‘So what can I do for you?’ Jade asked, suddenly businesslike now that two delicate cups of ginger tea sat on the table between them. ‘Your email said you wanted to talk about Luke Lawson.’ She leant forward, her eyes wide. ‘So awful, isn’t it? Though, as I told the police, I’m not sure what I can possibly do to help …’

‘I know this must seem strange,’ Clara said, ‘the police, as you probably know, haven’t come any closer to finding him …’

‘Yes. So I gather. I heard they’d found a van? So odd. Dreadful. You must be out of your mind.’

Clara nodded. ‘I am, we all are. My friend Mac and I are trying to find anyone who might have held a grudge against Luke. You were close to him once, and if there’s anything you can think of, anyone he might have got on the wrong side of, or who might have something against him …’

‘Hmm,’ Jade said, as though mulling it over. ‘People who might have disliked Luke.’ She pursed her lips. ‘He was a very popular lad at uni. Lots of friends, so …’

‘You were together a couple of years?’

‘More or less.’

‘Do you mind me asking why you split?’

Jade’s smile remained exactly the same, it was only her eyes that became a touch cooler. ‘It’s rather personal, actually. And a long story.’ She took a sip of her tea.

Clara nodded. ‘Of course. I’m sorry …’

She must have looked desolate because Jade sighed. ‘The thing is, Claire—’

‘Clara.’

‘Clara, sorry. The thing is, Luke Lawson … all that, was a long time ago. I really don’t think I can help you.’

‘I understand, and I’m sorry for bothering you.’ There was a silence, and Clara felt her spirits sink. This was hopeless. The whole thing was hopeless. She shouldn’t have come – it had been a stupid idea to think she’d find anything out by sticking her nose into Luke’s past like this. She was about to get to her feet when a thought struck her, and because she had nothing else to lose, asked, ‘Did you love him?’

For a moment Jade’s poise slipped a little, and someone younger and far more vulnerable took her place. ‘Yes,’ she said quietly. ‘Yes, I did, at first, very much.’

‘At first?’

She dropped her eyes. ‘As I said, it was a long time ago. Nearly a decade, in fact.’