‘So, there was no cash buyer?’ Nick asked Claire. While Maggie was sticking close to Rain – they’d moved into the Old Stables and were upstairs playing with Amy – he was also staying on to support Claire.

‘Jeff was vague. Embarrassed at not checking him out properly, I think,’ she replied.

‘Have you heard how Shona’s doing today?’ Nick slid a plate of toast in front of her, aware she’d hardly eaten the last few days.

‘Angus said she’s still in a bad way, barely functioning. She’s going to stay on with them for a bit, until Lenni comes home. The doctor gave her some tablets, so she’s getting a bit of sleep now at least.’ She took a tiny bite of toast, feeling sick. ‘Mum’s always been a fighter, just got on with things. But this… it’s destroyed her. I can’t stand it, Nick.’

‘Nothing will ever be the same again, you know that. But don’t rush yourself.’

Claire nodded, thinking. ‘All I know is that we have to get rid of this place as soon as Mum’s up to it. The whole lot, including the Old Stables. I can’t live here knowing what my sick fuck of a husband did. And knowing how close Lenni was all this time, I just can’t take it in. It’s almost like I need more proof, something to convince me I’m not going mad. How can the two men I loved most in the world be so evil?’ She pushed away the toast, feeling the anger rising again. ‘There’s something I need to do, Nick, but I can’t do it alone. Will you come with me?’

He nodded, following her as she grabbed the keys and marched up the drive. He didn’t want to leave her side for a moment. Claire unlocked the house and went straight to her father’s study, tensing up as they went in, pausing as if she’d caught a whiff of him, perhaps seeking some kind of explanation. It was all about getting answers now, something to ease the turmoil in her mind, to bridge the gap between what she’d believed about her father and the grim reality.

‘Jeff told me he’d seen the damage at Galen Cottage and reported it to the police. The damage I’d done.’ She paused, running over that morning in her mind. ‘I need my job more than ever now, so I didn’t tell him it was me. The police went up there to check it out and found a pair of glasses in a case.’ Claire sighed, hesitating before dropping down onto the old sofa. It still smelt of him.

‘How’s that significant?’

‘The glasses case was labelled with a name and address. My father’s name and address.’

‘Sometimes it’s best not to read too much into things, Claire.’ Nick could see where this was going.

‘It was him who scared the living daylights out of me at the viewing.’ She leant back against the cushions but sat up again. ‘Mum said he’d gone off in a right state that morning, after an argument about selling the farm. He must have got lost and confused.’ Claire’s hands were shaking as she pulled up Greene & Galloway’s website on her phone. ‘Look, that’s Galen Cottage. It’s so similar to the cottage where he’d kept Lenni.’ She dropped her head, stifling the sobs.

Nick nodded, checking it out. ‘They’re very similar. But Patrick wouldn’t have taken your bag and phone, surely?’

‘At the time, I was convinced someone had. But Jason proved otherwise. I was so scared, maybe I was mistaken. My father wasn’t the only one muddled and panicking.’

‘You think he was panicking?’

‘He would have been if he couldn’t find Lenni there. His dementia was getting worse.’ Claire leapt up, opening the old cupboard behind her, rummaging through decades of collected belongings – everything from trinkets and sticky whisky bottles, books and papers to old electrical items that Patrick had refused to throw away. It all spilt out onto the floor, her breathing getting faster, her cheeks reddening. ‘There must be something here that will help explain…’ She moved on to another cupboard filled with his watercolour paintings before glancing around the study with wild eyes. Then she targeted her father’s bureau, frantically pulling out the drawers and emptying them.

Nick came up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. ‘Claire, stop. You don’t even know what you’re looking for. It’s not helping—’

‘I need to do this, Nick,’ she said, shrugging away, chucking more accumulated junk onto the floor. Dust motes speckled the air as she searched. She pulled down the desk flap, swiping away pens and pencils, stationery and notebooks – all the stuff the police hadn’t taken.

She stopped for a second, staring at the ceiling, thinking. ‘The compartment,’ she whispered, pulling out a mini drawer at the back of the desk. ‘The police wouldn’t have known to look here when they’d gone through his belongings. He once showed it to me and Lenni. He told us it was a secret. We thought it was the coolest thing ever. Look…’ Claire removed the false bottom beneath where the drawer had been. ‘He used to let us stash sweets in here, so Mum wouldn’t…’ She trailed off as she spotted it. ‘Nick?’ she said, turning to him.

He reached in and took out the phone.

‘Mum was looking for that everywhere. He refused to use it. I didn’t even know he had one until recently.’

Nick opened it up and switched on the cheap, pay-as-you-go flip phone. ‘It’s almost out of battery. We should let the police have it.’

‘Give it to me,’ she said, swiping if from him. She toggled back through the list of calls made and received, scanning the numbers. ‘Look, he called Greene & Galloway several times, see?’ Her voice was urgent as she thought back over the dates and times, working it out. ‘I think he was the supposed cash buyer, Nick. He would have done anything to stop Mum selling up. He couldn’t ever leave because Lenni was locked up here. He had his lucid moments too, don’t forget.’

Nick shook his head, raising his eyebrows. ‘You’re probably right.’ He leant in close, peering at the phone screen. ‘But stop now, Claire. Don’t torture yourself any more.’

‘There were other numbers dialled too,’ she said, ignoring him. ‘Look, these were to my mobile. As well the Old Stables landline. He must have been the one who left that twisted message, probably when he wasn’t thinking straight.’ She explained about the disturbing voicemail the night Jason and Greta arrived. The timing of the calls fitted. ‘It’s no coincidence all the silent calls I was getting have stopped now. He probably wasn’t thinking straight and misdialling me.’ She paced around the study, trampling on her father’s belongings.

‘Don’t overthink this, Claire,’ he said, reaching out to stop her. She was shaking. ‘Trust me, I speak from experience. Sometimes the only closure is accepting there will be none.’ He drew her close, placing a finger over her lips. She only stilled when he pulled her into his arms, holding her tight, stroking her hair. ‘I’m going to delay the restaurant opening for a while.’ He felt her tense again as she looked up at him. ‘I’m not leaving you alone with all this to deal with.’

‘No, Nick,’ Claire said quietly. ‘I won’t let you do that. The restaurant is everything you’ve always wanted.’

‘Not quite,’ he said, staring into her eyes. ‘Anyway, my mind is made up. I’m here for as long as you need. Maybe I’ll even move back to Cornwall permanently.’ He wanted to get it all out, tell her how he felt about her. But now wasn’t the time.

She rested her head against his chest. He was right. Searching for answers that didn’t exist was only hurting her more.

‘I could easily sell the restaurant, even as it is. It’s been stressing me out more than I’d like. I had this crazy idea…’ He laughed at his stupidity, wondering how he thought he’d ever have got away with it.

‘Go on,’ she said.

‘When Jess and I split up, I couldn’t afford my own place. I’ve been couch-surfing with mates for months, so I was getting the restaurant basement converted into a living space. It’s not entirely legal, I know, and I’d have got shut down if it was discovered, but it seemed like my only option.’

‘So much has happened, Nick,’ she whispered, looking up at him again, thinking about what he’d been through. ‘Too much. But what happened to us?’ Their faces were close, each aware of the other’s breathing, the feel of their bodies pressed close, the warmth shared. They stayed like that for what seemed like forever, each knowing this wasn’t the right time for the kiss that would have been perfect if circumstances had been different. Perhaps if they’d been standing in the sea.