Back at home, Louisa bumped Noah’s pram over the threshold and parked him in the hallway. After her eventful few hours, she needed a cuppa. She’d only filled the kettle and flicked the switch before the doorbell rang. Her heart sank. Not that long ago the sound of the bell would have elicited a positive reaction – it meant she had company, an enjoyable interaction with another adult to look forward to. But lately it evoked dread, causing her body to tense in nervous anticipation. Please don’t be Oliver. She noted two figures through the glass: one reached the top of the door. She knew before she opened it who it was.

‘Could we come in, please, Mrs Cullen.’ DS Mack, his head skimming the top of the doorframe, flashed his badge, bent down and entered the hallway.

His colleague, a petite red-haired woman, who simply stated, ‘DI Wade,’ and nothing more, followed behind him.

Louisa guided them into the kitchen and offered them a drink. They declined. This set Louisa on edge. They sat down at the wooden table, the two of them unsmiling, solemn. Louisa’s pulse galloped.

‘Mrs Cullen, you said, when we first spoke with you, that you knew Oliver but not his wife. Is that correct?’ DS Mack got straight to the point.

‘Yes, that’s right,’ Louisa replied quickly.

‘Mr Dunmore states that you were in a relationship with him. Although, you didn’t mention that, so I wanted to hear it from you.’

Damn Oliver. She’d guessed it would come out, but she wished now she’d been the one to have told them. She looked from DS Mack to DI Wade and back again; both sets of eyes were squarely on hers.

‘Gosh, that was years ago. I was only seventeen – it was when we were at college,’ she said, keeping her voice light, breezy, like it had been something and nothing.

‘R-i-i-i-ght,’ DS Mack said, lengthening the word as though he’d seen through Louisa’s attempt at being nonchalant. ‘Exeter College, yes?’ He thumbed through the pages of his notebook.

‘Yes, I went there straight from Coombeshead Comprehensive. I was doing my A levels – Oliver was in the same Biology class. That’s how we met. But he went on to university and I stayed here, got a job. That was it.’

‘Okay. Well, anyway, we’ve spoken to almost everyone on the invite list now and, surprisingly, no one can remember seeing Melissa at your party. As you know, there is no CCTV footage available and although Oliver’s car was picked up on several cameras on the way to the venue, we’ve been unsuccessful in being able to ascertain if a passenger was in the car with him. His car was not picked up after the party.’

‘He probably went home through the lanes,’ Louisa said absently.