Judith and Suzie turned to leave, but Judith stopped after a few paces as it occurred to her that if Liz had lied to them about knowing Stefan, then maybe there was something else she’d lied about as well.

‘One last thing,’ she said, turning back to Danny. ‘Did you or your wife know that taxi driver who was shot?’

‘What’s that?’ Danny asked.

‘Iqbal Kassam.’

Danny was puzzled by the question, but he nodded his head.

‘I suppose so. I mean, I never met him, but we used him a couple of weeks ago. Our car was at the garage and we had to do our shopping, so we booked Iqbal to take us to the supermarket and back. He seemed like a nice guy when I spoke to him on the phone.’

‘He was, wasn’t he,’ Suzie agreed.

‘Oh, you knew him?’

‘I was his dog walker.’

‘And is it true what the papers are saying? That someone shot him as well?’

‘That’s what they’re saying,’ Judith said, not wishing to reveal how close to the case she and Suzie were.

‘Christ,’ Danny said. ‘It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?’

‘You don’t by any chance have any idea who might have wanted him dead?’

‘Me? No, I never met him. But you should ask Liz. She was the one who took the taxi.’

‘It was your wife who used Iqbal?’

‘It’s Liz who does the shopping.’

‘How many times has she used him?’

‘I don’t know, just that once I think. Why are you asking?’

‘And how long was she with him?’

‘A couple of hours. It’s like I said. He took her up to the Handy Cross Asda. Waited while she went shopping. Drove her back. But I don’t understand. Why are you so interested?’

‘We’re trying to work out what happened,’ Judith said, deciding, as ever, that honesty was the best policy.

Danny frowned as he considered this. ‘Isn’t that a job that’s better left to the police?’

‘Oh, don’t worry,’ Judith said with a smile, ‘the police know full well what we’re doing.’

‘They do?’ Danny looked sceptical, and then shrugged. ‘If you want to know more about your taxi driver or your neighbour, go and have a word with my wife. She’ll be somewhere around here.’

‘Thank you,’ Judith said. ‘If we see her, we will.’

Judith thanked Danny again for his help, wished him all the best with his coaching in Nottingham that night, and she and Suzie left.

Once they were out of earshot, Suzie said to Judith, ‘Liz lied to us.’

‘She did, didn’t she?’ Judith agreed.

‘She knew both Stefan and Iqbal.’

‘And yet she told us she knew neither man. Just like she denied being in Stefan’s garden. Or running away from me. She’s involved in this up to her neck, isn’t she?’