She sits watching the house, sipping the last of her coffee. After thirty minutes, a woman with blonde hair scraped back into a ponytail comes out with a boy of about eight. A springer spaniel runs out and cocks its leg up against a lilac tree in the front garden. The grass is as tall as the top of its legs and the kitchen window could do with a clean. In contrast, the woman is immaculate, wearing large sunglasses, high heels and a mid-length A-line coat. Could she be the same woman in the photo, about ten years older? Perhaps she’s Adam Hawkins’s wife, or is it possible Max had a sister he never told her about? The dog runs back inside. The woman locks the front door, helps the boy into the back seat, jumps in her car and drives off.

Maddy is shaking, but she has to speak to Adam even though it’s possible he could have pushed Max off that bridge. What if Max owed him money? He’s always coming to her when he’s run out. He used to know some unsavoury people, loan sharks that broke people’s hands if they didn’t pay up on time. Is Adam Hawkins one of them? She needs to be careful.

Maddy checks in the mirror; Emily is still asleep. She grabs the bag of papers and climbs out of the car as quietly as she can. There’s only the hum of a lawn mower in the distance. She dashes up the drive and taps on the door before she loses her nerve. The dog starts barking. She looks around, not wanting to draw attention to herself, but there’s no one there. She remembers Max selling the car because he was so pleased to get rid of it. They’d been after a people carrier for ages, so it made sense to sell the Nissan. She hadn’t minded paying for it because she was going to be the one using it the most. He used his work van all the time unless they were going out as a family. Five thousand pounds he said he got for it. But she hadn’t noticed any deposit for that amount on his bank statement.

She knocks again, louder this time. The dog goes crazy. Adam Hawkins is clearly not in. He’s probably at work. Perhaps it would be better to try earlier in the day.

Maddy climbs back in her car. There’s no doubt he must know Max. He transferred all that money to him, bought his old car. Emily begins to stir in the back seat.

‘Where are we, Mum?’

‘Cambridgeshire.’ She starts the car and drives away. ‘Do you fancy a quick trip to the beach?’

‘In October?’ Emily giggles.

‘It’ll be fun.’

‘Can I have an ice cream?’