‘Providence, that’s what happened. You see, no matter how good a sailor you are, the Ionian Sea is capricious. Squalls can whip up from nowhere, and one day Philippos was out on his boat. It wasn’t anything grand, just a single sail, a cabin with a bed, and a little galley kitchen. This was in the days before mobile phones and GPS whatnots. And we still don’t know what happened for sure, but he didn’t come home that day. Or the next. I thought he’d gone off with his fancy lady. You see, I knew by then he’d been having affairs throughout our courtship and marriage. But the day after he’d gone, his boat was found wrecked on some rocks. No sign of Philippos anywhere.’

‘Where was he?’

‘There’d been something of a storm the night before and the authorities thought he must have fallen overboard. His body washed up a week later.’

A silence settled between the two women.

‘Bloody hell,’ Suzie eventually said.

‘Yes. Thank you. But it was decades ago. And it was all my own fault, really. Anyway, I came back to the UK, my tail firmly between my legs. I only got through it all because Betty didn’t ever ask me about it. We simply picked up where we’d left off. That’s when I started compiling crosswords. They helped me keep my equilibrium.’ Judith took a moment to regather her focus. ‘So that’s the sad story of Judith and Philippos. Not exactly Pyramus and Thisbe. More tea?’

‘No, I’m fine, thank you. But can I ask something?’

‘Of course.’

‘You say you weren’t happy with your husband?’

‘I was not.’

‘Then why do you still wear your wedding ring?’

The question caught Judith unawares. She smiled, but Suzie could see that it was a touch forced.

‘It’s to remind me,’ Judith said.

‘What of?’

‘Of mistakes.’

There was a coolness to Judith’s response that made Suzie think of thick ice on a winter pond. It might look solid, but it could crack at any moment, and there would be whole swirls of dark water underneath.

Judith could sense that she’d somehow revealed too much, and she was grateful to hear the jangle of the front door bell.

‘At last!’ she said, putting her cup and saucer to one side as she stood up. ‘That will be Becks. Let’s go and find out what happened.’

Judith and Suzie went to the front door and opened it, but it wasn’t Becks who was standing there.

It was Detective Sergeant Tanika Malik.

She looked like she’d seen a ghost.

‘Tanika, are you all right?’ Judith asked.

‘Judith, I’m so sorry, but there’s been another murder.’

Chapter 25

Judith recovered first.

‘It’s not Becks, is it?’ she asked.

‘Becks?’ Tanika asked, surprised. ‘You mean Becks Starling?’

‘That’s right. She’s okay?’