‘I expect it was financial. Money’s the only thing that matters to Hayes, and Ali was sadly in the same situation. If Hayes said he’d pay Ali to start the fire, I’m sure it was a pittance and he probably never handed all the cash over.’ I paused, not taking my eyes off Tomasz. ‘But Kenny Hayes wouldn’t come cheap. And it got me thinking about who would have that sort of money.’

‘Yes, I see.’ He was kicking at the dirt with the tip of his shoe, and moving the soil around in a circular motion with the sole.

‘And it reminded me of a few things that you and Agnieszka said about your mum.’

‘Oh?’ His face drained of colour, and he spoke with a hint of a stammer. ‘Like what?’

I kept my voice steady. Calm. ‘It’s obvious how much you care about her and—’

‘Of course. She’s my mother. She’s seventy-five and she’s on her own now.’ Business-like was back again. ‘She adored Dad but her life with him wasn’t easy. She made excuses for him all the time, and rarely complained, and she’s struggling even more now because Dad let the shop go.’ He took out his phone and checked the time.

‘When you said you’d tried everything to help her, and had given up, I wondered whether that was true.’

‘What d’you mean?’

‘Are there things you ruled out, things you considered?’

His brow crunched into a deep frown. ‘Lots of things. I bought her a house, for God’s sake. I’ve given tenants notice to quit, so she had somewhere warm and dry to move to. She wouldn’t agree to any of it. Her GP told her she was jeopardising her health, continuing to live at the shop, and she even ignored him.’ He was shaking his head. ‘It was as if she gave up when Dad died. Like she didn’t care if she dropped down dead in that bloody place.’ He coughed. ‘It’s not easy watching someone you love suffer.’

‘Like I say, no-one doubts how much you care about her. And you’re hardly short of money so you’d have nothing to gain by forcing her out of the shop . . . ’ I let my words sink in. ‘And I’m sure you wouldn’t have intended her to get hurt in the fire . . . ’

I felt Tomasz’s eyes searching mine for clues as to whether I was being serious.

‘Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?’ he finally asked.

‘I’m wondering whether you paid Kenny Hayes to set fire to your mother’s shop, to force her into moving out without having to make a decision or feel bad.’ If I’d known, all those years ago, that I was going to have this conversation with Tomasz . . .