‘Don’t worry, they have my letter.’

Dan thought of Arun’s letter, the white envelope on the front desk at the gendarmerie, and imagined impressive legal threats, and Capitaine Vincent, quaking in his brogues.

‘Good. So what did this – person look like?’ said Griff.

‘It was totally out of focus. Dark, maybe, black, maybe – but he could have been anyone. They didn’t tell me anything else. Nothing. But I thought you should know about it.’

There was a silence.

‘Thank you,’ said Griff. ‘I appreciate it.’

‘Well, thanks for getting me out of there.’

Griff shrugged, but didn’t deny it. He stared into space for a moment. ‘I’m glad they’re moving along,’ he said, restrained and calm. ‘Arun, give Roche a call.’

‘Certainly,’ said Arun’s voice.

‘You know he left?’ said Griff to Dan. ‘Released him back into the wild, didn’t we, Arun?’ Griff got up. ‘Excuse me.’ He crossed the room and went through a door.

Dan breathed again. His mouth was dry.

‘Would you like a drink?’ said Arun, appearing.

‘That would be great.’

Arun went to a cabinet. ‘Oops, television.’ He opened another. ‘There we are. It’s beer for you, isn’t it?’

He opened the bottled beer and poured it into a tall glass, and put it onto the coffee table in front of Dan.

‘I should think you’ll be needing that,’ he said, like Dan had had a tough week at Foundations of Holloway.

‘Thanks.’ Dan picked up his glass.

The first sip of beer was icy, and the room smelled of vanilla.

‘There’s a cloakroom just there, if you like,’ said Arun. ‘You needn’t go through the bedroom.’

Dan took the hint. The tiny cloakroom was entirely panelled. His face in the mirror looked like another oil painting, in the dimness, framed by dark wood, like the view from the windows, absorbed into this new world. He washed the parts of himself he could get to easily, and went back out and sat down again, and drank his beer. The gendarmerie, and everything associated with it had almost gone. After a few moments, Griff came out of the bedroom and closed the door.

‘She scares me,’ he said. ‘I don’t know if I should say that, about my own wife. But she does.’

‘Would you like me to do anything?’ said Arun.

‘What could you do? Don’t be stupid. I don’t know if it’s the medication, or shock – I’ve no idea. To be honest, we don’t usually spend so much time together.’

Arun handed Griff a gin and tonic, and patted him, once, on the shoulder.

‘Thanks,’ said Griff, taking a sip. ‘Lovely.’ He turned to Dan, and smiled. ‘My daughter is sulking again, I take it?’

‘No, no,’ Dan faltered. ‘She’s downstairs.’

‘I was hoping to talk to her.’