She continues to look at him. How can he be sure?

‘I saw her just before she went. I was this close to her.’ He indicates the distance between them. ‘She wasn’t pregnant. Impossible.’

Nothing is impossible, but Marina focuses on the facts. ‘So, Johnny was waiting for Connie to join him.’

‘I suppose.’ He gets up and walks to the table to use the ashtray. ‘Why are you so interested in this story? It strikes me that people aren’t interested in much unless there’s something in it for them.’

‘I told you. I’m writing an article.’

He stays standing, regarding her coolly. He’s a big man, powerful, far too large for the small room. Marina wishes he would sit down.

‘And there’s money in that?’

She guesses what he wants. ‘There might be.’

‘So, you won’t forget your informers.’

‘You mean contributors. Yes. I’ll pay you if the article gets published.’

He grins knowingly. ‘I’m kidding.’

She doesn’t believe him. She tries again. ‘Thomas Littleton was away at the time, wasn’t he?’

‘That’s right. Visiting his sister in Whitby. I remember because I took him to the station.’

‘So, Flat 4 was empty.’

‘Bloody hell, you have done your homework.’

She ignores his comment, speaks slowly, piecing events together. ‘So . . . Connie was abroad. Did her father know, or did she run away?’

‘She told a couple of people, but not Thomas. He got home from his trip and she was gone. It was cruel of her. He died not long after that and she didn’t even come back then.’

‘Is that what she was like?’

He is quiet for a moment. ‘No, actually. She wasn’t like that.’

There’s a sad note to his voice. Has she misjudged him? Maybe he cared a lot about Connie.

She considers this and then says, ‘If she was in Paris, she might not have heard about her father’s death.’

Victor doesn’t seem convinced. He takes the hip flask from the table and polishes it on his sleeve before untwisting the cap and taking a swig.

Marina carries on. ‘Connie must have been pretty young when her mother died.’

‘Sarah. Yes, she was.’

Sarah. Suddenly Marina remembers where she has heard the name. Eva’s doll. It must be a coincidence, though: Sarah is a common name.

‘What was Connie like?’

He fiddles with the cap from the hip flask, taking his time, before he answers. ‘She was a good person.’

Again, Marina sees the heart beneath Victor’s bluster.

‘How did she cope with her mother’s death?’

He shrugs and looks away. ‘She had friends, I suppose.’

‘Do you remember any of their names?’

He takes another furtive swig and closes one eye. Marina realises that he’s actually quite drunk.

‘There was a boy called Harry.’

‘Harry?’ Her heart thuds. It’s another name she hasn’t heard before.