Joe nodded and sniffed, roughly brushing away his tears.

‘I’m so sorry, Joe.’ I said. ‘I’m so, so sorry.’

As hard as I tried not to, I couldn’t stop myself from picturing the horror of the scene, the grotesque sights and sounds that Joe must have witnessed.

‘So that’s why things felt a bit tense in the pub the other night,’ he eventually said, sounding a little more in control. ‘That was the first time we’ve seen each other in a very long time.’

‘I see.’

I couldn’t imagine how that moment had felt for either of the two men. Had I been in Joe’s shoes there was no way I would have crossed the pub threshold, but he must have had his reasons. Maybe he thought it was time to move on. I wanted to ask but couldn’t bring myself to and I didn’t mention the situation with Hope either.

‘The crash was the reason why I left Wynmouth,’ he carried on. ‘I couldn’t cope with being there and I couldn’t bear to see the state Jack’s death left Mum and Dad in.’

‘Was Sam charged?’

‘No,’ said Joe, shifting in his seat. ‘He was in a coma for months and I was such a wreck, I couldn’t be sure . . .’

His words trailed off and he stood up.

‘Sorry,’ he said, striding off. ‘I’ll be back in a minute.’

‘Of course,’ I said. ‘Take your time.’

There were so many questions flying around my head as Joe drove us back to Wynmouth, not least whether alcohol had been involved the night of the crash. Was that why Sam never took a drink, even though he ran the only pub in the village? But I didn’t ask. Joe had shared more than enough for one day. He must have been exhausted; I know I was.

‘I’m sorry the afternoon ended so sadly,’ I said, as Joe pulled up outside the cottage and I noticed that the pub was shut. ‘I hope you haven’t felt forced into telling me.’

‘Not at all,’ he said. ‘I wanted you to know.’

I nodded and undid my seatbelt.

‘Okay,’ I said, ‘and thank you for the tea. It was wonderful, as was the house and gardens. I can see why your mum loved it there so much.’

‘It was my pleasure.’ He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Not surprisingly, he looked pale and a little drawn.

‘It was all exactly as I remembered it,’ he said softly, ‘and it was a treat to see it all again.’

I went to open the passenger door.

‘Here,’ he said, jumping out before I had the chance to say I could manage, ‘let me get that.’

‘Thank you, Joe.’