Something moved high in a tree to her left and she peered through the dancing leaves to see a buzzard. The bird looked directly at her, and for a moment she felt as though it might be questioning her. What did it want of her? What answer would she give? She held her breath and took a gentle step forward to get a better look, and the bird stayed fixed on her. It was a majestic creature, and she wondered what it was thinking. Did it see beauty? Or was the world divided into threat and prey? It opened its wings suddenly and with a single burst of energy took to the sky, as a police car pulled into the lay-by.

‘That was a big one,’ a grinning police officer said as he stepped out. His North Wales Police uniform indicated the rank of constable. Some might have found him attractive, with his buzz cut, tall muscular frame and cheerful smile, but it was the eyes that put Harri off. They reminded her of a beagle: sad, eager to please, but not a whole lot there. ‘Constable Lake. You can call me Simon.’

‘Harriet Kealty. Harri,’ she replied. ‘Thanks for sparing the time.’

‘DS Khan said you’re conducting a private investigation,’ he said. ‘I’m glad to hear it. I always felt there was more to this case. Never could get my guv’nor to back a deeper dive.’

Maybe she’d misjudged him. His instincts seemed pretty sharp.

‘It was such a sad one,’ he remarked.

They stood in silence for a moment, and Harri thought about the mass of tragedy that was crammed into that short sentence. It was such a sad one. Two dead, and an orphaned child. So much trauma, it was almost enough to take her breath away, and as Ben had said, she was just an intruder, raking through other people’s lives. She could hardly begin to understand the emotional toll on those directly touched by events.

‘This is where I found Mr Asha’s car,’ Lake gestured at the lay-by.

‘Anything unusual about it?’

He shook his head.

‘And the place where he . . .’ Harri trailed off.

‘It’s a five-minute walk from here,’ Lake replied.

He signalled a narrow footpath that snaked into the woods.

They saw no one as they neared the crashing waves. The wind only troubled the treetops, but Harri and Lake were in the calm shelter of the thick trunks and they engaged in chewing-gum chatter, sharing nothing of any real value, but keeping their mouths working and awkward silences at bay.

After a few minutes, Harri felt a breeze on her face and saw blue sky and emerald-green grass through the trees. They emerged from the forest onto a rolling clifftop. Judging by the sheep droppings, the wispy short grass was naturally cropped, but there were no living creatures in sight. There was big sky above them and an ominous line ahead, an uneven slash that cut the horizon, the ragged edge of the clifftop which separated earth from sky. Harri saw distant swells and her legs went funny when she realized how high up they were. Even grass wouldn’t grow near the edge. It was the preserve of brave scree and foolish rocks.