She smiled her Madonna smile. 'Of course. So you can see if he looks like Frank?'

'No, so I'll know him when and if I meet him.'

Something about her reaction to what I said-a blink, a small nod, a tightening of her mouth-told me a lot. Despite her earlier remark, she was as concerned about the boy, perhaps his whereabouts, as about clearing her husband's name. Two sides of the same coin, although she wasn't yet prepared to admit it. To be honest, it was my main interest, but I had to step carefully.

'You seem to be confident of doing that,' she said.

'Mrs Heysen,' I said, 'if you're not confident at this stage of an investigation you're in the wrong business.'

She nodded, stood and walked out of the room. I poured myself some more coffee. It was cool but so good it didn't matter. She came back and put a photograph down on the table, keeping another in her hand. 'This is William,' she said.

A young man with a shapely, sculptured nose, face and jaw was grinning into the camera. He had a mop of dark hair and his grin was slightly lopsided. It took a lot of imagination to see him as a younger version of long-headed Frank Parker. She noticed my reaction and passed me the other photo.

'And this is my husband just before he went to prison.'

The man in the suit with a serious expression was stocky and moon-faced. I looked up at her as she stood regally above me.

'I wanted to be married and to have children and Frank… didn't,' she said. 'William and Frank are nothing alike, are they?'

'No,' I said. 'Your son looks like you, which is his good fortune.'

'Thank you.' She resumed her seat and sipped some coffee. 'Looks like, yes, but I wish I knew how he thought. How he feels. I'd give anything to know that.'

What she said disarmed me. It sounded honest and heartfelt. I tried to see her through Lily's super-cynical eyes. Couldn't quite manage it, but trying helped.