“Have you got time to go to one of the cafés down the road?”

I nodded. “Just give me a minute. I need to leave this inside.” While Tom stayed outside in the car park, I left the box with the receptionist and went into the bathroom. Luckily nobody else was in there. I ran cold water over my hands and wrists, feeling faint with stress. What did he want? And how had he found me? I hadn’t said anything about where I worked. After a few minutes I knew I’d have to face up to him. I sent Annie a quick text to tell her I might be a few minutes late and went outside to Tom.

•   •   •

It was an awkward walk to the café. Neither of us said a word, but I was aware of his presence and could feel the tension in him as he walked behind me. It mustn’t have been easy for him, either.

“Coffee?” he asked when we were sitting at a table. “How do you like it?”

The thought of coffee was enough to make my stomach turn. Tea, too. I said to the waitress, “I’ll have a glass of water, please. Plenty of ice.”

Tom looked surprised. “Sure? What about some juice?”

My stomach tilted again. “No, I’m fine, thanks. I’ve already had coffee,” I lied. “I don’t want to get too jittery.”

“We have decaf,” the waitress said.

“No. Water’s fine, thanks.” I waited until she’d gone, then I leaned forward and said quietly, “I’m sorry I left like that. The other day, I mean.” I felt an idiot then. When else could I have meant?

He looked away. “That’s okay.”

“It’s not,” I said. “I woke early and couldn’t go back to sleep. I didn’t know what to do, so I just left. I should have written you a note or something. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “It never happened.”

If only that were true.

Our drinks arrived then and he spent a while opening the little bags of sugar and fiddling around with them. I sat watching him, my stomach clenched as I wondered what he was going to say. I decided to preempt him.

“Did you speak to Ruby about Harry?”

“No,” he said. “Did you speak to Harry?”

I shook my head. “I haven’t said a word. After . . . after that night at your house, I didn’t feel I had a leg to stand on.”

“I didn’t say anything, either,” he said. “I was hoping you were wrong. I couldn’t stop thinking about it but I was waiting.”

“What for?”

He shrugged. “For any sign there was something going on, I suppose. She was just the same as usual, that was the thing. I started to think that you’d read more into it than had really been there. But then she left me.”