‘Yes, but not now, not still.’ The cyclist swerved around the wing mirror then accelerated away, narrowly avoiding a van jumping the lights at the crossroad. ‘Christ.’

Needless to say, she’d been awake at one thirty; she’d watched the red numbers on the desk clock come up like a losing spin on the slot machines. Forty-eight hours, done, finished, and they wanted to know if she’d been shagging Rin’s husband.

‘Maggie, you know I wouldn’t ask this in any other circumstances but would you talk to your guy for me – Nuttall? I need some details. I don’t even know if she was alive when the fire started.’

She’d woken at six, sweating, heart hammering, with an image of Corinna on her driveway wearing the orange canvas coat, the printed fern pattern warping suddenly, then starting to flicker. She’d been there, too, in the dream, but she’d just been standing and talking, going on and on and on, and by the time she’d realized what was happening, Rin was in flames to the waist, trying to keep her arms above it, screaming.

‘I need to know what they’re doing to find Josh. What have they got? All this other stuff – was he violent? Was he sleeping around? – what are they actually doing? They must have some idea which way his car went. Even that – if I knew …’

‘No.’

Robin kept her eyes on the road. ‘Something’s happened to him, too, it’s the only explanation. If I had some idea what they’re doing, I’d be able to—’

‘Stop.’ Maggie’s voice was loud; on edge as she was, Robin nearly stamped on the brake.

For several seconds neither of them spoke. Maggie took a deep breath. ‘Don’t think I don’t get what you’re saying, don’t think I’m not sympathetic. I know you’re going through hell. But I won’t ask Nuttall. You know you’ve done nothing wrong, I know it, but how’s it going to look if you go fishing down back channels?’

Robin said nothing.

‘Apart from anything else, Alan’s not even on the case. He only rang me because he knows it’s my area. It’d just be another distraction, something else to put you in the picture unnecessarily.’

‘I wouldn’t do anything with the information. You know I’ve got to stay squeaky clean. Any hint that I’d tried to involve myself with an investigation, I’d be screwed.’

‘Permanently.’

‘Which is why you can be sure I only want it so I know they’re on top of—’

‘Just don’t.’ Real sharpness now.

‘What?’

‘Don’t think that because they’re not the Met, they’re not up to it. Just because this is the regions doesn’t mean they’re not fucking good. Don’t ever make that mistake.’

Robin felt the rebuke like a slap. ‘I didn’t.’