‘What on earth are the pair of you talking about?’

‘Oh sorry!’ Becks said, realising she needed to explain. ‘Our children both play musical instruments with the Chiltern Music Academy on Friday nights.’

‘Mrs Starling’s son is in the symphony orchestra,’ DS Malik said, wanting to be fair. ‘My Shanti’s only a Strings Springer.’

‘But the little ones make such a wonderful sound, don’t they?’ Becks said.

‘They do,’ DS Malik agreed. ‘Nothing like the symphony orchestra, though.’

‘Thank you,’ Becks said with a modesty that nonetheless seemed to suggest that it was in fact her who played in the orchestra rather than her son. ‘Anyway,’ she said, turning back to Judith to explain. ‘We’ve chatted a few times over the tea urn before. Haven’t we?’

‘We have,’ DS Malik said. ‘But what are you doing here?’

‘Becks was with me when we saw the intruder,’ Judith said, wanting to bring the conversation back to a reality she felt was a touch more pressing.

‘That’s right,’ Becks said. ‘It was me who phoned the police.’

‘Then you’d better stay, if you’re a witness, Mrs Starling. But Mrs Potts, I’d very much like to know how you ended up inside Mr Dunwoody’s house. And why the door back there has been forced?’

‘Of course,’ Judith said. ‘I’ll tell you exactly what happened.’

Judith explained how she and Becks had been in her home, had seen someone moving in Stefan’s house, how she’d punted over, and how the intruder had thrown his torch at her head before scarpering. DS Malik took notes as Judith spoke.

‘I see,’ she said once Judith had finished. ‘Perhaps you could show me where this torch is.’

‘It’s over here,’ Judith said, and led the two women to where the torch lay on the carpet.

‘Do you think the intruder could have been the auburn-haired woman?’ Becks asked.

‘I don’t know,’ Judith said.

‘What auburn-haired woman?’ DS Malik asked.

Judith explained how she’d seen an auburn-haired woman in Stefan’s garden, how she’d seen the same woman on the Thames Path the following day, and how the woman had run away from her both times.

‘Do you know who she is?’ DS Malik asked.

‘No, infuriatingly. But I think I’ve seen her before. In fact, I’m sure I have. But I can’t place her. I need to keep thinking. Hopefully it will come to me.’

‘But you don’t think it was her?’ Becks asked.

‘I don’t know,’ Judith said. ‘It’s possible, I suppose. Whoever it was had their hair hidden underneath a balaclava.’

‘Can you tell me where the intruder was standing when you entered the room?’ DS Malik asked.

‘Over by that far wall,’ Judith said, pointing.

The three women went over to look.