‘I invited her out to dinner. I guess I wanted her to confess it to me. We’d been friends. I suppose I was expecting too much. We went out, like I said, and it was as if none of it had ever happened. She was perfectly normal. Halfway through the evening, Nick phoned. I told him where I was, and he went crazy. Said she’d know he’d taken the photo without her consent, and that he’d end up in a lot of trouble. She’d got young kids and a husband. So I didn’t say anything. I think she realised there was something wrong, but she kept coming to my classes. Maybe she felt that if she left, I’d know something was wrong. I just tried to avoid her and be polite when she spoke to me. Now I don’t know if she’s alive or dead, and I don’t know how I feel about that. She betrayed me. I can’t forgive her, but I never wanted this.’

‘Life has a way of making things complicated,’ Connie said. ‘Does anyone else know about this?’

Darpana shook her head.

‘Your boyfriend’s full name? We’ll need to speak with him, I’m afraid,’ Baarda said.

‘Nick Bowlzer. We live together. I’d rather you spoke to him away from our flat. Is there any way you could talk to him without telling him I spoke to you?’

‘We can’t lie, but that doesn’t mean we have to reveal our source. You should be aware that it might come out later in legal proceedings. I’m going to have to ask you to make another statement setting out everything you’ve told us today. I’ll have an officer contact you to sort that out.’

‘Okay,’ she said. ‘Am I in trouble for not telling you earlier?’

‘No, you’re not,’ Baarda said. ‘I understand why you’d have kept that information to yourself. Could I ask what Nick’s reaction was to the news that Mrs Dunwoody had been kidnapped?’

‘He didn’t have anything to do with it,’ Darpana said.

‘These are standard questions,’ Baarda said. ‘Your boyfriend isn’t on our radar as a suspect.’

‘Sorry, I’m a bit sensitive. It was weird that she suddenly disappeared in the middle of everything, you know, and I suppose I wondered if he’d been in touch with her. He said he hadn’t. That they hadn’t been in contact at all since that night. He didn’t want me talking to the police about it, though. Said he’d end up in the middle of the investigation.’

‘Where does Nick work?’ Baarda asked.

‘At Edinburgh Castle. He does ticket sales, guided tours, organises events.’

‘And he’s there now?’

She checked her watch and nodded.