It was obvious he still grieved the loss of his parents. She wondered if he’d left the Mediterranean island of Malta to become a priest because of their deaths.

Arriving home, she parked her Mini Cooper on the small driveway. As she got out of the car, Jane noticed a man in his late sixties walking past with a small Jack Russell terrier, which cocked its leg on her front wall pillar and peed on it. The owner looked embarrassed and was gently tugging the dog’s lead.

‘Naughty boy, Spud. I’m so sorry. I’ll get a pitcher of water . . .’

‘No need,’ Jane said. ‘I can do it.’

‘No, I insist. I won’t be two seconds,’ he said, hurrying to the house next door.

Jane removed her briefcase from the passenger seat, opened her front door and flicked the hallway light on. It lit up briefly, popped and went out.

‘For God’s sake, not again,’ she said to herself.

‘Everything all right, love?’ the neighbour asked, pouring some water on the pillar.

‘There’s a fault with the hallway light. It works fine for a bit and then the bulb blows.’

‘I can have a look at it if you like. Have you got a ladder?’

‘Sorry, I haven’t. Don’t worry, it’s pretty late and I’m sure you’ve better things to do.’ She switched on the living-room light which lit up a section of the hallway. ‘That will do me until the morning.’

‘It’s not nice entering a dark hallway. We don’t want you tripping over anything on your way upstairs,’ he said, noticing the storage boxes in the hallway Jane had yet to unpack. ‘I’ll just nip and get my ladder and tool kit.’

Jane really wanted to get on with her report but didn’t want to offend him. It wasn’t long before he returned with an old wooden ladder and a metal toolbox, from which he removed a torch.

‘Can you switch the main fuse off for me, please?’ he asked as he unfolded the ladder.

‘Certainly,’ she said, assuming it was somewhere in the hallway coat cupboard next to the kitchen door.

‘I think you’ll find it in the small floor cupboard next to the front door,’ he told her, turning the torch on.

‘Sorry, I haven’t had a chance to get to know where everything is yet.’ She opened the cupboard while he shone the torch on the fuse box.

‘I’m Gerry, by the way. I live next door with my wife Vi, that’s short for Violet. Would you hold this for me while I remove the bulb and light shade?’ He handed her the torch.

‘Pleased to meet you. I’m Jane.’

‘Welcome to Oakdene Avenue, Jane. How are you settling in?’ He removed the light bulb and handed it to her.

‘Fine, thanks. Still got a lot of unpacking to do, though. Sorry I haven’t popped round to introduce myself yet.’

‘I expect a young woman like you is very busy with her work. Are you in the police?’ he asked, as he removed the lightshade.