Clare looked round the room. ‘It’s nice here,’ she said. ‘Lots of light.’

Melanie nodded. ‘I do my best.’

‘Is it just you and your little boy?’

‘Yeah. Just the two of us. Me and Daniel. He does see his dad sometimes but we mostly manage on our own.’ A black cat strolled languidly into the room, brushing past Melanie’s legs. Then it saw Clare and stood for a moment, unblinking, taking her in. Melanie moved to pick up the cat but it leapt from her hands and walked up to Clare, sniffing at her legs. ‘Sammy,’ Melanie said but the cat ignored this. It continued to sniff Clare until she put a hand down to stroke its head. At this, it turned and began rubbing its head against Clare’s hand, purring softly. ‘He likes you,’ Melanie said.

‘Probably smelling my dog,’ Clare said. And then she remembered she hadn’t seen Benjy since Saturday morning. He’d be having a wonderful time with Moira, her nearest neighbour and dog walker, but she’d be so glad to see him later on.

‘So,’ Melanie said.

Clare smiled. ‘It’s really nothing to worry about. PC Stapleton who spoke to you on Saturday – she’s dealing with something so I said I’d pop in for a quick chat.’

Melanie sighed. ‘I don’t know what else I can do,’ she said. ‘I had a reliable babysitter, or I thought she was reliable. She told me later she was on some new pills and they were making her drowsy. I suppose she slept through Daniel waking up.’

‘You were on night shift?’

Melanie’s eyes flicked away for a moment, a gesture that didn’t escape Clare. ‘Yeah,’ she said.

‘Where do you work?’ Clare asked, keeping her tone light.

The eyes again. Clare wondered what Melanie was hiding.

‘Oh, various places.’

She tried again. ‘You’re an agency worker?’

‘Yeah, something like that.’ Melanie checked her watch. ‘I need to pick Daniel up soon,’ she said. ‘From nursery.’ She glanced towards the door.

Clare smiled. ‘I can give you a lift if it helps. Give us a few more minutes to chat.’

Melanie’s shoulders sagged. ‘Okay.’

‘Can you tell me what kind of work you do, Melanie?’

The cat turned its head away from Clare’s fingers and strolled back across to Melanie, jumping up on her lap. She put out a hand to stroke it and it nuzzled her neck in response. Clare waited. She was good at silences.

‘Waitressing,’ Melanie said at last.

‘Must have been quite a distance away.’

Melanie’s brow furrowed.

‘For you to stay overnight,’ Clare said.

‘Yes. Quite far.’

‘Still in Fife? Or further afield?’

Melanie rubbed the cat under its chin and Clare heard it purring again. ‘I really don’t know. There were a few of us and we were chatting, you know? And suddenly we were there.’

‘Someone picked you up then?’