‘You’re hurting me,’ said Kate.

He seemed surprised at how hard he was holding her arm and let go apologetically. Then he looked over his shoulder towards the office. Kate followed his gaze. Was the security officer watching them or looking at the storm lighting up the sky?

A car drove in off the roundabout and pulled up outside the main entrance. She saw Adam’s look of relief, and realized this was his lift he’d been waiting for. Her time was up. She had to get through to him.

‘Please,’ she begged. ‘If you won’t do it for me, do it for Becky.’

He stiffened, but then the driver’s window slid down and a young woman cocked her head. ‘Hiya,’ she said to Adam, but she was looking questioningly at Kate.

‘Er . . . this is Kate,’ he said.

‘Hello,’ said the girl, then she frowned, though not in an unfriendly way. ‘You look familiar. Have we met before?’

‘I don’t think so . . .’ said Kate, turning to Adam for a pointer.

‘This is my girlfriend,’ he said, ‘Trixie.’ And then he quickly went round to the other side of the car and got in, making it clear to Trixie that she should wind up her window. Kate ducked her head down so she could see into the car.

‘Please, Adam. Please think about this!’

Trixie looked bemused, but Adam stared straight ahead out of the windscreen. ‘It’s been nice seeing you again,’ he said, affecting a pleasant tone for appearances’ sake, and then he nudged Trixie and they drove off.

Kate thought about chasing them down the street but that would achieve nothing – it wasn’t as if she’d be able to keep up. A horn beeped impatiently behind her and she realized she was in the middle of the road. She moved out of the way, then began the long, wet walk back to the station.

FORTY-FIVE

‘But he’s obviously hiding something,’ said Kate, sitting at the kitchen table. She buttered some toast for her and Tim. ‘He was tense from the moment he saw me, more so because I doorstepped him at his work. And he didn’t want anyone to see us talking.’

‘I don’t disagree with you. But if he won’t talk to you, I can’t see how you’re going to make him,’ said Tim. He handed her a mug of tea and sat opposite her. ‘Have you had any more threatening messages? Phone calls?’

‘No, nothing.’

‘The silence makes me more nervous . . .’ said Tim. He looked at her for a response and she stopped eating.

‘I can’t give it up.’

Tim bit his tongue, but she knew he was exasperated. It was becoming a real sticking point between them and had the heat to boil over into a full-blown argument. Her phone beeped, alleviating the tension.

She got up from the table and looked at the screen of her phone. Her heart leapt.

‘It’s an email from the forensic accountant.’ She quickly opened it up. Maybe there would finally be some good news. As she read, her excitement grew. ‘She’s managed to find out that the Cypriot company – you know, the anonymous one that owns the farm – paid a huge invoice three years ago, transferring all the profits to another company. Based in Anguilla in the Caribbean.’