I glanced at Fleur. She had gone suddenly grey and her hand trembled as she replaced her coffee cup. Neither of us took our eyes off Mohktar as he came towards us, as if we could gauge by the way he walked what he was going to tell us.

Jack looked anxious and placed his hand over my arm.

When Mohktar reached the wooden steps to the veranda he stopped and said quietly, ‘Selamat pagi. Good morning.’

The amah was pulling up another chair and she placed a cup of coffee on the table for him, before disappearing.

Mohktar did not sit. The tension coming from us all must have been intimidating. He looked at us with his kind eyes and with his hands on the back of the chair, he said gently, ‘I come to tell you that I have early this morning the result of the DNA test.’

Fleur was so still beside me I thought she had stopped breathing.

Mohktar’s eyes rested on us both, then he turned to Fleur. ‘The DNA was a match. It is your daughter, Mrs Campbell.’

The words hung in the air, filled the silence. None of us spoke. I heard the sound of the sea and children a long way off and a radio somewhere.

‘Thank you, DS Mohktar.’ Fleur’s voice was small and far away too.

Jack poured me a glass of water and wrapped my hands round it and made me drink. ‘Breathe, Nikki. Take a deep breath.’

Fleur turned to me. ‘Darling…’

‘I’m fine. I’m fine,’ I whispered, and I did breathe, made myself breathe. In. Out. In. Out. Then I said, ‘When can we see her?’

Mohktar was watching me. ‘We must drive to Malacca, Miss Montrose. This is where your sister is.’

I turned to Fleur. ‘Let’s go now.’ I heard the urgency in my voice. ‘We should go now.’

‘I think later this afternoon would be cooler for you, Miss Montrose.’

Jack said quietly, ‘Nik, it’s not sensible for you to travel in the heat of the day.’

‘It’s not nine o’clock yet, Jack,’ I said abruptly. ‘And if anyone suggests I rest any more I shall scream!’

Mohktar said quickly, smiling at Jack to take the sting from my words, ‘We have one air-conditioned car in the police pound at present. If I can obtain this car, the drive to Malacca would be no problem, I think? It is not far, it takes about forty minutes only.’

Fleur smiled at him. I was surprised how normal her voice sounded. ‘It would be wonderful to have an air-conditioned car, DS Mohktar. I think Jack and I would feel much easier about Nikki. If you can spare the time, it would be good to go this morning. Please, sit and have your coffee before it gets cold…’

I stared at my mother. How was it possible to keep to the niceties when she must be in turmoil? I’ve never been able to. Jack was watching me. I got up from the table and walked inside and he followed me. Outside I heard Mohktar talking on his mobile phone.