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was she?’
    ‘She was such a lovely woman. She’d do anything for you. I do a lot of charity work and Moira was always there to help, baking cakes, attending functions, always giving me as much support as possible. She was one of those people, you know, you could tell anything to.’
    ‘I imagine it sounds a crazy question, but did she have any enemies? Anyone who’d want to hurt her?’
    Prue laughed – a short, sharp snort, a mirthless sound. ‘She was a librarian, enemies didn’t normally come with the territory. Though even in small places like that there’s politics, hierarchies, that sort of thing. She used to tell me about the pedantic people who worked there. Not all of them, mind you, just one or two. Some of the council staff who paid visits, the mad bureaucracy. She hated all those aspects. All she cared about were the books. I think that’s why she got on so well with Eustace. They both loved words.’
    ‘So she never told you of any trouble? Where she felt under physical threat?’
    ‘God no. Just petty things. No one would want to harm her, why would they?’
    ‘What about Eustace? Did you get on well with him?’
    ‘He’s a nice enough guy. I haven’t really been able to socialise much with him despite him being married to my best friend. He was, he is, how should I put it … awkward in the sort of social situations we move in.’
    The comment was meant to be harmless, throwaway, but Matilda saw a glimpse of the real Prue McKenzie in her words.
    ‘In what way, awkward?’ she asked.
    ‘My husband is a QC, you know, a barrister.’
    Matilda nodded.
    ‘So a lot of our friends are, how shall we say, from the higher echelons of society. Moira could deal with that side of things, her family were well-to-do and she was left a lot of money. Eustace doesn’t come from that sort of world and he didn’t really try to blend in.’
    ‘In what way? Was he just quiet during functions, that sort of thing?’
    ‘Yes that and, it’s sounds ludicrous, but he never put any effort into his appearance. Moira was fed up with it but she was sort of resigned.’
    ‘Would you say they had a happy marriage?’
    ‘I suppose so, but dynamics change over the years. You’ll find that when you reach our age.’
    Matilda didn’t need to reach any age to understand that. ‘Do you think Eustace could have had any enemies?’
    ‘It’s possible, given the sort of world he moved in – investigating criminals and whatnot. I didn’t really know much about his work and Moira didn’t like to share. Why do you ask?’
    ‘It’s only our first day of our investigation, we’re just looking at all avenues at the moment.’
    The woman seemed to have regained full composure, as if the death of her closest friend was a mere shock to the system which she’d already overcome. Matilda could tell she had something further to say, but rather than ask, she waited. The painful silence was alleviated by the ticking of the antique grandfather clock and the distant sounds of builders working on the nearest loft conversion.
    ‘There was one thing,’ said McKenzie, with false reluctance, like a classic gossip. ‘I can’t believe I’m telling you this but it will come out at some point. Moira was seeing somebody. You didn’t get this information from me but it was one of the barristers at my husband’s chambers, Charles Robinson. He’s quite dashing and they met at one of my get-togethers.’
    ‘How long was this going on?’
    ‘Five years.’
    Matilda sat back in the sofa, trying to control the wave of adrenaline that had come over her.
    ‘Charles wouldn’t hurt anybody, though’
    Matilda sensed there was more. ‘Tell me about them.’
    Prue made a strange face as if sucking on a sour sweet. Matilda knew the woman couldn’t help herself. ‘Moira told me some things about him, you know, sexual things.’
    Matilda’s heart raced, desperate for the information, thinking she may have made a breakthrough so early in the