‘It’s not my secret society, it’s our secret society, and anyway there’s nothing dangerous about making enquiries,’ said Tiger irritably.

‘If I were you,’ said Gary, with more gravitas than he was usually known for, ‘I’d stay well out of it.’

‘So you don’t want to help?’

‘It’s not that I don’t want to help,’ said Gary, ‘it’s just that I don’t think I can help.’

‘How do you know until you try? Honestly. You civil servants, you live such sedentary lives, and then when something comes along that might be a bit interesting you stick your heads in the sand and hope it will go away.’

‘Look,’ said Christopher, ‘I don’t really see how, as a local doctor, I can go around asking questions like that. I mean, what does Erica think? Is she happy for you to take the law into your own hands.’

‘I haven’t necessarily told her yet.’

Christopher looked thoughtful. ‘I can imagine what Kate’s reaction would have been.’

‘Kate would probably have chased them out of the shop with a meat axe!’ said Gary, grinning.

‘I saw her the other day,’ said Tiger. The words came out without his thinking.

‘Saw Kate?’ asked Christopher. ‘Where?’

‘At City Airport. Only briefly.’ Tiger tried to play it down.

‘What was she doing?’ Christopher could not hide his curiosity.

‘Flying to Southampton.’

‘With Howie?’

‘So you know about him then?’

‘Yes.’ His voice was steady. Level. ‘American high flier. Everything I’m not.’

‘I didn’t mean…’ offered Tiger.

‘Oh, don’t worry. I’m not feeling sorry for myself. I won’t go into terminal decline.’

‘I wasn’t sure whether to mention it or not. Didn’t know whether you knew…’

‘Yes, I knew. But not from Kate. From someone else. Patients are always happy to keep you up to date on gossip, often in the most lurid detail. She’s been with Howie for about six months now. They met salsa dancing. At an executive singles club.’

‘Salsa dancing?’ asked Gary incredulously.

‘They tell me it’s huge fun,’ said Christopher. Then he looked suddenly sad. ‘And full of sexual tension.’

‘Well, if it’s any consolation she didn’t look as if she was having much fun the other day,’ Tiger confided.

Christopher drained his glass and sat back in his chair. ‘That’s a shame. I’d like at least to think that she was happy.’

‘Why?’ asked Gary. ‘She up and left you. Why would you want her to be happy?’

Christopher and Tiger exchanged glances, then Tiger looked down.

‘Because after twenty-odd years of marriage,’ said Christopher, ‘I can’t wish her ill.’

‘But that’s daft. She dumped you.’

‘Thank you for reminding me.’

‘What you need to do is get yourself someone else pretty sharpish. Someone young. That’ll show her.’