‘Thank you, that’s very kind of you. Why don’t you come through? Sorry about the mess,’ she said as she led the two women into a kitchen that didn’t contain a single mote of dust.

‘Wow,’ Suzie said in wonder.

‘It really is very clean,’ Judith agreed.

‘Do you clean your sink?’ Suzie said, going over to look at the sparkling metal sink.

‘Only when I’ve finished washing, I’m not obsessive.’

Suzie turned to Judith and said, ‘She washes her sink.’

Becks took up a bottle of spray cleaner, squirted it at an imaginary smear on the countertop and then wiped it away with a clean J-cloth.

‘Now who’d like tea? I’ve got caffeinated or decaffeinated?’

‘Normal tea’s good for me,’ Suzie said.

‘Black, green or Oolong?’

‘Oolong? What’s Oolong when it’s at home? Normal will do fine, thanks.’

‘Or how about herbal? We’ve got Rooibos or Chai?’

‘Just a cup of normal tea, milk, one sugar.’

Becks dithered, knowing she still didn’t have enough information to proceed.

‘What is it?’ Suzie asked.

‘Cow’s milk?’

‘What?’

‘Would you like cow’s milk in your tea or would you rather have soya? Or almond? Oat or coconut?’

‘Cow’s milk! Just an ordinary cup of tea with ordinary milk.’

‘Oh,’ Becks said, almost affronted, but also intrigued by the novelty of Suzie’s wishes. Ordinary tea with normal milk? It clearly hadn’t been heard of in the vicarage for a long time.

As Becks got down the polka dot Emma Bridgewater teapot which matched the polka dot Emma Bridgewater cups, polka dot Emma Bridgewater saucers and polka dot Emma Bridgewater milk jug, Judith explained how they’d discovered that it had been Liz Curtis who’d visited Stefan’s property after he died, and who ran away from Judith after Iqbal was killed.

‘And the thing is,’ Suzie said, ‘when we asked her, she said she didn’t know Stefan or Iqbal, even though her husband Danny said that Liz knew Stefan to say hello to at least, and she’d also travelled in Iqbal’s taxi a couple of weeks ago.’

‘She lied to you?’ Becks said, not quite believing the other women.

‘To our faces.’

‘Why would she do that?’

‘That’s where you come in,’ Judith said. ‘What can you tell us about her?’

‘Well, for starters, you know she’s got an Olympic silver medal, don’t you?’

‘She has?’ Judith said, knowing that the achievements of a person weren’t how she’d have started an explanation, but also guessing that it was exactly these external badges of merit that defined people for someone like Becks.

‘She’s got that winner’s attitude. So focused. So determined.’

‘What’s her medal for?’ Suzie asked.