‘Why? Good God, don’t you think we’ve been a bit too busy with our own concerns to pay attention to the news? The last four days have been a complete blur.’ Lowther started to go red in the face as he warmed to the subject. ‘Our lives have been turned upside down by the fire, you know. We’ve been backwards and forwards to the hospital and the mortuary, visiting Brian, identifying the bodies of our daughter and our grandchildren, making statements to the police, taking calls from our family and friends, fending off the press, doing our best to look after Brian and Luanne. Not to mention John. My wife has been exhausted with it all. She’s cried herself to sleep every night. And you think we’ve just been sitting around watching TV?’

‘All right.’

Fry waited for him to calm down. Perhaps she’d been a bit unreasonable. But after the experience with Darren Turnbull, this silence about Rose Shepherd on the part of the public was starting to feel like a conspiracy.

‘Besides,’ said Lowther, ‘nothing happened at our meeting. Nothing of any significance.’

‘You just made small talk?’

‘It was all a bit awkward, really. Once we’d said what we’d gone to say, there was nothing else to talk about. After a while, Miss Shepherd gave Lindsay a gift for Luanne, then she left. She seemed quite nervous, glad to get away.’

‘This gift, sir . . . ?’

‘A sort of wooden toy.’

‘A dinosaur?’

‘Yes. I believe so.’

That detail confirmed, Fry decided to try a different tack.

‘What about a man called Simon Nichols? Did you have any dealings with him, Mr Lowther?’

‘Nichols? No, the name means nothing to me. Who is he?’

‘Somebody else Miss Shepherd was in contact with.’

Lowther screwed up his eyes thoughtfully. ‘I always had the impression she had an associate of some kind. Perhaps more than one.’

‘Did she never mention any names? What about Simcho Nikolov?’

‘No, no. She was very careful, you know.’

‘Not careful enough, in the end.’

He grimaced. ‘I think she must have lost touch during these last few months. It’s easy to lose contact with the real world when you cut yourself off like that. Poor Miss Shepherd.’

‘I don’t really understand why Brian and Lindsay were so desperate to adopt,’ said Fry.

‘As I said, Lindsay really, really wanted a girl. It was so important to her.’

‘But, still – they could have waited a bit longer, couldn’t they?’

Lowther coughed and shifted uncomfortably. ‘Well, as I said . . . there was a problem. About three years ago, Brian had mumps. When you get them as an adult, it’s a very serious condition. It can cause infertility.’

‘And that’s what happened to your son-in-law?’

‘Yes.’

‘Were you aware of any problems in your daughter’s marriage?’

‘Problems?’

‘Between Lindsay and Brian. Had they been having arguments recently?’