‘Did you ever know Kate Craven?’ Molly asked. ‘She grew up in the valley.’

‘Daniel Craven’s sister?’ The question seemed to surprise, but not to bother her. ‘ Yes, I knew her. She was younger than me, of course, but I met her at parties or in the pub when she came back from London to see her parents. She was fun.’

‘Were you surprised when she killed herself?’

‘Yes. I’d have thought she had so much going for her. At least she’d had the guts to break away from this place. That’s more than I ever had. I could never understand what made her so depressed.’

‘She was pregnant,’ Molly said. ‘Perhaps you never knew that.’

This time there was a reaction. ‘No,’ Joanna said. She faltered then regained control. ‘I never knew that. Poor Kate.’ She turned away.

The queue moved forward again and this time Joanna walked on to join it. Molly began to ask about Simon.

‘It’s a brave move,’ she said. ‘ Setting up in business by himself. Does he enjoy it?’

‘Yes,’ Joanna said. ‘He seems to. He works very hard at it. I hope it works out for him.’ She spoke in a curiously flat voice as if she were speaking to a stranger.

‘He said he was staying on the Solway on Friday night,’ Molly said. ‘Does he go away a lot?’

‘Yes. He has to. Especially since he got the contract for the pipeline.’

‘Aren’t you ever tempted to go with him? The Solway’s beautiful, isn’t it, in the spring?’

Joanna looked at Molly with the same flat, impersonal stare.

‘What are all these questions about?’ she said. ‘One of the reasons I like you so much is that you don’t usually go in for polite conversation.’

Marie Liddle, ahead of them in the queue, climbed into the van and handed her books to a pretty young librarian. Joanna and Molly were left alone on the road.

‘I suppose you’ve found out that Simon spent Friday night with another woman,’ Joanna said impassively.

Molly said nothing.

‘Look,’ she said. ‘ I know Simon’s got another woman. I know he takes her with him when he’s away on business. And I don’t blame him, all right? So there’s no possible motive for murder there.’

‘Do you know who she is?’ Molly asked.

Joanna seemed surprised. She thought Molly was above such curiosity. ‘No,’ she said. ‘Of course not. And I don’t bloody care.’

In the library van the elderly woman had had her books stamped out and was hovering on the step, frightened of falling. Molly and Joanna took an arm each and helped her down.