‘It’s the recent trip to Brittany that’s worrying me,’ Jake says, gnawing on a thumbnail. ‘Brest is a tech hotspot in France, has deep roots in military encryption and communications. An investigative website over there has been looking into Rob’s R and D unit, what’s he’s going to be investing in tomorrow. And they think it might be facial-recognition technology. He certainly needs to do something – apparently his company is massively overvalued, and some people are worried about him investing in the French tech sector.’

‘Is that such a problem?’ Bex asks, yawning. ‘If he’s into facial recognition?’ She must be knackered after her long drive, even in a Tesla.

‘They’re a bit more uptight about that sort of thing over in France,’ he says. ‘This website thinks that Rob is there to flog some secret new system on the quiet to the French government, to help them combat terrorism.’

‘Can’t see a problem with that either,’ Bex says. ‘I mean, apart from it all being a bit Big Brother.’

‘Don’t you think it’s a strange coincidence?’ Jake asks. ‘Given his relationship with Kate, a former super recogniser?’

‘Maybe that’s what sparked his interest in the whole facial-recognition thing. After he met her and heard the amazing things she’d been doing with Wiltshire Police.’

‘That’s what I thought. Until I remembered something – the first time I met Rob, at the hospital.’

It wasn’t an easy encounter. Jake knew as soon as he walked onto the ward and saw Rob sitting at Kate’s bedside, paying her attention, that it was over between him and Kate.

‘I just had this feeling it wasn’t the first time I’d seen him,’ Jake continues.

‘How come?’ Bex asks, showing more interest now.

‘I’d clocked him in the car park at Gablecross police station.’

‘You sure?’

‘It was the day before Kate’s accident. I’d been in to talk to DI Hart about some research for my latest book.’

They’d ended up chatting more about winter migrant birds than police procedure.

‘Was he driving a Tesla?’ she asks.

‘I don’t recall. Just saw him walking towards the police station entrance.’

And wearing a baseball cap. It had stuck in his mind because Jake had wondered if he could get away with one at his age. Probably not.

‘So you’d seen Rob before – that doesn’t mean Kate had,’ Bex says. ‘They met because he happened to be putting on an art show at the hospital where she was a patient.’

‘I know that’s what everyone says. All very romantic. I get it. But what if Rob was at the hospital specifically to meet Kate? This incredible super recogniser who had outperformed every facial-recognition software program.’