Vera saw Morgan had been glad of the excuse to leave Mattie and move back to Tynemouth. He must have celebrated after Connie’s visit. It gave him an escape route and it made his desertion look like self-sacrifice: I’m leaving for the sake of your son.

Vera thought Mattie would have done better to drown him than the boy.

Morgan continued in the same reasonable way. ‘I didn’t understand how disturbed she was. I never thought she’d kill Elias in the hope of getting me back.’

‘When did Jenny Lister come to visit?’ Vera asked. Soon Freya would be back, and she wanted to catch the girl before she had a chance to talk to Morgan. It was time to move things on.

For the first time he didn’t have an immediate answer.

‘She did come to visit you?’

‘She came here a few times,’ he said. ‘I heard about her murder. I’m so sorry she’s dead.’

‘Bit of a coincidence,’ Vera said. ‘Death following you around wherever you go. What did she want with you?’

‘To assess me.’ He gave a small smile. ‘That’s what she said.’

‘Was this before you took up with Freya or after?’ Vera found from somewhere a blast of anger. He very nearly had me conned. He’s a clever bastard.

‘The first time was before Elias died. I think she wanted to make sure I no longer had any influence over the family. I convinced her of that.’

‘Jenny fell for your charms then, did she?’

‘She believed me. Charm didn’t come into it.’

‘When did you last see her?’

There was a pause. Outside in the street some young people were laughing and jeering, pulling Vera’s attention away from the room for a moment. In the distance she saw Freya approaching.

‘Well? It was recently, wasn’t it? Within the last two weeks. She’d found out from Mattie Jones that your young lassie was expecting a baby. She wanted to warn you from playing the same games with her as you did with Mattie.’

‘I don’t play games, Inspector.’

‘When did you last see her?’ Vera bellowed and the sound seemed to echo around the uncluttered room.

He gave a little nod. ‘You’re quite right. It was ten days ago, just a week before Jenny was murdered.’

‘And what did she want with you?’

‘She spoke to Freya, who confirmed that she was here under her own free will, that we love each other. But I’d guess love is a concept you don’t understand, Inspector.’

‘Did you have a relationship with Jenny Lister, Mr Morgan?’

He threw back his head and laughed.

Outside, the girl was almost at the door. Vera stood up suddenly, fury giving her the impetus to rise from the futon.

‘I want an answer!’

‘Of course there was no relationship, Inspector. Ms Lister was a rather beautiful woman. But not my type.’