Margaret said, ‘Thank you. I have no wish to tell you how to lead your life, Clare. As far as I can see, aside from the odd slip-up that we’re all subject to from time to time, you’re fully capable of running your own life. But when Jo told me about this burglary, it troubled me.’

Clare muttered, ‘I wasn’t too happy about it either.’

Margaret held up her hand and nodded. ‘I understand that. Now, did the police say why they thought a “smackhead” was responsible for what happened last night?’

Clare shook her head. ‘Only that nine out of ten burglaries are drugs-related.’

Margaret nodded. ‘Understood. But there was no particular evidence that your burglary was drugs-related.’

Clare shifted uncomfortably in her seat. ‘No.’

Margaret’s tone was softer now. ‘My dear, has it occurred to you that your burglary might not be random?’

Clare said, ‘You mean that my flat might have been targeted in some way?’

Margaret said, ‘Or more precisely that you might have been targeted in some way.’

Clare said, ‘I don’t understand.’

Jo said, ‘Think about everything that’s been going on round here in the last few weeks, Clare. There’s been a whole load of shit happening.’

Margaret glanced at Jo, ‘Not quite how I would have put it, but Jo’s right, Clare. There’s that business with the nighthawks and Jo tells me the developer – Marshall, is it?’ Clare and Jo nodded in unison. ‘Marshall has been exerting considerable pressure on you to get the site finished with the minimum of fuss.’

‘Are you trying to say you think that Marshall or White Van Man are responsible for turning my flat over?’

Jo said, ‘Well, you said yourself there wasn’t much taken.’

Clare shivered. She’d been fine about the burglary when she’d thought it was just one of life’s random events, but if it wasn’t quite so random, that was another matter entirely.

Clare said, ‘No. They made one hell of a mess, though. They’d been through the kitchen and the living room. The police think that I disturbed them when they were in the spare bedroom. I didn’t realise they were still in there until I heard something when I was in the kitchen. And the only thing they’d taken was Stephen’s old laptop – but I can’t imagine it’s worth much. He’d had it for donkey’s years.’

‘Doesn’t that strike you as odd, my dear? That they were only interested in the laptop. ‘

‘I just thought it was because it was portable. But, come to think of it, they didn’t touch my iPod. That was still in the living room.’