‘No. Well, yeah. I just called down to see you and you weren’t there. It was only to tell you I’m tied up this evening, but I was wondering if I could drop you home tonight?’

Laura felt a rather pleasant sensation in her stomach.

‘That’s thoughtful of you,’ she said, smiling. ‘But I do have my own car.’

‘Of course you do.’

Neither of them spoke for a moment, both suddenly shy.

‘Can I …’

‘Could we …’

They were talking over one another. Laura laughed.

‘Can I still get you some dinner, later?’ Ray said, seizing the initiative. ‘Just take-out to the station, I mean. We have to talk to Carney again, so I can’t leave.’

‘I’d love that,’ Laura said.

‘Brilliant. I mean, thanks – I’ll see you later.’

‘See you later.’ She ended the call. She hadn’t imagined it, so. He was interested. Though with the way things had gone over the last couple of years, she didn’t think she’d truly believe it until she was waking up with him in the bed beside her.

Laura caught sight of her reflection in the rearview mirror, her cheeks flushed.

‘You’re a lustful disgrace,’ she told herself, still smiling and blissfully happy.

She found the house without much trouble. She wasn’t familiar with Meath, but the Hollands’ business was well signposted and she knew from Google maps that the house was situated not too far from there.

Laura pulled into a gravel drive that ran alongside a perfectly landscaped garden. It was a big house, expensive-looking. And isolated. Nobody around to hear you scream, she mused, then chastised herself for being silly.

She got out of the car, admiring her surroundings. Not bad, for somebody who was essentially a gardener.

Nobody answered her knock at the front door. She tried again, then decided to walk around the building. Maybe the residents of the house were out back and couldn’t hear her.

If Laura was honest with herself, she was a wee bit concerned. If her theory was correct, as outlandish as that seemed, could this actually be their man? It was so ridiculously inconceivable that the case could be solved with some guesswork and a stroke of luck. But if she was right … maybe she shouldn’t have come out on her own.

Laura shook her head. She was being daft. It was broad daylight. The sun shone in the sky, birds sang in the trees. In all likelihood, there was nothing of interest here and once she’d had this chat, she could go back to the station and get that dinner with Ray. If this man had answered his bloody phone, she wouldn’t have had to drive out here at all.