‘Excellent,’ Gerald said. ‘Come on then, let’s have all the details.’ She heard the tapping of a keyboard through the phone, and knew he was opening up a blank document to make notes on.

It took them over an hour to run through everything, Gerald showing his usual interest and insight. Noah took a back seat, letting Hannah lead the conversation, only chipping in when there was something more he could add. She was grateful, but a small part of her wished he’d be less chivalrous and more egotistical or, better yet, revert back to the near-silent, permanently irritated version of himself – anything that would make her feel less sad about leaving.

Once they’d hung up, Noah leaned back on his elbows on the bed, twisting his neck from side to side. ‘There we go, then.’

‘He seems happy,’ Hannah said, trying not to notice the hem of his jumper sliding up above the waistband of his jeans. The waves, she told herself, turning her gaze to the window, were much more interesting.

‘I hope Gerald realizes what an asset you are to Green Futures. You’re tenacious, you ask all the right questions, and you’ve already got a good level of knowledge.’

Hannah laughed. ‘I like knowing the answers to things – I hate being left in the dark.’

‘Is that why you wanted to see old photos of the village?’ He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

Hannah sighed. ‘I just think it’s so strange that I used to come here on holiday. That the first case I work on, I discover it’s somewhere I visited as a child. But then I was partly drawn to the project because I do remember having some happy times in Cornwall. Maybe if the case Gerald had touted at that meeting had been in Lancashire, I wouldn’t have put myself forward so readily? It feels like a coincidence, but perhaps it isn’t: just a series of events and decisions which seem coincidental. I used to come here when I was little, but so what?’

It was a moment before Noah replied. ‘Did you come here with your mum and dad? He wasn’t in the photo, was he? Did he take it?’

Hannah was surprised that he’d noticed. ‘No, I … he was pretty much out of the picture by then. He’s always been passionate about his causes, and caring about the planet is no bad thing. But it meant he didn’t have time for us. Me and Mike, or Mum.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Noah said. ‘That must be hard.’

Hannah nodded. ‘It is. It has been. I’ve come to accept that’s the way things are.’

‘Are you close to your mum?’

Hannah rubbed her forehead. ‘We get on OK. She’s not a warm mumsy type, though. She’s been brilliant, looked after me and Mike so well, and we were a tight unit. I can talk to her about most things, but it’s as if she’s been so hurt by what Dad did, her heart stays firmly locked away. But that’s OK – she shows her love in other ways. She puts on these amazing Christmases. They’re like something out of a catalogue, but …’ She bit her lip. He didn’t want to hear all this.