For now, she pushed the problem to the back of her mind and focused on enjoying the wine and then the pizza as she got to know Liam Quinn a little bit better, while Tank watched them like a hawk.

He lost interest as soon as the food was gone, clambering up onto the other sofa and sprawling on his back, grunting out gentle snorts, while the pair of them chatted, the conversation easy.

Hannah wasn’t sure what she had been expecting. Given the nature of Liam’s work, she assumed he would try poking into her past. He didn’t though, keeping all talk away from Mrs W and, as Hannah would later realise, drawing her attention away from the car that had scared her earlier, focusing more on the present and, in turn, revealing little snippets of his own life.

Nothing too major, she noted. She learnt he had lived all over, had never married, leading something of a nomadic lifestyle, and that he had taken on responsibility for Tank after his younger sister, Ashley, who had bought Tank as a puppy, decided she couldn’t cope and was going to surrender him to a rescue shelter. That thawed Hannah a little bit more. She liked people who were kind to animals. That he had a sister was pretty much all he would let on about his family, though, changing the subject when Hannah mentioned his parents.

In the end, she was the one to bring up the past.

Although she was warming to Liam, was even finding herself a little distracted by the subtle scent of whatever soap or aftershave he was wearing while sat this close to him, she reminded herself this hadn’t been a social visit. She had come here to ask questions about his book.

‘If I agreed to talk to you, let you interview me, what would it involve?’ She asked the question as he topped up their wine glasses, the smooth ruby liquid giving her a pleasant buzz. She was being careful not to drink too much. Relaxed was good, drunk was not.

‘It would involve us talking, much as we are now, but I would record it.’

‘Record it?’ Hannah’s eyes widened when he nodded, not sure how she felt about that. ‘Do you mean on video?’

‘Preferably video, though we could do audio if it makes you feel more comfortable.’ He must have picked up on her unease, because he added, ‘It’s all very informal, Hannah. Just you and me, and we can go at your own pace, stopping whenever you want.’

‘What kind of questions?’

‘No questions as such. You tell me what happened in your own words, and I will chip in and ask you stuff as you talk.’

It sounded easy enough. Still, she was unsure about being recorded.

‘I would need to speak with the others first. Run it by them.’

He nodded. ‘That’s fair enough.’