Jon disappeared for a few minutes, so I took the opportunity to have a closer look at some of the prints he’d chosen. On the wall behind the sofa was a series of black-and-white photos that looked as if they’d been taken in the 1940s or 1950s. All were of scenes around North London, some I recognized. One in particular caught my eye; it was the street in Kentish Town where Marcia and I had been looking for Billy Jackson’s house.

‘I like your photos,’ I said when Jon brought two glasses of wine in and handed one to me. ‘Where did you get them?’

‘I found them in a cardboard box in Camden Lock, on one of those stalls that sells old postcards of the area. These were under a table; they had all sorts in there going back years, but these drew me to them. I thought they’d look good framed and displayed like a collection.’

I pointed at the photo taken in Kentish Town. ‘Do you know this street?’

Jon nodded. ‘I know the pub. See it there on the left? I’ve been in a couple of times; in fact, I was at a gathering there last week.’

‘Gathering?’

‘Memorial.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry.’

He shrugged. ‘Not one of my inner circle, if you know what I mean, but sobering none the less. So … tell me everything, Bea. Why the move?’

‘Time for a change.’

‘I sense there’s more to it than that.’

I shrugged. ‘Financial reasons too. I needed to consolidate my assets, get rid of a few debts.’

‘You OK with it all? The changes, I mean.’

‘Sure. I wasn’t at first but now it’s all happening, it actually feels good, positive.’

‘It’s funny how your priorities change as you get older – er, not that I’m saying you’re old, but you know what I mean. You start to think about what makes you happy.’

‘And what makes you happy, Jon?’

‘People. Good company.’

‘Hence the endless stream of beautiful blondes?’

His expression clouded. ‘No, actually they didn’t make me happy. I soon learnt that. Don’t forget, I was married for a long while, twenty-five years. I guess I needed to run wild a bit, test the water to see if anyone would still want me. I came out of that long-term stability not sure who I was any more or what I was looking for and I needed to explore that. I realize it must have looked pretty shoddy from your point of view. A bit of insecurity in there too, I guess. I needed to prove that I was still an attractive man, but in the end, it’s not about the number of conquests, it’s about the quality.’ He looked at me hard. ‘I’ll be honest. I think we had something. I don’t think I realized at the time.’