‘What happened to Emily wasn’t your fault. Max would be the first to say it. You’ve got to stop blaming yourself.’

Sarah is being far too kind. Max may have forgiven her on the surface, but it has always been there between them. The damage can’t be undone.

‘And then Chloe dying so suddenly. Perhaps that’s why he did it.’

‘Max didn’t say anything to you about not coping, did he?’

‘Nothing at all.’

‘Would he really have jumped though? It’s hardly the Max we know, is it? Maybe it was an accident.’

Maddy takes a tissue from her pocket and wipes her damp eyes.

‘Did you phone his business partner?’

‘Yes, but it was really weird. John says Max resigned the day before he went missing.’

‘That’s odd. Why would he do that without telling you?’

Maddy shakes her head. ‘Why would he jump off a bridge? I don’t understand any of it. John said he was never in partnership with him either.’ She cradles her forehead. The side of her face has started to throb, a sure sign of a migraine coming. ‘I mean what on earth did he do with all that money I gave him if he didn’t use it to buy into the business?’

Sarah sips her coffee.

‘Do you think John could be lying?’

Sarah rests her mug in her hand. ‘Why would he?’

‘Because he was annoyed at Max being unreliable? What if they had a massive argument and he pushed Max in the river?’

‘Did the eye-witness see anyone else?’

‘They said someone saw Max fall in. What if that person was someone he knew? Someone who pushed him? If John is lying, how would I be able to prove it?’ Maddy stirs her drink, clattering the spoon round and round.

‘Max would have his copy of the partnership agreement, bank account details et cetera. We can soon prove that. Where does he keep his important paperwork?’

‘In the garage.’

‘Right, shall we go and check, clear this up right now?’

The garage door swings open in a wide yawn. The aroma of oil and creosote wafts out. Years of her parents’ junk still takes up more than half the space.

‘He keeps them all up there.’ Maddy points to the highest shelf on the wall.

Sarah helps her move the bikes out of the way and pulls the ladder out. Maddy climbs up. She drags out the first box file, named ‘New business 2017’. It’s heavier than she expected. She wipes off the dust and opens the lid. Inside is a pile of Top Gear magazines. She flicks through them. The papers must be underneath. But she can’t find any. She tips the box up to show Sarah and lets the magazines slide out into a heap on the floor.

‘Try another one,’ Sarah says.