‘From what Laura said, I reckon that Kate works because she has to. She has to hold on to something familiar, something she is safe with, and most of all, is in control of. It’s an outlet for her pain.’

‘Why can’t she hold on to me?’ Will’s voice was close to breaking.

‘She does. Although you probably can’t see it, you are her rock. She can rant and rave at you, she can be moody, can vent some of the hurt and anger at you in the knowledge that you won’t fail her. She knows that you love her. Her work is her anchor and you are her safety net.’

‘I don’t feel too strong at present. What if she falls?’

‘We have to make sure that she doesn’t, mate. If, God forbid, she should, then the decision will be taken out of your hands.’

‘You mean the hospital?’

‘If she crashes, Will, if she’s a danger to either herself or anyone else, then the decision would be made by others.’ Matt paused. ‘If she won’t go voluntarily, then she would be sectioned. You know that from all the sad cases we’ve dealt with in the force.’

Will shook his head.

‘This is what Laura warned me could happen, and she told me to make it quite clear to you. If I kept that from you, I wouldn’t be much of a friend, would I?’

‘It just seems so unbelievable, so unreal. My beautiful Kate in a madhouse. It’s sickening.’

Matt pulled a face. ‘Come on, Will, get real. We aren’t in Victorian times any more. You’ve seen modern psychiatric units — they’re proper specialist hospitals with highly trained mental health professionals.’

‘Okay, a modern-day madhouse then. She would still be pumped full of drugs and given God knows what therapy. I can’t allow it, Matt, I just can’t.’

‘Then you need to be strong for her now, and hopefully she will never have to go down that route, although I have to say, hospital is where she would be given real help.’

Matt went to the bar for another round, while Will tried to assimilate what he had been told. One odd thing stood out in his mind. When Matt returned to their table, Will posed his question.

‘What about that last picture, Matt? The girl on the marsh with the water around her feet?’