‘Please.’ He began to cry. ‘We never thought that she’d be murdered. We’d had a drink . . .’

‘So you were drunk-driving on top of everything else? And how the thunder do you know she was murdered? We have no body that I know of.’

The boy looked at Kate beseechingly. She got up from her seat and manhandled Caitlin from the room. Outside she whispered, ‘Don’t you think he feels bad enough without you on his back?’

Caitlin shrugged his shoulders and buttoned up his wrinkled suit jacket. He blew cigar smoke in her face.

‘No, actually, Katie . . . I don’t. I think he’s an arsehole.’

With that, he went back inside the interview room and she clenched her fists.

If he called her Katie once more she would be getting arrested herself. For grievous bodily harm.

She went to organise the coffee.

Kate pulled into her drive. She was tired. Winbush hadn’t really been any help. Caitlin had put the fear of Christ up him and, consequently, he had been loath to say too much. Kate had arranged to go to his house and see him herself. The trouble with Caitlin was he still behaved as if it was the old days, when everyone wanted to help out the police. He should come back down to earth with everyone else. Since the West Midlands business and now all this about false evidence everywhere you looked, the police popularity poll was down to minus two.

She let herself into her house. The smell of meat assailed her nostrils and she followed the smell into the kitchen. Her mother was turning lamb chops under the grill.

‘Hello, Kate, get yourself seated and I’ll make you a coffee.’

Dan got up from the breakfast bar. ‘I’ll do it, Eve, would you like one?’

Evelyn shook her head.

‘Oh, by the way, Katie, you had a call. Said his name was Pat and could you call him back.’

Kate felt her heart freeze in her chest. She could feel Dan’s eyes boring into her face.

‘Thanks, Mum.’ She lit a cigarette for something to do. Patrick calling here. She felt herself go hot all over.

‘So who’s this Pat then?’ Kate detected a hint of jealousy in Dan’s voice.

‘None of your business, Dan, actually.’ He stared at her and Kate dropped her eyes. ‘He’s a friend of mine if you must know.’

‘I see. Where did you meet him then?’

Evelyn watched the two of them with a little smile on her face. Dan’s questions were annoying Kate and if he wasn’t careful he just might end up on the receiving end of her tongue. She placed the chops under the grill once more and the only sound in the kitchen was the lamb fat spitting.

‘I said, where did you meet him?’ Dan’s voice rose.

Kate put down her coffee cup and looked at her exhusband.