Standing in the deserted foyer, he rang Claire Mulholland at home. Baz answered the phone begrudgingly. ‘She’s in the shower, hang on.’

Gillard could hear the sound of football in the background. Then finally Claire came on the phone.

‘Don’t you ever go home?’ she asked.

‘When I get the chance. The Roy family was able to reject the bid because the wedding is back on.’

‘Why would that make a difference?’

‘Because the bride’s family is loaded. They’re part of an Indian clan which owns some huge mobile phone company, so of course we’re talking about an enormous dowry.’

‘How big?’

‘I don’t know, but it can be the only reason. I’m sorry Claire, I may not be making much sense here, but here’s the main point. I think we’ve been looking at the wrong guy. I’m sure Deepak is guilty of the fraud, but that’s it. I don’t think he killed Mrs Roy.’

‘I’m dripping water on the carpet here, and I still don’t know what you’re trying to say.’

‘I went round to Harry Roy’s flat, as I mentioned.’ Gillard described his climb onto the rooftop. ‘There was no point in knocking on the door, which would have made them clam up. So I went up to the roof, trying to hear more. And I got a photograph. Then it made perfect sense why Harry has spent years trying to wriggle out of arranged marriages.’

‘You’re keeping me in suspense. And I’m getting cold.’

‘Prisha was dead right when she said that Harry had been carrying on a relationship on the quiet, even while going along with his mother’s wish that he should marry into a prominent Indian family. The affair was for real, it just wasn’t with who she thought it was.’

‘For God’s sake Craig, are you ever going to tell me who she is?’

‘Not she, Claire, he. Harry Roy is in love with Zayan Lal. Probably has been for many years.’

‘The wedding planner? That doesn’t make any sense, he was instrumental in finding the bride and bringing the whole thing together. He was trying to make the wedding happen, that’s the only way he was going to be paid.’

‘So he said,’ Gillard replied. ‘But he must have been lying. This only makes sense if Zayan had no intention of making the wedding work. Harry was happy to have Zayan as the wedding planner, because they could spend weeks together, not only here but in India, pretending to set it up. Harry probably hoped that this wedding would go the way of the others his mother wanted, called off once he had some well-publicised affair.’

‘So Harry is bisexual then?’

‘I’m pretty certain. But I’m sure Zayan, having seen how determined Mrs Roy was to finally get her son settled, needed to stop this endless procession of engagements which prevented him having a normal life with Harry. I sort of get where he was coming from. He was marginalised, invisible, the permanent bit on the side. He would probably be happy to come out, but Harry wouldn’t have it.’