‘I don’t think you went in the study?’

I made a guilty face. ‘I did, actually. When you were on the phone. I was intrigued by you saying it was a bit gloomy and I didn’t know why I’d never thought of working in the front room. I popped in to – you know – check out the light.’

‘Right. With your purse?’

I shrugged in a menopausal middle-aged woman sort of way and said, ‘God, these days, who knows?’ Hopefully that was self-explanatory without loading him with too much information.

‘Oh, right,’ he said shortly. ‘Well, let’s see.’

He led the way down the hall, through the kitchen and into the study. I glanced around keenly. There was the sofa on which Michael had slept that night. There, in front of it, the coffee table, on which he’d hit his head in the scuffle. The new rug, covering the nasty mark, despite the cleaning company’s efforts. And the French windows, through which the burglar had burst. A blind was above them, which we rarely bothered to pull, since we were never in here at night, but no curtains. And there, down the garden, beyond the high wall, was the house. I stared. Plain grey London brick at the back, with a much prettier white façade at the front. Those top bedrooms, those windows, which I could just see, no doubt looked straight down here, into the study. With quite possibly a birds’ eye view of the entire room. No lights had been on, of course, but there’d been that torch, earlier. And it had been a full moon.

‘Not sure you’ll find it out there,’ said Josh, following my gaze.

I came to. ‘No. No, you’re probably right. I didn’t go in the garden, did I? I would love to, though, now I’m here?’ He looked amazed, as well he might. ‘I mean, obviously my purse isn’t here,’ I gabbled. ‘I must have left it somewhere else, but now that I’m here, well, it’s ages since I’ve seen my roses, and I have to say, you’ve kept them in superb condition, I’m surprised.’ I shored up what I hoped was a dazzling smile, simultaneously reaching for the French door, which happily was unlocked.

Josh scratched his head as he followed me out in bare feet. ‘Well, you seemed pretty insistent. Didn’t want to hand the place back with everything dead, so I have indeed watered and deadheaded, as instructed.’ He gazed around, rather pleased. ‘I actually found it remarkably pleasurable. Quite therapeutic.’