Gaby’s eyes were bright and for a moment she didn’t speak. Then she said, ‘Of course.’ Her voice was small. ‘I’d like to talk about Russell.’ She paused for a moment then said, ‘I was so proud of him.’ She smiled and gave a slight nod. ‘People think I’m the one who’s achieved so much, but Russell – well you probably know he had a spell in prison. And when he came out, it wasn’t easy for him.’

‘Can you explain?’

‘People,’ she began, ‘they’re so quick to judge. Russell made a mistake and he had to live with it. But Facebook, the keyboard warriors, they don’t miss you and hit the wall.’

‘It can be pretty nasty,’ Clare agreed.

‘And he felt guilty, too,’ Gaby went on. ‘Guilty for that poor woman’s injuries. He wrote to her, care of the police, obviously. But he didn’t hear back. Maybe she never received it.’

The sun went behind a cloud, casting a shadow on the courtyard. Gaby shivered and reached for a cotton cardigan, pulling it on over her arms. She began rubbing her hands together and Clare noticed her fingers were white.

‘Are you cold?’ she asked.

Gaby followed Clare’s gaze to her fingers. ‘Oh this?’ she said. Then she shook her head. ‘It’s nothing. Raynaud’s syndrome. Affects the circulation.’ She continued rubbing her hands together. ‘It’ll come back in a minute.’

‘We can carry on indoors, if you prefer,’ Clare said. Gaby’s fingers were very white, compared to the rest of her hands.

‘Honestly it’s fine. Erm, what were you saying?’

‘Did Russell ever speak about the people he met inside prison?’ Chris said.

Gaby hesitated and seemed to be choosing her words. ‘Not really.’

‘Maybe the odd time?’ Clare pressed, but Gaby said nothing.

‘Perhaps he kept in touch with someone,’ Chris persisted. ‘Someone he met when he was there.’

Gaby looked at Chris, her brow furrowed. ‘You think it’s someone from back then? That he fell out with someone in prison and this is what they’ve…’

The chink of glasses interrupted them as Luke reappeared bearing a tray with four glasses and a tall jug, bobbing with ice. ‘I thought you might want something after all,’ he said glancing at Clare. He placed the tray down on a wooden garden table and Chris rose to help. The ice cold lemonade was refreshing and Clare sipped at it. Then she smiled at Luke. ‘Gaby was telling us Russell found it difficult when he came out of prison.’

‘What you’d expect, I suppose.’

‘Were you aware of anyone who might have harboured a grudge over the years?’ Clare asked.