‘So, the family they’re talking about must be Susan’s sister, Petunia. She’s the woman who sold us the cottage.’ Petunia wouldn’t speak to Naomi when she had tried under her journalist name. ‘Is that all he’d tell you? Did he give you an inkling of how they feel about it?’ She knew she was grasping at straws, but if this was the last time her sister would talk about it, she had to squeeze out as much information as she could.

‘They think the family’s dead, and I’m inclined to agree with them. It’s the obvious conclusion, given how long they’ve been gone. Grace was terminal, wasn’t she? Maybe they wanted to go together before death took her. Some people can’t bear the thought of their loved ones dying alone.’

‘Is that his opinion or yours?’ Naomi said, crossing her legs.

‘Mine,’ Connie replied.

‘So, where are they?’ Naomi was instant with her response. ‘Surely if they were part of some suicide pact, they would have done it at home.’

‘Correct me if I’m wrong, but people who commit suicide pacts aren’t always thinking straight.’ Connie paused to clear her throat. ‘Anyway, officers did everything they could. They searched for bodies when it became apparent the family wasn’t coming back. They scanned the ground with specialist equipment. They got the whirly bird up there and used tracker dogs too. But there was nothing. No tip-offs, no clues. No evidence.’

‘And the case is well and truly closed,’ Naomi confirmed. That much she already knew. She stared out on to the streets below as a red double-decker bus rumbled past. An iconic part of London that she was sure she would come to miss.

‘There’s no reason to reopen it,’ Connie said. ‘Bringing attention to it only highlights their failures and they don’t want that. Now, can I be let off the hook? I’m knackered. I need some shut-eye. It’s been a hell of a week.’

‘Sorry,’ Naomi said, ‘I’ve not even asked you how you are.’

‘It’s OK.’ Connie chuckled. ‘I’ve got a few days’ leave, so let me know when you’re settled and I’ll pop down to visit.’

‘That sounds great.’

Naomi said goodnight before ending the call. That was the end of her sister’s favours when it came to the police. But she had one more trick up her sleeve.

The house came partly furnished. Everything the police investigated for evidence had been returned and stored in the loft. It had been kept there all these years in case the family returned home. Naomi had bought the house ‘as is’, meaning she’d paid over the odds for the furniture and fittings, including what was stored in the loft.