‘Yep. It’s impossible to go anywhere without being spotted these days. But, y’know, it’s sometimes better just to ask a person where they’ve been. Call me old-fashioned.’

He waited patiently, relishing the thick shroud of awkwardness that hung between them.

‘I told them, and I’ll tell you. The bike’s not mine.’

Joe waited. He didn’t believe it. Or, perhaps, he didn’t want to believe it. Sugden fit the bill so perfectly. It was no surprise that Rita’s men were sniffing around. The Shaw killing? Perhaps it had been a mistake, a moment of madness when he was buying something, or an argument that got out of hand. Whatever, the key was Craig Shaw.

‘You know whose it is, then?’

He shook his head.

‘Seen it before?’

Again, no.

‘OK, thanks for your time, Mr Sugden.’

37

They dropped down into Cleckheaton town centre. Her eyes were still wide, but they were slightly glazed, not a hint of sympathy in them. It was as if she was a different person.

‘You really don’t need to interview me again, right?’

‘No. I assume you’ve already spoken to someone else on the case?’

‘Yes. They came to school today. Has there been an arrest? There was something on the news about it.’

‘Still questioning, last I heard.’

She closed her eyes and exhaled, long and hard.

A pause.

‘Do you know why I like Maths?’

‘Why?’ he asked slowly, keeping his eyes on the road as they drove.

‘Because you get an answer. The perfect answer. In life, things don’t always resolve themselves neatly. Maths generally does. There’s clarity, a sense of getting things exactly right.’

‘What’s brought this on?’

‘Pardon? You think you know me?’

‘No, I mean…’

‘Life doesn’t always turn out well, Joe. There isn’t always a neat answer.’

They turned right and drove past the old mill building that dominated the town. On the other side of the road was what looked like the remains of a railway line, minus the tracks.

‘It’s a Greenway,’ she said. ‘Railway’s long gone.’

‘It was pure Industrial Revolution around here, wasn’t it?’ he said, just to make conversation, sensing that she was tense, and that she regretted having accepted a lift from him. ‘But the village where you live? It’s only a handful of miles away, but could be in the Dales. Never touched by industry. Incredible.’

‘Ah, Tong! Scene of the infamous photograph! Front-page stuff!’

‘You know the weird thing about social media? If you don’t pay any attention, it all seems so distant, like it’s got absolutely nothing to do with you. I did get suspended, though.’

‘Really?’

‘Well, perhaps. I’m officially keeping a low profile while they decide what to do with me. Not allowed in pubs, though.’