Jude realized that the toddler was standing half-hidden behind his mother, his arms wrapped around her long legs. Jude smiled down at him and he poked his head out and suddenly his whole face lit up in a grin. She was absurdly pleased.

“Hello, Alfie.”

Danny scooped him up and stalked into the messy kitchen. Jude hung up her jacket and followed. Even Danny’s back looked tense.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, taking a seat. There were several burned-out tealights and a bowl brimming with tangerines on the table in front of her.

“How can everything be okay?”

“I mean,” said Jude, “what’s up?”

Danny lowered Alfie to the floor and handed him a wooden spoon, which he at once started banging vigorously against the table leg.

“What’s up?” She gave a crackling laugh.

“You asked me to come.”

Jude flinched as Alfie whacked her leg.

“I want to ask you something,” said Danny.

You could have asked me over the phone, Jude wanted to say, but didn’t. She just nodded slowly, inviting Danny’s question.

“I mean, really ask you something. Between you and me.”

“Go on,” said Jude.

“What do you want?”

It sounded more like an accusation than a question. Jude held Danny’s gaze for several long seconds. Alfie dropped the wooden spoon and started crawling purposefully across the room.

“I don’t want anything.”

“Jude,” said Danny softly. “I know that can’t be true.”

Jude gave a shrug. “Then I don’t know what to tell you.”

“You’re poking around in our lives. You even tracked Doc down.”

“What are you talking about? I just bumped into him in the marshes.”

“You mean the spot where Liam died.”

“Which is on the marshes.”

“Oh, please.”

“And I’m not poking around. I’m Liam’s executor.”

“Which gives you the perfect excuse to pry.”

“Is this why you asked me here? To insult me?”

“I asked you so that you could tell me the truth. It won’t go any further. But I need the truth. I’m sure you can understand that. The truth can set me free.”

Was that a quotation?

“I can’t set you free,” she said softly. “You’re looking in the wrong place. There’s nothing more I can tell you.”

Danny gazed at her, her eyes glittering. Then, as if a switch had been thrown, she softened. Her shoulders relaxed and her face lost its tight hostility.

“Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to be rude to you. I can be a bitch sometimes. Hang on there, Alfie.”

He had reached the door. Danny stood and picked him up, bringing him back to the table, where he reached out and swiped several of the tangerines out of the bowl, setting them rolling across the wooden surface.

“Everything’s such a mess,” said Danny. “His finances were a complete fuckup, right?”

“It looks like it. It must be a shock to you.”