‘In which case you can stay in a supportive capacity for now; there may be questions you can help with too. I will request your departure when appropriate; your cooperation at that point will not be optional.’ DI Gordon looks down at his notes, then up again; his eyes find Eve’s. ‘Let’s start with Sorrel’s tiara. Do you know when she wore it last?’

Eve’s hand is open on her lap. The tiara has already been passed to forensics, but Melissa can see that its little paste stones have pressed blood-lined indentations into her palm. Eve shakes her head. ‘I’ve been trying to think if she was wearing it when she came to my room after lunch, but all I can remember is holding her, the warmth of her …’

‘She was wearing it mid-afternoon.’ Melissa’s hand finds Eve’s. ‘We went for a walk; she was wearing it then.’

‘Where was your husband at that time?’ He turns his scrutiny to Melissa.

‘He was in his office.’

‘Can you describe his behaviour later that day?’

‘He was angry.’

‘Why?’

‘He’d been drinking.’ It feels dangerous to admit this in their house; she glances around swiftly as if terrified Paul were lounging against the wall of the kitchen, listening to her every word.

‘So he took it out on you.’ He inspects her face; he doesn’t need a reply. ‘You put your belongings and your cat in the car earlier today when you drove from this house,’ he continues.

Melissa feels Grace’s hand slide into hers; now all three of them are linked together.

‘That’s right.’ Melissa lifts her chin, meeting his eyes. ‘I was leaving him.’

‘All marriages have their problems; despite this, they often continue for years, as yours had done. What were you escaping from today of all days, the second day of Sorrel Kershaw’s disappearance? What exactly made you snap?’

He is implying she knows something about Sorrel, that she might have been running from something terrible; if there is something terrible to find, it has yet to be discovered.

‘It had nothing to do with Sorrel,’ she replies, but the bulging eyes continue to stare; he looks unconvinced. The silence in the kitchen swells until she can’t bear it any more. ‘All right, I discovered he’s been raping our live-in maid.’ The words sound worse in the kitchen than they did in her head, starker, more grim. Perhaps she shouldn’t have said that. Eve’s hands have started to tremble; she might be thinking that if Paul raped Lina and was behind Sorrel’s disappearance, he could have raped her little girl too.

‘Your maid told you this?’ DI Gordon raps out.

‘She didn’t need to, she is pregnant.’

‘That doesn’t mean he raped her.’