Bill, bless him, doesn’t stoop to discuss the price he paid. Instead, he watches the bottle pass from hand to hand, and then raises his glass.

‘To Christianne,’ he says softly. ‘Good luck and God speed.’

A murmur of voices repeat the toast, after which comes a slightly uncomfortable silence. Is this my cue to share the news about McFaul’s arrest? In truth, I’ve no idea, though it turns out at least one of them knows already.

‘I had a call this afternoon.’ Nathan is looking at me. ‘Constabulary headquarters. A chum of mine. Plays off a three handicap. Only took the bloody game up a couple of years ago. Operation Bulldog? Would I be right?’

‘You would.’

‘And is it true they arrested him? Young Andy?’

‘Yes.’

‘And you were there?’

‘Yes.’

‘But you need grounds for arrest. What were theirs?’

This blizzard of questions is beginning to irritate me. I might be wrong, but I thought I’d been invited to a social event.

‘Suspicion of murder.’ I hold his gaze. ‘They seem to think he killed Christianne. It’s nonsense, of course, and I told them so.’

‘You volunteered for interview?’

‘Yes. Christianne left me a note. I was rather flattered, if you want the truth. I think she needed to say goodbye and for whatever reason, she chose me. The police wanted to know more about that, not that I had much to offer. We’d only just met. In one sense, I barely knew her.’

‘And in the other?’

‘We’d bonded. Definitely.’

‘You had, my dear.’ This from Bill. ‘I could sense it when she brought you round.’

I nod, chiefly because it’s true, but Nathan hasn’t finished with me.

‘Was it a long interview?’

‘Mine, you mean?’

‘Yes.’

‘Not really. Maybe an hour. Maybe less.’

‘And did you form any impression of the case they might be trying to make against Andy?’

This question belongs in a court of law. Part of me wants to ignore it, to change the subject, maybe even tell Nathan to mind his own business, but I’m aware of the interest on other faces around the table.

‘They’re puzzled by the absence of a body,’ I say at last. ‘They’ve looked and looked but they can’t find her.’

‘And that’s it?’

‘Yes. As far as I know.’ This, of course, is a lie but I’ve no intention of embarrassing Bill Penny. The money that went to Christianne may well have come from our host but it’s not going to be me who breaks the news.

Nathan, at last, appears to have finished with his cross-examination. In the silence that follows, I reach for my glass.

‘This must be bloody hard on Andy,’ I murmur. ‘Losing your partner’s one thing. Getting accused of killing her, quite another. I’m sure there’s no case to answer. They’ve probably released him already.’