Nicky didn’t appear quite satisfied. ‘Even so – and I realise I probably shouldn’t say this – but I can’t help thinking it would have been better if Richardson had been the one to fall from that clock tower.’

As ever, Nicky had put her finger on it: the source of Fleet’s discomfort. Because no matter how much he tried to ignore it, a little voice inside him kept whispering exactly the same thing.

‘Was that what Zack intended, do you think?’ Nicky asked. ‘I mean, even if Richardson had admitted everything Zack wanted him to … would Zack have pushed him?’

‘Honestly?’ said Fleet. ‘I think he meant to jump and take Richardson with him.’

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Nicky was the one to break the silence.

‘Christ,’ she said. ‘That was one seriously screwed-up group of kids.’

Again, it was precisely what Fleet had been thinking himself. He turned his gaze towards the window. The hospital wasn’t far from the water, and the view, fittingly or not, was of the docks.

‘Boss?’ said Nicky, eventually. ‘Are you OK? What’s on your mind?’

‘Nothing, I …’ Fleet turned back and gave his best impression of a smile. ‘I’m just thinking about a conversation I had with Holly, that’s all. One we need to finish.’

Nicky nodded politely. She sucked her ice chips, clearly not wanting to pry.

Then: ‘She’s pregnant,’ Fleet announced, surprising even himself. Nicky coughed into her straw.

‘It’s not mine,’ Fleet added quickly. ‘She and I aren’t … I mean, we haven’t …’ He allowed the sentence to tail off, and finished with a sigh. ‘The point is, she’s planning to have it on her own, and the last time we spoke, I think I gave her the impression—’ He interrupted himself. ‘No. I know I gave her the impression that I didn’t approve. That I didn’t think she could manage on her own.’

‘What did you say to her?’ There was a trace of judgement in Nicky’s tone.

‘Nothing! That is, I didn’t say what I’d intended to say. It came out wrong, that’s all, and I … Well. I need to set things right.’ Once again, Fleet sighed. ‘Nicky, listen … can I ask you something?’

As close as he and Nicky were, they rarely spoke about anything that wasn’t linked to work, and Fleet was expecting it to feel awkward. But Nicky smiled at him as though having a conversation about their private lives was the most natural thing in the world. Which, probably, it should have been.

‘Sure,’ she said. ‘Anything.’