“She’s taken her car and she’s gone off somewhere,” Duncan said before Taylor had a chance to answer. “We’re checking for any reports of cars with that registration, but we know that nobody fitting Mrs Lancaster’s description has turned up in any of the local hospitals. And from what you’ve said, there’s nothing to suggest any funny business. Your friend will turn up when she’s good and ready, Mrs Green. You mark my words.” The alcohol on his breath was starting to make Alice feel ill.

“What do you think?” she asked Taylor again.

“DS Duncan is probably right,” Taylor told her. “There’s no evidence of foul play.” She sounded carefully non-committal.

“We’ll see ourselves out,” Duncan said.

“Idiot.” The jackdaw said.

“That reminds me,” Duncan added. “I must remember to check on that wild bird licence business. First thing in the morning. Now I have to get back to my wife.”

Alice watched as they drove away. Taylor’s words hadn’t exactly filled her with confidence. Something in her tone suggested she thought something had happened to Milly Lancaster.

Milly wouldn’t just drive off into the sunset, she thought.

She poured herself a large glass of port and went into the back garden. The bees were ready to call it a day. Alice checked the hives one by one. They were doing well. If they continued like this, she would have double the normal amount to sell at the Berryton market next month.

She took a long sip of port and wandered over to the hollyhock bushes. She shivered when she thought about how close DC Taylor had been to the disturbed soil. She wondered how and why Stanley’s hand had surfaced.

“Hello there.” Eddie Sedgwick had been watching her from his garden.

Alice jumped. She wondered how long he had been standing there.

“Lovely day,” Eddie said.

Alice glared at him. He was wearing a pair of denim shorts and a pink T-shirt with the words “I love Florida” on it. His legs were pale and hairless.

“Is everything all right?” he asked her. “I couldn’t help but notice that the police have been round twice today. I recognised Sergeant Duncan. I know him from poker nights in Trotterdown.”

“Everything’s fine,” Alice snapped. She stepped away from the hollyhock bushes.

“How do you get yours to bloom so nicely?” Eddie pointed to the hollyhocks. “Barbara’s always moaning at me about ours. I only seem to get a few flowers each year. Are you using some kind of special fertiliser?”

“It’s the bees. They help with the pollination.”

“Well, tell your bees,” Eddie looked around to make sure nobody was listening, “they’re welcome in my garden any time.” The pathetic grin on his face irritated her. Perhaps he thought he was being witty. “Bugger what my Barbara says,” he added.

Eddie stood there for a few moments without saying anything. Alice tried to ignore the inane grin on his face.

“Must dash, then,” he said eventually. “My Barbara will be sending out a search party.”

Alice watched as he turned and walked up the path to his house. The Sedgwicks had lived next door to her for almost thirty years and Alice could count on the fingers of one hand how many times she had set foot in their house. The only neighbour she liked was Milly, and she’d disappeared. Something was definitely wrong. Milly was not the type to set off on a road trip without telling her best friend.

Alice went back in. The doorbell rang as she switched on her new TV. A sombre-looking DC Taylor stood there. It was pretty clear from her expression that she did not have good news.

“Sorry to bother you so soon,” Taylor said. “Can I come in?”

“Have you found Milly?”

“Please,” Taylor said, “can I come inside?”

Alice stepped aside.

“We’ve found Milly Lancaster’s car.” Taylor came straight to the point.

“What about Milly? Have you found Milly?”

“No. That’s the thing. Mrs Lancaster wasn’t in her car.”

“That’s good news then, isn’t it? Where was the car?”

“That’s what worrying us,” Taylor said. “A hiker found the car. He was walking along the top of Merryhead when he spotted something.”

“What on earth was Milly doing up on Merryhead?” Alice asked. It was a popular spot for young couples, but not for older local people. The view across the sea was spectacular but the cliffs were sheer. It was unwise to venture too close to the edge.

“The car wasn’t up on the cliffs. It was smashed to pieces on the rocks below.”

“Oh my God.” Alice sat down. "Are you sure it was Milly’s car?”

“Positive. The hiker had a pair of binoculars. Even though the car was pretty badly smashed up he managed to get a look at the registration number.”

“And you’re sure Milly’s not inside?”

“We’ve got a team down there right now. They had their work cut out for them with the tide coming in, but they managed to get the car onto a trailer. There was no sign of her.”

“But that’s good news, surely?” Alice insisted.

“I’m not sure.” Taylor refused to reassure her. “The way I see it, it can only mean one of two things.”

“Two things?”

“Either Milly wasn’t in the car when it went over the cliff or she was thrown out at the bottom and her body was washed out to sea. I don’t mean to alarm you, Mrs Green, but I’m afraid you need to prepare yourself for the worst.”

* * *

Alice stared at a spot of dirt on the wall above the fireplace. DC Taylor had promised to let Alice know if anything new came up. Milly’s car was now in the hands of the forensics technicians and Taylor had assured Alice that they would go over the vehicle with a fine-toothed comb. If Milly had been in the car when it plummeted onto the rocks, they would know soon enough.

Alice felt numb. They’d been best friends for so long. A flood of thoughts filled her head. She fought them off by thinking about the past.

She had been with Milly when her husband had died. At the time, Alice had been surprised at how strong Milly had been through it all and how soon she’d adapted to her new life. It was as if her husband had never been around at all. It was only when Stanley had left for the last time that Alice had finally understood how Milly felt. Life was so much easier without a husband to fret about.

She poured a glass of port, sat back in the chair and took a large gulp. It made her feel light-headed. She closed her eyes . . . and quickly opened them again when an image of her husband filled her head. He was smiling his boyish smile, with the chipped tooth gleaming white in the corner of his mouth.

My husband lies buried in my garden, and now my best friend’s broken body is lying cold at the bottom of the sea. What a horrible turn of events.

She finished her glass of port and poured herself another one. The bottle was nearly empty.

“What now, Alice Green?” she said out loud.

She raised the glass in the air. She was feeling very tipsy now.

“To absent friends,” she said, “Milly Lancaster and you, Stanley Green, you bastard.”

She drained the glass and placed it carefully on the coffee table. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

CHAPTER EIGHT

DC Harriet Taylor parked outside her house. There was nothing more they could do until the forensic investigators had finished going over Milly Lancaster’s car.

She found some ginger beer lurking in the back of her fridge and took a glass outside to the back garden. The wind was blowing in from the west which meant a new weather front was on the way. The house was still new to her — she’d bought it without even viewing it in person. The photographs on the estate agent’s website had sold it to her immediately. It was a three-bedroom detached house with different views of the Atlantic depending on which room you were in. Her neighbours were mostly middle class — and the peace and quiet suited Taylor just fine. She’d been lucky. When she had made the offer on the house, her head had not been quite right. It was three weeks after the accident which had turned her world upside down.