The good news was that Judith had been right when she’d predicted that each of the local newspapers covered the Henley and Marlow regattas in great detail. There were whole pages of photos and reports, and better than that, the Henley Advertiser ran a page that listed the results of every race. However, the paper merely recorded the names of the boats rather than the names of the crew who were rowing. So, ‘Borlase’s 1st VIII’ would be rowing against ‘Abingdon 1st VIII’, and while it might list that Borlase’s won the race while Abingdon went through to the repechage competition, it didn’t list the names of the crew.

After two hours of searching, Judith threw her hands up in despair.

‘Please don’t send any more dust into the air,’ a grime-smeared Becks begged.

‘But it’s useless! We’ll never find what we’re looking for.’

‘If it’s here, we will,’ Becks said.

‘But it’s not here, is it?’

‘We just have to keep looking.’

Judith knew that Becks was right. There was still a chance they’d find Elliot’s grinning face in a photo somewhere, and with it, the names of the other people in the photo, but it seemed such a long shot.

‘And you could actually try helping, Suzie,’ Judith said, taking her frustration out on her friend.

‘What’s that?’ Suzie said, looking up from the newspaper in her hands.

‘Only I can’t help noticing that you’ve not found a single article in all this time.’

Suzie looked as though she wasn’t sure how to respond, but then she brandished the newspaper she was holding.

‘I wouldn’t say I’ve found nothing.’

She was holding a truly ancient copy of the Bucks Free Press, and it was turned to one of the inner pages that had a headline that screamed ‘MARLOW WOMAN’S GREEK TRAGEDY’.

Underneath the headline there was a large black-and-white photo of a much younger Judith Potts.

Chapter 36

‘Where did you find that?’ Judith asked, standing quite still.

‘It’s your wedding ring,’ Suzie said.

‘What’s that?’

‘You said your husband was a bully. That he was violent. But, all these years later, you’re still wearing your wedding ring.’

‘That’s really none of your business.’

‘Because I know what it’s like to have a husband who lets you down, and I can tell you, I couldn’t wait to get rid of my rings. Sold them in town, spent the money on extra Christmas presents for the girls. But you’re still wearing yours.’

‘I told you, it’s to remind me of mistakes made.’