She reaches out, lets her hand fall gently onto mine. Of course, she knows all this. Yvette told her.

Outside the wind is gusting hard enough to move the hem of the curtain even though the window’s closed. It must be late. I should leave. I put the scarf on Bridie’s bedside cabinet. This makes her cluck and wag her head in annoyance.

“Didn’t she give it to you? She left it by mistake?”

“Yes,” says Bridget.

“I don’t even understand why she had it with her. She never wore it.”

Her lips press together.

“What did she do with it, then?”

The mobile side of her mouth turns down. She says, “Ohh, ahh, ohh.”

An imitation of someone crying.

—

A knock at the door. Bridie says, “Yes.”

Terry Shaw puts her head around. “Oh! James. I didn’t know who on earth it could be, at this time . . .”

“I know, it’s very late. I must go. Bridie, let’s talk again about Yvette.”

She rocks her head up and down.

Terry sees me to the front door.

“Terry, are you ever off duty?”

She smiles. “I went to Jersey three years ago. A delightful island. Have you solved the mystery, by the way?”

“Yes. That’s why I’m here. The most extraordinary thing—Bridie knew my late wife. We lived at Alver Shore back then, you see, and they—they met by chance. Now I know why Bridie got so upset at my party when I mentioned Yvette, my wife. She was desperate that I should know and of course she couldn’t say anything. Philip was so worried . . .”

I come to a standstill in the doorway.

“James?”

“Oh . . . yes. Bridie was very kind to her . . . thanks, Terry, I’ll see you soon . . .”

“I’m glad!” Terry calls after me.

The house seems very still when I return.

“Tom? Where are you?” My voice echoes in the empty stairwell.

Bailey’s in his basket. Apart from a token wag of the tail he doesn’t move. “Tom?” I go into the sitting room. His textbooks and files have been removed. Searching upstairs, I find his bedroom empty of everything except the box from the attic and a sock, kicked under the bed.

Finally I go into my own bedroom. On the mantelpiece, next to Yvette’s urn, there’s a note.