Her earlier assumption about Oliver not being in contact because Melissa had turned up was clearly misplaced. Louisa did not want to invite these officers into her house. Didn’t want to be a part of this investigation. But she had little choice, and so she ushered them in.

‘Did you know Melissa Dunmore well?’ DS Farley asked. She’d seated herself opposite Louisa at the wooden dining table; her steel-grey eyes stared directly into Louisa’s as she spoke. DC Patel was hovering near the table, having declined the offer of a seat.

Louisa swallowed before she replied, but her throat was so dry, she coughed.

‘Sorry. Er … actually I didn’t know her at all. I didn’t even see her at the party.’

‘But you knew her husband, Oliver. It was you who came to the station with him to report her missing.’

‘Yes, that’s right. He asked me to go with him. Moral support, I think.’ Already Louisa felt as though she’d said things she shouldn’t have. Having police in her house was an uncomfortable experience – one that put her on edge and made her feel guilty even though she had nothing to feel guilty for.

Or have you?

Her own thought shocked her, momentarily causing her to freeze.

Cool grass.

Bare feet.

Blood.

A woman’s face.

Louisa scrunched her eyes up, attempting to force the images away. She took some slow, deep breaths, hopefully discreetly enough for the officers not to notice.

‘How long have you known Oliver Dunmore?’

‘I knew him when I was at college, so a long time ago. In fact, my party was the first time I’d set eyes on him since he left for university in, well, must’ve been 1997?’

DS Farley sucked air through her teeth. ‘That’s a long gap. Any reason for that?’

Louisa’s face flushed. Yes, there was a reason. He left her.

‘Look, I’ve just had a baby, I’m struggling to remember my own name at the moment, let alone the reasons I lost contact with people over twenty years ago.’

‘How did Oliver come to be at your party then?’ DS Farley continued without so much as a mention about Louisa’s current post-baby state.

‘Oh,’ Louisa snorted. ‘That would be thanks to my best friend, Tiff. She decided it was a brilliant idea to go through my Facebook account and invite anyone and everyone who was on my friends list. While she was delving into my account, she accepted a request for me to join my old college group. And that’s how she invited Oliver. And just about everyone else who was there on Friday night.’

‘You don’t seem too happy about that.’