‘It’s got nothing to do with me, Mr Jenkins,’ James said. ‘The only advice I would offer is to argue in the privacy of your own home next time. And to keep your hands off one another.’

Charlie heaved his shoulders. ‘I was having a fag break after an hour slaving away in a hot kitchen. She followed me out and it kicked off. She’s had a few drinks.’

James didn’t want to be drawn into a domestic dispute, so he looked at his watch and told Charlie that he had to return to the restaurant. Charlie then turned and headed back down the alley as James went inside.

He was surprised to see that Sonia was already back behind the bar alongside a young woman named Beth who appeared to be a regular member of the bar staff. Sonia caught his eye and mouthed a silent ‘sorry’ at him, which prompted him to smile at her. Annie noticed the exchange and gave him a questioning look.

‘I heard what I thought might be an assault taking place in the alley,’ he said. ‘But when I went to look, I saw Sonia and Charlie having a row.’

He told Annie what he’d overheard.

‘I’m expecting to see Janet at some point today so I’ll ask her about it,’ Annie said. ‘But I really think that Sonia needs to call time on that relationship if Charlie did cheat on her. I know he’s done it at least once before.’

They finished off the bottle of wine and decided to make a move. James paid the bill and was glad that Beth handled the transaction while Sonia served someone else at the other end of the bar.

Outside, the sky continued to be grey and oppressive, but it wasn’t stopping people from making the most of the market and all it had to offer.

Annie wanted to check out the stalls before heading home, to get some things for dinner. James was happy to join her in the hope that it would make him feel more relaxed.

But just then his phone pinged with an incoming text. It was a message from the former colleague in the Met. The news did nothing to lift his mood.

Made some calls and chatted to the usual suspects. Sullivan hasn’t been seen for days but one usually reliable snout reckons he’s gone away on a Christmas break somewhere in the UK. Nobody seems to know where, though.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The snow-covered market square was teeming with life and the festive spirit was almost palpable. Christmas songs were playing, children were squealing excitedly and the traders were doing brisk business.

James was glad to see that the bustle was providing Annie with a distraction. She was going from stall to stall, sniffing out bargains and loading up a carrier bag with ingredients for tonight’s dinner.

But James wasn’t able to shake off the unease that was building inside him. The text regarding Andrew Sullivan had raised more disturbing questions.