‘Not for sure. At uni I sometimes wondered – they would fight so much, and flirt. But you know, we were always so drunk, all of us.’ That was kind of her, but in fact Jodi rarely got drunk. She was always in control. ‘Then recently Cal told me he suspected something. You know they go out for their stupid boys’ lunches. He saw something on Mike’s phone. From her.’

‘Oh.’ Was that proof? They were friends, it could have been nothing. I felt myself still desperately trying to believe, despite all the evidence. Stupid of me. ‘And – Jake? She’s saying he’s Mike’s.’

Again, no surprise. ‘I suppose it makes sense. There wasn’t anyone else on the scene.’

I opened my mouth, wanting to ask had she always known or suspected that Mike was Jake’s father, and if so why she hadn’t told me, but I hadn’t the words. A noise at the door made Jodi swing her head; her jaw tightened. ‘Cal’s home.’

He came in with fanfare, slamming the door, slinging his jacket off on to a chair, kissing my cheek with a wet smack. I thought I smelled whisky on his breath. ‘Al, sweetheart, how you holding up?’ He rubbed my shoulder, and I was grateful for the contact.

‘Oh, not so good.’ I couldn’t face outlining it all for him again. Jodi had turned back to her Aga. ‘What about you guys? Exciting times, huh?’ I faked enthusiasm as best I could. ‘How do you feel about being a dad? Scary?’

‘Oh, Jod has a handle on all that.’

‘You’re a pretty big part of it too, Cal.’

‘Am I?’ He moved into the kitchen, nosing for food like a truffle pig.

‘Leave it,’ Jodi scolded.

I had the feeling this meetup was sliding away from me somehow. I took a deep breath. ‘There was a reason I wanted to talk to you guys. Karen came to see me the other night.’ Her name felt like glass in my mouth. ‘She mentioned something about Martha Rasby.’

Jodi was so slow these days. She turned in space like a gyroscope, a frown gently spreading over her face. ‘Martha? Why on earth . . . ?’

‘What did she say that for?’ Cal scooped an olive into his mouth, chewing the black flesh.

‘I don’t know. I guess because – what happened back then. When we had to talk to the police.’ I was choosing my words carefully, for myself more than anything else. I had to think about that night, the one more than twenty years ago, in very certain terms. Why I’d done it. I had to keep it clear in my head.

‘You mean like a threat?’ Cal frowned. ‘What did she even have to do with it?’