Sadie shook her head. ‘No, I don’t think so.’

‘Oh, that’s a shame. Our Kelly was hoping to have a word with you later.’

‘What for?’ asked Sadie with a defensive edge to her voice. ‘I don’t know anything more than I told the police.’

‘We know that, dear. We’re not blaming you for anything. But it would really help if you’d have a little chat. Put her mind at rest about a few things. Five minutes, that’s all she’s asking. You can spare that, can’t you?’ Sharon smiled warmly and linked her arm through Sadie’s. ‘Come on, we can walk there together.’

And suddenly Sadie found herself being swept down the path and into the street, her protestations falling on deaf ears. ‘I’m not really sure if —’

‘Miserable old day, isn’t it? Shame we didn’t get a bit of sunshine. Still, at least it’s stopped raining. We should be grateful for small mercies, I suppose. Mind, that graveyard is going to be muddy as hell. I knew I should have worn my boots; these shoes are going to be ruined.’

Although there was nothing threatening about Sharon’s demeanour or her words, Sadie still felt ill at ease. She didn’t fancy any kind of ‘chat’ with Kelly Gissing and had no desire to be any closer to Wayne than she’d been in the church. But somehow, now that they’d set off, it seemed impossible to break free of the woman. Before long they had caught up with the rest of the mourners and a few minutes later were passing through the tall wrought-iron gates of the cemetery.

The chosen burial place for Eddie was away from the main thoroughfare and halfway along a narrow path that led towards the older part of the graveyard. They turned left at the willow tree under which Sadie had sheltered earlier, and up a slight slope. When Sharon saw where the others were starting to gather – about ten feet off the dry path – she gave a sigh.

‘What did I tell you? That ground’s going to be a bleedin’ quagmire. If these heels get stuck, love, you’ll have to pull me out.’

‘Perhaps we could stay here,’ Sadie suggested. ‘We won’t be that far away.’

Sharon looked at her. ‘You think?’

‘Why not?’

And so it was decided. Sadie was more than happy to keep her distance, but her pulse had started to race at the thought of what would happen after the burial was over. ‘So… er, what is it that Kelly wants to know exactly?’

Sharon glanced at her and gave a shrug. ‘I’m not sure, to be honest. She’s pretty cut up about it all. She and Eddie were close, going steady and all… but she’s not looking to cause any bother. I’m sure of that. You don’t have to worry. Only you were there, just before… I mean, I think she needs to get things sorted in her head. It’s hard for her. She’s a nice kid, though. You’ll be fine.’

Nothing of this put Sadie at her ease. Sharon’s description of Kelly Gissing was in direct contrast to Velma’s. What was it Velma had said? Something about Kelly being happy to scratch your eyes out soon as look as you. And then there was Wayne to worry about too; brothers could be overly protective of their little sisters. She scanned the mourners until she found the two guys who might be cops. Like her and Sharon, they were standing off to the side, apart from the main group.

‘Do you know those men?’ Sadie asked. She gestured with a tilt of her head. ‘Those two over there.’

‘Old Bill, love,’ Sharon said. ‘You can smell ’em a mile off.’

‘Ah, I thought they might be. What are they doing here?’

‘Poking their noses in where they’re not wanted, that’s what.’ Sharon looked closely at her. ‘Maybe they reckon Eddie’s killer will show up. Maybe they’re hoping someone’s conscience will get the better of them and they’ll break down and confess.’

Sadie lifted her eyebrows, trying to make it appear as though her conscience was whiter than white. ‘What are the chances?’

‘Slim,’ Sharon said. ‘Still it gives the bastards something to do, don’t it? If they weren’t with us, they’d only be hassling some other poor sods.’

Sadie stared over at the two officers again. They seemed bored and disinterested, as if they knew they were wasting their time. One of them kept glancing at his watch as if there was some place he had to be. Were they paying her any particular attention? She didn’t think so, but she could be wrong.

She shifted her line of vision to the group gathered at the graveside. Stan was standing with one arm around his wife, the other hanging loose by his side. His hand, a tight fist, thumped relentlessly against his thigh. Kelly Gissing leaned against the older woman. Wayne stood staring hard at the hole in the ground.

The voice of the priest floated on the air. ‘We have but a short time to live. Like a flower we blossom and then wither; like a shadow we flee and never stay. In the midst of life we are in death.’

Sadie, even if she wasn’t entirely comfortable in Sharon’s company, was glad to be away from the main group of mourners. She was sorry that Eddie was dead, truly sorry, but she still felt as though she didn’t belong here, that she was intruding on the family’s grief.

‘It’s a crying shame,’ Sharon said. ‘And he was no age at all, not really. Why would anyone do such a thing?’

‘I’ve no idea.’

‘So were the two of you, you know, on good terms when it… it happened?’

Sadie threw her a quick sideways glance. The woman was fishing and not with much subtlety. ‘We weren’t on any sort of terms. I hadn’t seen him in years.’

‘He was an easy-going sort, though, wasn’t he? A good laugh.’

As the coffin was lowered into the ground, Sadie thought of the first time she’d met Eddie Wise, their eyes meeting across a crowded bar in Kentish Town. He’d been everything her mother had warned her against: a good-looking older man with a wandering eye and a bucketful of charm. Love at first sight? Perhaps. She suspected now that it had been more of an infatuation than anything deeper. She’d been too young to understand what true love was.

‘Someone with a grudge, that’s for sure,’ Sharon said.

Sadie didn’t reply. The priest was intoning those familiar words: ‘Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust…’

There was a general shuffling among the mourners and then the dull thud of soil falling against wood. Sadie imagined Mona going round to Eddie’s flat, a bright smile on her face as he answered the door. What had she said to him? Nothing to cause any alarm because he must have invited her in. But of course the worst Eddie had ever had to fear from a woman was a paternity suit.

‘That’s it, then,’ Sharon murmured. ‘Let’s hope they catch the bugger who did it.’

The two police officers leaned in towards each other, speaking softly. One of them gave a nod. Sadie felt a sudden impulse to walk over to them, to admit what she knew, to unburden her soul. Why not? It was better, surely, to face her demons in the company of the law rather than the Gissings.

‘There’s a nice little caff on Paladin Street,’ Sharon said. ‘We’ll go there, shall we? We can have a nice cup of tea and a warm-up while we wait for Kelly.’

The group around the grave began to disperse, their heads bent, their voices barely more than a whisper, until only the Wise family and the Gissings remained. Sadie glanced towards the cops again. They were walking back down the slope, heading straight for where she was standing. She felt her heart skip a beat. Jesus, maybe it was too late to confess. Maybe they were going to arrest her. Perhaps they had just been waiting until the funeral was over before they made their move.

Sharon hissed out a breath as they drew alongside. ‘Pleased with yourselves, are you? Can’t you even leave a family in peace when they’re burying their loved ones?’

The shorter one, the watch watcher, lifted his eyebrows. ‘Just doing our job, love.’

‘Oh, yeah, and what would that be exactly?’

Sadie found herself wishing Sharon would shut up. Her desire to confess had drained away. There had to be a better way of bringing Mona to justice than blurting out the story of a random meeting on a train. She waited, her heart in her mouth, but the cops said nothing else. They just grinned and walked off towards the gates.