And that was all Susan needed to hear, really—although Ridley went on to say the actual words, so there was no doubt in his mind that she’d fully understood.

“I’m sorry to confirm that it is your husband. It is Mike.” Susan’s head dipped a little, but her facial expression didn’t change that much. She didn’t cry. She didn’t speak. “We’re investigating and I’ll personally keep you informed about what we discover. Where are you getting ready to go to, Susan?”

Susan, quiet and in shock, said that she was meeting a friend at the gym.

“Would you like me to ask that friend to come here instead?”

Susan nodded, found her friend’s name in “contacts” and handed her mobile to Ridley. He, in turn, handed it to Anik.

“Say that Susan’s had some bad news and would like her to come round, please. Then put the kettle on.”

Ridley reassured Susan that they’d stay with her until her friend arrived, to deal with any questions either of them might have. As Anik stepped into the kitchen to make the call, he could hear Susan ask if she could see Mike.

“There’s no comfort to be found in seeing him,” he replied gently. “You leave Mike to me. I’ll look after him . . . so that you can look after yourself and your children.”

Anik heard Susan start to cry, followed by the rustle of Ridley’s jacket as he put his arm around her. When Anik returned to the lounge with a mug of sweet tea, Susan was sitting alone on the sofa and Ridley was standing in front of the fake hearth. The shoulder of his pale green jacket now showed a small dark patch, which Anik assumed was from Susan’s tears. Horrible though it was, he yearned for the day that a murder victim’s next of kin trusted every word that he said and rested their head on his shoulder for comfort.

It was almost seven o’clock when the team was back together in the squad room. Jack, having completed his interviews of the women from The Grange, confirmed that, in his opinion, they were nothing more than witnesses to Dolly’s murder and knew nothing at all about the train robbery until after the fact. With this line of inquiry closed, Ridley focused his team on Mike Withey, Barry Cooper and, possibly, Norma Walker. These people were connected to Rose Cottage and the money and, possibly, the robbery.

“Sir,” Jack interjected. “As well as the train robbery, Mike is also connected to an earlier crime in which, again, none of the stolen property has been recovered. The diamond heist back in ’84.”

Ridley looked at the extensive evidence boards that had been building over the past weeks. All of the historic research Jack had insisted on including in them might just come to fruition now. The Witheys’ name came up again and again, and Mike wouldn’t be the first copper to get pissed off with earning ten times less than the average low-life he nicked. What if he’d changed sides? Ridley didn’t want his officers to get overexcited, so he kept things calm.