‘The locksmith took the old lock out and put a new one in, and we were chatting on the road by his van while I sorted out payment when I noticed the smoke. Well, it wasn’t just smoke – by that time the carpet had gone up in flames. Luckily the locksmith carries a fire extinguisher, and he charged back in there.’

As she finished speaking, a stocky middle-aged man with a shaven head came out of the office door and walked over to them. He pulled off his sooty face mask, leaving a clean triangle on the bottom half of his face. ‘It’s all out now, but there’s a bit of damage. Better get the insurance people over to have a look. All the computer equipment is ruined, and the desks and chairs.’ He gave an apologetic shrug. ‘I’m sorry, I did what I could, but those acrylic carpets without fire retardant are lethal.’ He held out a blackened phone: Sara’s. ‘I don’t suppose this is going to work now, either.’

Sara took it off him, the case still hot to the touch, and tried to switch it on, but the shattered screen remained blank. ‘Thank you so much,’ she said, thinking that a dead phone was the least of her worries. ‘Thank goodness you were here, or it could have been much worse.’

The man looked embarrassed and wiped a hand across his sweaty forehead, leaving a black smear above his eyebrows. ‘Happy to help.’ He looked back towards the house. ‘Home offices can be death traps if the electrics aren’t set up properly. Overloaded sockets, all sorts of problems.’

Sara gave a tight smile, wondering if Hailey’s theory was right. ‘Well, I really appreciate your help, and thanks for getting my sister out of there. Do we owe you anything else? Let me compensate you for—’

‘Nah.’ He shook his head. ‘All part of the service. Anyway, I’m going to get off and get myself cleaned up.’

Sara looked at the house – her home – and a new determination gripped her. She smiled at the man. ‘Before you go, I wonder if you could put new locks on the house for me as well? I’ve lost my keys, you see.’ She gave him a hopeful smile. ‘Only if you’ve got time. Otherwise I’ll have to break a window or something.’ She grimaced, tucked her hands in the pockets of her joggers and looked longingly at the house. ‘My husband’s away, so I’m a bit stuck.’

He looked at her for a moment, checked his watch. ‘I’ll just have to give my next client a call, tell them I’ve been delayed. And I’ll need proof this is actually your address.’ His eyes didn’t leave hers. ‘Don’t want to be aiding and abetting any wrongdoings, do I?’