‘They’re looking for Ben, maybe they think you arranged to meet him here. When he doesn’t show up, they’ll leave.’

Beth said nothing.

I said: ‘Ben’s not going to show up, is he?’

‘Who knows? What if . . .’ she started, before the words caught in her throat.

‘What?’

‘What if they’ve given up on Ben? What if they’re not looking for him any more, if they’re looking for me instead?’

‘I won’t let anything happen to you.’

She covered her mouth with her hand.

‘I’m frightened, Joe.’

‘It’ll be OK,’ I said, my hand on her arm. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’

‘What if they come to the house again? If Alice is there?’

‘I’ll follow you home, if it comes to that.’

‘But what about tomorrow?’ she said, her voice rising. ‘And the next day, and the day after that? What then? Who’s going to look after us then?’

‘Beth, listen to me. I’m not going to let them hurt you, OK? We’re in a public place here, they’re not going to do anything.’

‘I can’t take this,’ she whispered, her voice cracking. ‘Not on my own. Not without Ben.’

There was a sudden flare of anger in my chest. Anger at these men, at their intimidation of a decent woman whose only fault was her choice of husband. Anger at Ben, architect of the insanity that surrounded me at every turn. Beth was frightened. I was frightened.

I was tired of being frightened.

Get proof. Something you can show to Naylor.

I found a pen in my jacket and wrote the registration on the back of my hand. Holding my phone low in my lap I took three pictures of the car, trying to get it in good sharp focus, then switched to video.

The Range Rover backed out smoothly and drove away.

Beth asked me to follow her home, and so I did, parking the moped at the bottom of her drive and walking her to the front door of the big house on Devonshire Avenue. There was no further sign of the black Range Rover but she was still pretty shaken up.

‘You sure you’re going to be OK?’ I asked as she stood in the doorway.

‘Yes. Thank you, Joe.’

‘Call me if you think of anything else, OK? Or if Alex Kolnik turns up here again.’

‘I will. We’re a team, aren’t we?’

‘Yes, we are.’

She gave a flicker of a smile.

‘I’m glad.’

‘Me too.’

‘Goodbye, Joe.’

She pushed the big door slowly shut and I heard two locks click home, followed by the metallic slide of a door chain being slotted into place.