‘I’m a chef,’ she said. ‘I know the difference, OK? It was prawns that went into those fridges to defrost, not cockroaches.’

‘I read somewhere that cockroaches have the same protein as prawns.’

‘Oh, great, we’re going to serve up eighty cockroach cocktails? That will do very nicely for my reputation.’

‘Stick a bit of cocktail sauce on and no one will know the difference,’ Jason said breezily, trying to lighten her up.

‘You’re right, they won’t. Until the hostess sues me for fraud, and seventy-nine other separate people sue me for food poisoning. This is not a time to make jokes, Jason.’

A cockroach scurried along the floor right beside her. She crushed it with her plimsoll. ‘Yech.’

‘Another interesting fact about cockroaches,’ Jason said. ‘They stopped evolving several thousand years ago. They’re one of the few creatures that would survive a nuclear attack.’

She looked at him. ‘Do I really need to know this, right at this minute?’

‘Just saying.’

‘And here’s what I’m just saying.’ She fell silent.

‘What?’ he probed.

‘I need seven hundred prawns, now.’ She fell into his arms, sobbing. ‘You’ve got blank paintings; I’ve got roaches not prawns. What have we done, moving here? This house hates us.’

‘Babes, don’t be ridiculous, of course it doesn’t.’

‘No? Well, it sure has a strange way of showing us its love.’

‘You think our ghost turned the prawns into cockroaches?’ he asked, incredulously.

Before she could reply, his phone rang. The display showed Paul Jordan. He answered.

‘Mr Danes, I have to apologize, I believe you rang last night when I was a bit – how should I put it – out of it?’

‘You could say that.’

‘Was it something urgent?’

‘Well, it was. But –’ he batted another roach away and looked at Emily – ‘look, that emergency has passed. I have another, different one. I need two things, right away, immediately. You have a lot of contacts – I don’t know if you can help us?’

‘What do you need?’

‘We’ve an infestation of cockroaches, and my wife is trying to prepare for a big dinner tomorrow – like for eighty people. We need an exterminator here, urgently, to get rid of the roaches, and a cleaner. And we need to find seven hundred large prawns, today – this morning. Do you by chance have any contacts for seafood suppliers?’

‘Cockroaches and prawns? Better make sure you don’t get those mixed up, ha ha!’

‘I’m serious, we need help. Dealing with the roaches and sourcing the prawns.’

‘Seven hundred large prawns?’ he whistled. ‘Well, actually, it so happens I can help you on both counts. Springs in Edburton is the biggest wholesaler of frozen fish and seafood in the county, and they are very near you. I know the owner and can give him a call. I know another place down by Shoreham Harbour if Springs can’t help. And I know the chap from a company called Go Pest. I can give him a call, too.’