It was some minutes before she felt able to return and she found him standing by the window, staring out at the sky, apparently deep in thought. The silence stretched and though it was in her nature to feel obliged to fill it she sat on the sofa without speaking, unable to summon the necessary energy. She glanced at him, taking in his appearance. He was so different from Luke. They’d both inherited Oliver’s tall, broad-shouldered physique, but whereas Luke had his dad’s olive skin and softer, more boyish face, it was Rose’s pellucid blue gaze, blond hair and strong, symmetrical features that had been passed down to Tom. Even their dress sense was different: Tom’s all sharp suits and expensive shoes, the polar opposite to Luke’s laidback style of jeans and T-shirts. He was a solicitor, she knew, and it was a job she’d often thought suited him, associated as it was in her mind with a certain dry meticulousness.

He turned suddenly. ‘Didn’t the neighbours see or hear anything?’ he asked.

She shook her head. ‘Apparently not. The woman upstairs has been away for a couple of days.’ She reflected again how strange that was – seeing as she was usually there all the bloody time, playing her music, night and day. ‘The people on the floor below say they didn’t hear anything. I guess it must have happened during the night.’

To her surprise he came over and took the seat next to hers on the sofa and she leant away slightly, taken aback by his sudden proximity, the intensity of his gaze. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, ‘maybe I shouldn’t have come. I didn’t mean to disturb you – I wanted to make sure you’re all right.’

‘Well, uh, you know. I’ve been … better,’ she mumbled.

‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘Stupid thing to say.’ After a moment he asked, ‘What will you do now?’

She shrugged. ‘The police want me to help with a press appeal. Then I guess I’ll stay at a friend’s tonight. Mac’s, maybe.’

He nodded. ‘If there’s anything I can do to help, or you want to talk, I’m here. I’ll leave my number and you could … well, anyway …’ He broke off and she watched him pull a pen from his pocket, then scribble his number on a train ticket.

She tried to hide her surprise. ‘Thank you,’ she murmured as he passed it to her.

‘No problem.’

To her relief, he got up and began to move towards the door.