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aren’t we? You can’t hide anything, even if you keep your curtains shut all the time. It doesn’t bother me, I’m used to it, but Joe said he hated it.’
    ‘Why didn’t he move somewhere else?’
    ‘He’d promised Sally to look after the boat until she got back and I imagine he was getting a pretty good deal on the rent. Even so, I was sure he wouldn’t last. It really wound him up, everyone trying to get to know him, making small talk every time he left the boat for a pint of milk, keeping an eye on his comings and goings. He had some pretty funny names for a few of the people along here, I can tell you. I told him it was just because he was new but he wouldn’t listen.’
    Tartaglia frowned. ‘He thought someone was spying on him?’
    She waved the idea away with her hand. ‘Oh no, not like that. Nothing sinister. They’re just a load of old busybodies, nothing much going on in their lives, that’s all.’
    Tartaglia sympathised, but he started to wonder if Joe Logan just wanted some privacy or if there was more to it than that. It would be worth doing a full background check on all of the boat occupants.
    ‘Was he gay, do you think?’
    She giggled and shook her head. ‘Joe? No. Although I wouldn’t say he was particularly confident with women. He was shy. Hidden depths to unlock, if you know what I mean. If I’d been ten years younger . . . well, who knows . . .’ Her eyes lit up and she gave him such a dazzling, mischievous smile, it took him by surprise. He wanted to say that her age didn’t matter, she was lovely the way she was, but he didn’t want to appear crass. He also wondered afresh if maybe there was more to her relationship with Logan than she was letting on. If so, in such a close-knit community, they would soon find out.
    ‘So the only person you ever saw him with was this red-haired man?’
    Still smiling, she raised an eyebrow. ‘Well, there was the girl. I suppose you’ll want to know about her.’
    ‘The girl?’ Tartaglia looked at her questioningly. He had the feeling that she was teasing him, deliberately keeping the best until last. ‘You mean a girlfriend?’
    ‘Oh, I wouldn’t go that far, I only saw her a few times. He said she was some sort of journalist and she was interviewing him for one of the Sunday papers, but they went for a walk together at least once. I watched them go, and when they came back an hour or so later they were deep in conversation, walking quite close together. At one point Joe put his arm out and touched her shoulder for a moment. It was quite tentative, but it was intimate. I’d say he was keen on her. Definitely.’
    ‘What about her?’
    ‘I’m sure she was well aware of the effect she was having.’
    ‘When was all this?’
    She paused for a moment. ‘The first time I saw her was about six weeks ago, I think, soon after Joe arrived. The last was on Friday.’
    ‘You’re sure about the day?’
    She nodded. ‘I’d been to the dentist and my mouth was still numb. I was walking along the towpath and as I passed Joe’s boat I looked in, just to see if he was at home. I’m not sure where he was, but she was in the kitchen doing something at the counter. She may have just been making a cup of coffee but she looked quite at home.’
    ‘You think there was something going on between them?’
    She put her head to one side thoughtfully. ‘Difficult to tell.’
    ‘But you sensed a spark?’
    She nodded. ‘Certainly on his side, as I said. Only thing is, I’d say she was in a different league, poor chap, although maybe the fact that he was a best-selling author was enough to take her fancy. You know how some women are, and men, poor sods, are so easily flattered.’ She gave Tartaglia a meaningful look. ‘I asked him to come round for supper this coming weekend but he said he might be going away. He didn’t say where, but I wondered if it had something to do with her. He’d never mentioned going away before.’
    ‘What did this girl