She stands up, clearing away her dirty plate into the dishwasher, then wonders what to do with the rest of her Saturday night. She knows her friends are out, a text earlier asking if she was going to join them, but she doesn’t have the energy.

Most days she likes the peace and quiet. Space to do what she wants after a long day. To put her feet up and watch something mindless on TV. But today, more than ever, she misses Jon.

Communication between them was brief and sporadic. But she always knew he was there if she needed him. Sometimes it was just a quick message on WhatsApp. Sometimes she’d tweet, a cryptic message that only he’d understand, knowing he’d look and smile, and sometimes reply. And when they were together, they’d talk. About work, about everything. And now. Now there’s nothing.

It’s the silence she can’t stand. She has an urge to call Butler, find out how he’s getting on with the case, but he’ll ask about what she’s doing and she doesn’t want to lie.

Instead, she pulls up Steph’s number and presses the green button.

‘Hello?’

‘Steph, it’s Freya.’

‘Mmm-hmm,’ Steph replies.

‘You busy?’

‘Yep, give me a moment.’

There’s a rustling, and Freya hears Steph making excuses. Then footsteps.

‘Okay, we can talk now.’

‘You with Butler?’

‘Yep.’ Steph’s responses are short and to the point. Freya assumes her boss can’t be far away.

‘Have you found anything new on the Stevens case?’

‘Nope. I’ve reviewed the MRIs and X-rays taken at the time – nothing inconsistent with the findings.’

‘Multiple injuries consistent with road traffic collision?’

‘Yep.’

‘What about blood alcohol?’

‘Not tested the samples yet,’ Steph whispers, ‘although I’m not optimistic. Don’t pin too many hopes on it. Did you go to the crash site?’

‘Yeah.’ Freya moves the photos about in front of her. ‘Listen, Steph. Was there anything you found that would indicate suicide?’

‘Suicide? No. Why?’

‘Nothing on the road, nothing to cause an accident.’

‘Perhaps a deer jumped out. Perhaps it all happened too fast. Consistent with lowered response times due to drinking.’

‘Could you check his medical records, in case he was prescribed antidepressants or anything?’

‘Sure.’ Freya hears a male voice in the background. ‘I have to go. I’ll look later and text you.’

Freya hangs up. Hearing Butler’s voice makes her miss her boss. That sounding board, someone to talk to about stuff like this. And she’s envious of Steph. Not because she’s with Butler, but because they have each other.