Indy kissed her lightly, handed her the wine then nodded at the people in Mel’s room. ‘Look, forensics are here.’

‘So I see.’

They stood and watched the three forensic officers milling around, picking up pieces of paper or clothing from the edges of the giant pile in the middle of the room. Hannah had called Indy earlier to tell her she’d found a clue in Mel’s room, but looking at it now, with the forensic guys in there, she couldn’t believe what a state she’d left the place in.213

‘I’m guessing that you haven’t eaten,’ Indy said, rubbing her back.

Hannah nodded.

‘Come through,’ Indy said. ‘Thomas is here.’

Indy went to the kitchen and Hannah watched her as she followed. She was barefoot in baggy yoga trousers and a blouse, hair falling from her short pony, smooth skin on her neck. Hannah sometimes forgot how beautiful her girlfriend was, took her for granted, and she’d been doing that since this business with Mel began. She didn’t deserve a woman as smart and supportive as Indy, here with a kiss and a homemade curry when she needed it.

In the kitchen, Indy was stirring a pot, Thomas sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar. He stood when Hannah came in.

‘How are you?’ he said.

She thought about it. ‘I’m OK.’

Hannah took a sip of wine. Her mum drank way more than her, a generational thing. For Jenny alcohol was rebellion, her drug to annoy the generation before, or just to get high. But Hannah’s generation had found other addictions – fitness, social media, gaming, moving away from the crutches of Generation X, but crutches all the same. Maybe we all need something to keep us distracted, to keep us going in the face of all the shit.

‘Want to tell me about Melanie’s room?’ Thomas said.

Indy raised her eyebrows. She’d obviously told Thomas as much as she knew.

‘I found a receipt for her second phone.’

‘And?’

‘I fluttered my eyelashes at Kyle at Carphone Warehouse and he gave me the number. It’s dead, obviously, but you can get a list of calls, right?’

Thomas nodded. ‘That’s good work, Hannah. But please let us do this stuff, OK?’

Hannah shrugged. ‘I didn’t know how long you were going to take to get round here. I had to do something.’214

Thomas looked out the doorway. ‘I understand, but you might have compromised evidence in there.’

‘Sir?’ This was the forensic woman at the door. ‘Can I have a word?’

‘Have you found something else?’ Hannah said.

‘No,’ she said. ‘No thanks to you.’

‘Excuse me,’ Thomas said, leaving with the woman.

Indy turned from the curry pot. ‘You think Peter Longhorn will be on the list of calls?’

Hannah thought about it. The naked pictures, the unborn baby, the phone number, it was all coming together. ‘Yeah.’