‘I saw her, and then I was knocked to the ground and dragged in here.’

‘By whom?’ said Eva.

‘By a man all dressed in flowing green,’ said Amjad. ‘Like the Pakistan cricket team.’

There was silence while Eva considered this.

‘I miss her so much,’ Amjad said.

‘I think I know where she might be,’ Eva said.

‘We must go there at once!’ said Amjad.

‘You committed trespass. Lucija acted in self-defence. I won’t press charges if you don’t. But now you have to let Mariam alone to come to her own decisions. It would be best if you can remain married to her for now. I know where she is. She is safe. She is being looked after by our island saint. If you leave her be, I will help you. I will also take you to meet the saint.’

She tapped into her phone.

‘I will transfer some money to you now, to defray income lost through Mariam’s decision to relocate. I have written to my solicitor, asking him to transfer you further funds every quarter for as long as Mariam remains in the islands.’

At that moment, a text flashed up on Eva’s phone. It was from Henry:

Driving to the house from ferry. Are you there?

Eva said, ‘Wait while I unbolt the door.’

The door, which is very heavy and quite stiff, took a good deal of effort to open, even the small distance she pulled it. Light from the hall fell through the two-inch gap, illuminating a slight figure and releasing a waft of greasy air, the smell of chips, and then underneath it, something more rancid, human defecation. How long had he been in here? Eva squinted, as she pulled the door wider, and found herself looking at a young man with tousled dark hair and big scared eyes. He did not look in the least bit like a match for Mariam. His shirt was crumpled.

No, Amjad told the detective later, he didn’t know where the woman was planning on taking him. All he knew was that he wanted to see his wife.

RUTH: The line cut out as she went down the remaining steps to unbolt the door. That’s all we know. And that Amjad was scared of the police.