The detective doesn’t smile back. ‘How would you describe his frame of mind?’ he asks.

‘Angry. I told you, we’d just had a blazing row,’ she says, not troubling to hide her impatience.

DS Mehdi abruptly comes back into the drawing room. He’s holding Millie’s running shoes in one hand. He must have fished them from the jumble of trainers and boots and plimsolls on the floor of the hallway cupboard.

‘Are these yours?’ he asks.

‘Yes,’ Millie says.

‘This stain,’ he says, pointing to a rust-coloured splash across the laces of both shoes. ‘Whose blood is this, Mrs Downton?’

chapter 44

millie

He has no evidence it’s blood, of course, but I’m not going to debate the point. I’m impatient for the two detectives to be gone. I need to get to the hospital to check on my patients, and this interview is a waste of everybody’s time.

‘It’s Felix’s blood,’ I say. ‘He had a nosebleed when I was at the Porters’ house a few weeks ago. I helped him deal with it, and his wife will confirm it. And before you go to the trouble of getting a warrant to search the rest of my house, he got blood on my running clothes, too, and I’m happy to hand them over to you, though obviously they’ve been washed several times since he bled all over them.’

‘My wife had nothing to do with Felix’s disappearance,’ Tom says. ‘And she certainly didn’t murder him! Stacey Porter’s the one you should be asking questions! Felix told me a very different story from the one Stacey told my wife. He claimed he was the one being physically abused. It does happen,’ he adds, as DCI Hollander looks sceptical.

‘Oh, we know it does,’ DS Mehdi says.

‘My wife is a respected cardiologist,’ Tom adds angrily. ‘We have two young children! Do you seriously think she murdered Felix Porter in – what? A jealous rage? A crime of passion? Is this ridiculous investigation really the best use of public funds?’

I wish Tom would stop defending me. I have everything in hand. Throwing Stacey under the bus won’t help.

‘No one is saying Mr Porter has been murdered,’ DS Mehdi says. ‘Unless you have reason to think otherwise?’

‘We’re exploring all avenues, Mr Downton,’ DCI Hollander adds. ‘We’re not accusing your wife of anything. We’re just trying to build a fuller picture of the—’

‘You don’t even know Felix is actually missing,’ Tom interrupts. ‘He’s probably sunning himself on a beach in Spain somewhere!’

‘He hasn’t used his phone or his credit cards since the day your wife went round to his house,’ DS Mehdi says mildly.

DCI Hollander stands and pulls out a business card. He hands it to Tom, who flings it onto the coffee table with conspicuous contempt.