‘He kills her and then, overwhelmed by guilt, takes his own life,’ Sabih said. ‘Or the two of them conspired and the husband couldn’t cope with what they’d done, and jumped.’ He was getting excited. ‘You fancy a drive out to Leek?’

‘Now? What about your poker night?’

‘How am I going to focus on cards, knowing there might be an unsolved murder with my name on it?’

Harri wasn’t so upset she didn’t want credit. This might be her way back onto the force. She shot him a disapproving glance.

‘Our names,’ he corrected himself. ‘Our names on it.’

Chapter 18

It was easy to believe the world had ceased to exist. Beyond the twin pools of light there was nothing but black, and Harri convinced herself that if she veered off the narrow country lane, the car would tumble into a void. There were no stars in the sky, obscured by clouds perhaps? Or lost to the endless abyss? She was glad she wasn’t alone. Not that Sabih was much company. He’d fallen asleep on the drive through Hanley, and his chest was rising and falling to the rhythm of a dream. At least she’d have someone’s hand to hold if she drove them off the edge of the world.

But I don’t want his hand, she thought, I want Ben’s.

She was conflicted, travelling to investigate a man she still loved. How could she begin to be objective? What would she do if they discovered compelling evidence of his involvement in Elizabeth Asha’s death? Police procedure was clear, but as a private citizen she didn’t have to declare the conflict to Sabih, and that made her feel worse. Ashamed and a little guilty.

She followed the road round a bend and finally saw light up ahead. She relaxed almost instantly, and thought it was funny that a single bulb or candle against a vast backdrop of nothing could have that effect. Wasn’t that the essence of hope? Optimism against overwhelming odds. A distant light touched something even more primal. It was a sign we weren’t alone and that others were also determined to hold back the void. It was a symbol of shared hope.

She drove towards it, and a few minutes later, she pulled to a halt just before the driveway that led to Longhaven, the Asha family home.

Sabih stretched, yawned and smacked his lips as he woke up.

‘Where the hell are we?’ He looked around in mock dismay. ‘This really is the middle of nowhere.’

Harri switched off the headlights and the world was lost to darkness. Only the single window in the furthest corner of Longhaven resisted the night.

‘A kid lives here?’ Sabih asked. ‘What the heck is there to do? Count all the nothing?’

They got out and walked up the drive to the cottage. Harri knocked. A few moments later, Cynthia Hughes opened the door. Her face fell the instant she registered who was calling.

‘Mr Elmys said you’d be back.’