‘Ernest, my grandfather’s name. I do my best to live up to it.’ He laughs. ‘So,’ he says, leafing through the forms I emailed earlier and his assistant clearly printed. ‘Your US citizen father and British mother divorced when you were a baby, and you were born and raised in the UK. My main tip is for you to remain calm and not panic as you explore your next steps.’

Is this the kind of tip you charge $1,600 for? ‘Panic about what, Mr Mathieson?’

‘Call me Albert, please. Your discovery of your US citizenship, and the tax obligations it brings.’

‘I see. Am I right in thinking you knew Jane Miller? Zac Hunter’s wife.’

‘Yes. I know her. Did Jane give you my name?’

Yes, but not in the way you mean. I am thinking of the card she left in her suitcase. ‘The information for your forms,’ I say. ‘My place and year of birth, the countries I’ve lived in, my parents’ citizenship – those weren’t my own facts. They were Jane’s.’ I’d been surprised by how much Maxine had told me about Jane, when it came to it.

‘That was an odd thing for you to do.’ The smile is gone from his face. ‘Why?’

‘I’m sorry. I wanted to see what issues Jane’s circumstances raised for you. And I was worried you wouldn’t talk to me if you knew my real name – it’s Holly Lawrence.’

There is a spark of a near-visible charge. ‘Zac’s spoken of you. We were friends in college – but you must know that.’

‘Yes. Do you mind picking up your tablet for a minute? I’d like to show you something.’ I direct him to the article about Jane’s body being found, watch him quickly read it. ‘They say it’s an unknown woman. It’s not. It’s Jane. She was smothered.’

He swallows hard. ‘God.’ He shakes his head. ‘How awful. Zac must be devastated.’

‘I’m not sure how devastated the police think he is. Did you advise Jane?’

‘No. Zac wanted me to, but no. She wasn’t interested. I did advise Zac, after she left him.’ He sits back. ‘Zac gave me permission to talk to you – said nothing was off limits.’

‘Wow. When did he do that?’

‘He wrote to me’ – he checks his phone – ‘August, 2017.’ So, two months after I ran away. ‘He wanted me to let him know if you got in touch. Said you’d come across my card. He also said you were missing, presumed dead, but he didn’t believe you were.’

‘Well, he knows now that I’m not. Have you heard from him since?’

‘Not a word since that letter.’ He pushes the tablet and papers away. ‘Do you know about Jane’s inheritance from her father? The fourteen-million dollars?’

I don’t bother to mask my shock. ‘Not that it was so much.’