‘It’s part of an ongoing inquiry, sir,’ said Gary.

Don Robbins narrowed his eyes. ‘Because one thing that does spring to mind is an argument I overheard between Andi and poor Nan.’

Kevin lit up. ‘Do you recall what was said, Mr Robbins?’

‘I’m not likely to forget. Andi was vitriolic. And they were both shouting at the top of their voices, so I couldn’t help but hear.’ He made a face. ‘Actually, it was horrible. I can hear it now. Nan knocked on the door and asked Andi to stop bad-mouthing her at church. She said that yes, they had their differences, but that was personal, and they shouldn’t air their dislike for each other in front of her friends. Andi called her an interfering old witch, and if she chose to meddle in other people’s lives, she should expect consequences.’ Don Robbins took a deep breath. ‘Nan hissed back, “If you’d acted like a human being in the first place instead of a callous, heartless bitch, I’d never have had to interfere!”’

‘That’s harsh,’ said Gary.

‘Oh, it went from bad to worse. They got so heated I lost the thread a bit, but it was about a child — a boy, I think. Whatever had happened, Nan was extremely protective of this lad, while Andi got more and more vindictive. She said she’d see Nan drummed out of the church. As I said, it was horrible. In the end, I just had to go around. I could see Nan having a coronary or something if it wasn’t stopped.’ He sniffed. ‘I got no thanks, of course, but it did break it up.’

‘Can you recall if the boy’s name was mentioned?’ asked Kevin hopefully.

‘Do you know, I’ve always wondered what could have been so serious as to cause such distress and anger between those two. I’ve been over and over that conversation in my head, and I think — only think, mind — I heard the name Teddy mentioned. Just once, that’s all.’

‘As in Edward?’ asked Gary.

‘I suppose. I’m not even a hundred per cent sure I heard it at all, but I think I did. Teddy, yes, that’s it. Nan said something like that darling Teddy never deserving to be around a woman like Andrea.’

A child called Teddy. Kevin recalled the photo that had been torn from Nan’s album. The one with the name ending in “Y”. He glanced at Gary, who nodded slightly. He got to his feet. ‘You’ve been a great help, Mr Robbins. We’ll leave you our cards, and if you think of anything that might be relevant, or if you hear of anyone who knows the whereabouts of Andrea Becker, please call us.’

‘I will.’ Robbins showed them to the door. ‘This is serious, isn’t it? I mean, CID? You can’t tell me it’s a traffic violation.’