His presence had all but gagged his wife, and his own reaction was bordering on apathy. The gentle squeeze of her hand could just as easily be interpreted as a silencing gesture as being one of comfort. He had closed down the questioning with an almost carbon copy of his wife’s previous exit strategy of an engagement to attend. The typical reaction of a person when faced with the sort of news they’d delivered is to ask a flood of questions, most of which Porter wouldn’t have been able to answer anyway, due to lack of information. The Lockes, though, had made Porter feel like his visit was more of an inconvenience.

In amongst all these fresh questions, he knew one thing with unshakeable certainty. For whatever reason, Mary Locke was afraid of her husband. She had flinched when he took her hand, an almost imperceptible movement, but Porter had seen it. She had been timid enough when she had been alone, but with him in the room she was practically subservient. Domestic abuse takes many forms, physical and emotional, and he had seen no signs of the former, but would wager a hefty sum that she had experienced the latter. Wherever and whenever in the past it had happened, Mary Locke had learnt that life was easier if she played second fiddle to her husband. Porter hoped for her sake she hadn’t suffered too much in finding that out.

Alexander Locke watched through the gap between curtain and wall as the two detectives got into their car and pulled away.

‘Mary?’

No answer. Hiding upstairs, no doubt. No matter. She’d keep for now. He tapped a number from the list of saved favourites on his phone and counted the rings. Never more than three. Two rings later a low voice answered.

‘Boss.’ Short and sweet, unlike the man the voice belonged to.

‘James, I’m going to need you to meet me at the office.’

‘When?’ A man of few words, as ever.

‘Now.’

‘On my way. What’s up?’

‘Let’s talk when I see you. It can wait till then.’

He ended the call, eyes still fixed on the space the car had occupied. It could wait half an hour. It had waited a damn sight longer than that already.