DS Carstairs, sitting slightly behind, took out a tatty notebook and cheap pen and looked at her expectantly. She would have preferred to speak to Fanshawe alone. There was something about the sergeant that made her squirm. It was the way his eyes were constantly assessing her and finding her wanting.

Trying to ignore him, she took a steadying breath and told them about Amelia, the remark about the brown eyes that had started her suspicions, the fact that she’d called to her house on the very day she’d been knocked down. She debated adding her other worry; that everything had started going wrong in her life not, as Jack had suggested from the weekend in Semington, but from when Amelia and Tristan returned to London. It sounded so crazy, she decided against mentioning it. She didn’t want to sound paranoid.

‘She knew where you were going on Friday?’ Fanshawe asked.

‘Yes, she suggested I should get a taxi and I remember saying that Casper’s was only a few minutes’ walk from the station.’

‘Who else knew where you’d be?’

Molly picked up her empty coffee cup to delay answering until she gave it some thought. She’d forgotten all about Stuart and wondered how long he had waited for her. ‘The friend I was meeting,’ she said slowly, anticipating their next question, a slight colour already rising in her cheeks.

‘And this friend is?’

Her hesitation made it look as if she’d something to hide, as did the stumble as she told them his name. ‘Stu... Stuart Mercer, he’s an old friend.’

‘Friend?’ Fanshawe looked at her. ‘Or lover?’

Her cheeks flamed. She’d have loved to be able to use the phrase what kind of woman do you think I am, but unfortunately they already had a fair idea. ‘A friend. To be precise, he’s a work colleague of my husband’s.’

‘And Mr Chatwell knew you were meeting him? He knew you’d be in that café?’

‘No, neither. I’d gone to meet Stuart because I’m worried about my husband. Jack is a very private man when it comes to his work, he wouldn’t confide in me if he were having problems, so I thought I’d ask Stuart.’

Fanshawe looked at her with sudden interest. ‘What kind of problems?’

Molly huffed in exasperation. ‘I don’t know, do I? I never got to meet Stuart thanks to whatever idiot tried to push me under that damn car.’

‘So only two people knew where you were going to be?’ Fanshawe said. ‘Amelia Lovell and Stuart Mercer.’

Molly looked at him in horror. ‘Stuart would have absolutely no reason to harm me.’