‘Think I read too much into it.’

‘Wookie! Don’t you dare go under that fence. Remember what happened the last time?’

‘He remembers all of it.’

‘He should.’

‘So?’

‘It’s up to you, Sam. Your life. Just go carefully, that’s all I’m saying. Now, I’ve got to hurry up.’

‘Did you hear about the fire?’

‘Who didn’t. Why?’

‘There was a body found.’

‘I didn’t hear that part. Are you sure? Was it on the news?’

‘Dunno. Probably. But when I biked over to Starly, everybody was talking about it.’

Inside the burnt-out shop the smell was choking, it caught the back of Serrailler’s throat and within seconds he was tasting it. The counter, shelves, displays were mounds of black melted substance, and the walls were burned out back to the brickwork. He looked up. Blackened boards, joists, cross-beams and, here and there, gaps into the room of the flat above. Water dripped onto his yellow hard hat, his shoulders, the ash and cinder piles that crunched underfoot.

‘You did well to stop this spreading.’

‘Near thing but that’s always a priority. We more or less had to let this go, it was well alight by the time we got here.’

‘Is that usual?’

‘Depends.’

‘Any idea yet what caused it?’

‘I can’t put it in black and white but this wasn’t your usual electrical fault – difficult to tell until the investigators have combed through but it looks like an explosion, incendiary device of some sort. Firework possibly, petrol bomb even.’