Callie watched me intently as the message finished.

‘I don’t understand,’ I frowned. ‘George killed Dan?’

‘So Mum says,’ said Callie. ‘What happens when the police ask you to hand over the murder weapon?’

‘Then I will, but unfortunately it’s been dishwashed quite a few times since Dan’s party.’ I shrugged. ‘I left it in the kitchen and my cleaner thought it was just another piece of dirty cutlery. It’s been washed regularly ever since.’

‘But you still have the recording?’

‘What recording?’

‘The one of Mum in the study with the letter opener in her hand,’ said Callie.

‘What recording?’ I repeated pointedly.

Callie and I looked at each other. A brief, tremulous smile flitted across Callie’s lips. It didn’t last long, but it was there.

‘Thank you,’ she said softly.

‘You’re welcome,’ I replied. ‘Though I have no idea how your mum worked out who the murderer was after just one day when the police and I have been trying to figure it out for weeks.’

‘So you believe her?’ asked Callie.

‘Your mum wouldn’t accuse anyone unless she was one hundred per cent certain,’ I said.

‘So what’re you going to do?’

And only then did it click. Was Callie using this as some kind of test?

‘If George says nothing to the police about me taking the murder weapon, then I’ll keep my mouth shut,’ I said. ‘But, if he does try to drop me or Sephy in it, then I’ll have no choice but to present the police with your mum’s counterproposal.’

‘Seems fair,’ said Callie. ‘We leave the ball in George’s court, for now.’

‘For now,’ I agreed.

DI D’Souza had cautioned us that, even though the bodies of the female bodyguard and Jon had been removed, Ava’s was now a cordoned-off crime scene. We were warned we wouldn’t be able to return, which was fine by me. I didn’t care if I never saw the place again. The detective didn’t mention Jarvis and Eva so they must’ve been long gone by the time the police had secured the building and arrived at Eva’s office. At least I didn’t have to worry about any blowback from that.

No, the only thing I had on my mind was the woman in the chair beside me. After she shrugged away my first few attempts to put an arm round her shoulder, I gave up. But I wasn’t going to leave her. She shouldn’t be alone at a time like this. She needed me.

‘Can I get you a tea or coffee?’ I asked gently.