‘It’s Parvati,’ said the woman. ‘I’m calling from India on behalf of your late grandmother Eva. Do you mind if I ask, did you answer the phone in the study? No? Then I need you to put down this handset and pick up the one in there.’

The study. Eva had worked there alone. Zoe knew that it would feel strange, even upsetting, to sit at Eva’s desk, the place where she had done so much of her thinking, at her computer, from which she’d managed so much of her campaigning. But it was also true that Zoe had been to almost every other place in the house. She was wearing those places out. Where else was Eva now? Perhaps in the study. So she did as Parvati asked.

‘Are you there yet? Excellent. Well done, Zoe. Now, sit down, and place your finger on the keyboard. Perfect, yes, like that. Is the screen changing colour?’

Zoe knew that they’d been trying to unlock Eva’s computer. Back before they stopped trying, Jen had called Zoe up, and asked her for some suggestions: different names, addresses, dates of birth. The computer remained impervious.

Zoe touched a finger to the keyboard. Immediately the inert black screen dissolved into green, then yellow, then pink.

‘Excellent,’ said Parvati.

‘There’s a text box,’ Zoe said.

‘Type in your full name, please,’ Parvati said.

Zoe typed in her name, and immediately her face appeared on the screen. She jumped. She had a spot on her chin.

‘Just a minute,’ said Parvati. ‘I’m scanning you.’

The screen went black. Then it made a contented-sounding noise, and another box appeared.

‘What does it say?’ Parvati asked.

‘It says, Ring Alice.’

‘Oh,’ said Parvati, sounding surprised for the first time. ‘Well, I don’t have her number. Can you get it for me?’

‘Give me a minute,’ Zoe said to Parvati. She sent Jen a text:

ALICE’S NUMBER? URGENT. HER HOUSE. NOW.

‘Here it is,’ Zoe said, after a moment. ‘Do I need to do anything else?’

‘Yes please. Just stay by the phone. I’ll speak to Alice and ring you right back.’

JUDGE: Did you finish your edition of female epics?

ALICE: What? Oh, that. No, not yet. Kids—

JUDGE: I see.

ALICE: I did collate some quotations from them.

SOLICITOR: Submission 1a.