‘I might take you up on that, but first I’ll see what needs doing. I’m going to tackle it as if it were the aftermath of a natural disaster, then, once it’s cleared, I will have a blank canvas to play with. It could be a new project for me.’ Emilia went out to her car.

Liz stood and watched her drive away. Just as she’d told them, she was a tough old bird. Even Liz, a retired copper with a good few years under her belt, would have thought twice about staying in a house that was under attack.

She hurried back indoors and found Matt still sitting at the table. ‘Okay, what’s happened?’

Matt shook his head. ‘I hardly know where to start.’

‘Like we used to say when we interviewed people — from the beginning.’

Matt began. As he spoke, Liz grew more and more disturbed. When he’d finished, she said, ‘You’re right, darling, we have to help them, especially if doctors are out of the question. We need a plan of action.’

‘It seems to me that my local knowledge will be our way in, along with your expertise on the computer. Plus, we have the time to spare, so if Kate is burning the candle at both ends, she might be glad of a couple of willing foot-soldiers to help her out.’ Matt nibbled on his thumbnail. ‘Will warned me about her appearance. She’s still losing weight and, to put it bluntly, she looks like the walking dead, so we need to be tactful. Plus, she might be pretty ill-disposed to our presence to start with, possibly even hostile, so we need to get her onside, no matter what it takes. Will is struggling, Liz. I mean, really struggling. I’ve never seen him like this, never. Even with some of the most harrowing cases we had to deal with, he was never anything but in control.’

‘Ah, but those cases weren’t personal. They didn’t involve the woman he loves.’ Liz reached out and touched Matt’s hand. ‘We’ll find a way to help, and if things get too bad then we might need to be there for Will if he has to make a hard decision like bringing in professional medical help against Kate’s wishes.’

Matt drew in a long breath. ‘Right, then. First, I need to get up in the attic. I have a stack of boxes and cases, all coated in decades of dust, that contain photographs and diaries and other papers concerning my family and the history of this area. That should be our starting point.’ He stretched. ‘Sure you’re up for this?’

‘Bring it on,’ she said. ‘But we mustn’t lose sight of Emilia. We’re going to have to do a bit of juggling with our time.’

‘Well, I did say I didn’t want to get bored in retirement.’