‘This is rather difficult, Professor Painter, but I don’t know how else to say it. Stuart gave me to understand that you fired Beth.’

He sat back in her chair and stared at her wide-eyed. ‘Really? Stuart said that? I know his view of Beth had somewhat soured towards the end of their relationship, but I’m surprised he would have lied.’

Clare looked at him quizzically. ‘Lied? You mean you didn’t sack Beth?’

He shook his head. ‘No, and nor would I have done. Her research scores were all that was keeping our department afloat. Losing Beth Kinsella is a large part of why I got put out to pasture.’

‘If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?’

He said, ‘It was her father.’

Clare couldn’t hide her astonishment. ‘Her father?’

He nodded. ‘He wasn’t well. Some form of dementia, as I understand it. She tried to give him the best care she could, but it was a struggle for her. I met him several times at various functions with Beth before he became unwell. He was a concert pianist, quite well known in his day. And a very independent man. Some might say stubborn – I suppose that’s where Beth got it from.’ He took a sip of his hot chocolate. ‘Anyway, even when he became quite unwell he insisted on living at home. I can understand that – wanting to retain your independence. God knows I’d hate to end my days in some kind of an institution. But it put a huge strain on Beth.’

Clare said, ‘Beth was caring for him.’

‘Yes. And he lived out of town, down in Dronfield. Beth and Stuart were up in Walkley near the university. From what I understand she was making three, sometimes four trips a day out there.’

‘That must have been difficult for her. Did it affect her work?’

‘If I’m honest, it did a little. I tried to help as much as I could. I removed virtually all of her teaching commitments, which was a shame because the students loved her. But there we are; it had to be done.’ He shrugged his shoulders. ‘She mainly worked from home after that. And she was astonishing. She was still our star performer in the REF.’

Not, Clare thought, quite the version of Beth that Stuart Craig had presented.

Clare asked, ‘So how did she come to leave Sheffield?’