He sits in silence, finishing his cigarette while Nevis tells him what she knows, about Jessica and Tash and Ratner, how Tash was convinced that the university was trying to get rid of her, the row at the Valentine’s Day party, then finding Satnam’s coursework, taking it to the Dean who said it was Ratner who’d marked it up. Wondering now whether Satnam too was involved with Ratner. Maybe even sleeping with him to help her grades.

By the time she’s done, Luke has grown wide-eyed, his focus intense, the stub of his cigarette slowly burning unnoticed between his fingers. He slumps back and rubs his free hand across his face, reddened now and blotchy.

‘She texted me on the Sunday night. It must have been just before she went to the bridge.’ He starts, suddenly, as the hot ash makes contact with his flesh and flicks the offending stub out across the water.

‘I know. I got into her phone.’

He screws his eyes shut and slowly shakes his head. She does not read faces well but there is no mistaking the shadow of regret and shame contouring his cheeks.

‘Then you know what she said,’ he says, quietly. ‘And you’ll know she asked me to call and I didn’t.’ Luke hangs his head and picks at a fingernail. ‘Obviously I’m gutted about that. It’s why I didn’t tell you before. But I was angry with her, you know? Texting me saying she’d made a big mistake, like I was just supposed to forgive her for cheating and take her back.’

‘You think that’s what she meant by a mistake? That it was about the two of you?’

His eyes swing round to meet hers, a glaze of incomprehension. She goes on, ‘What if by mistake she meant her involvement with Mark Ratner? Maybe she wanted out.’

‘I hadn’t thought of that.’

The water of the Floating Harbour is dazzling in the sun now and from behind the boat a flurry of honking comes, and a Canada goose appears, heaving its huge bulk from the water on frantic wings. She turns her attentions to Luke, watching him observing the bird.

‘Amazing, aren’t they?’ he says.

‘Yup. So clumsy lifting off. Their flight is one of the great wonders of the world though. The ones at the back honking to encourage the leader. Flying in V formation gives them 71 per cent more range than flying alone.’

They fall silent for a moment, taking this in. The cigarette in Luke’s hand glows red in the breeze. Eventually, Nevis says, ‘Satnam called someone, a number that wasn’t in her contacts. Whoever it was called back. They spoke for quite a while. The number’s since gone out of service.’

‘Ratner?’ Luke pinches the remains of the cigarette between his forefinger and thumb, winces a little at the burn, and drops the stub in his pocket.