The Bike Store

The second image showed their worktop.

She knew it before she understood what was on it, because you recognise your own worktop the way you recognise handwriting: the grain of the wood, the round burn to the left of the hob, the silicone seal that had yellowed and that Daniel had promised to redo in 2021. The framing was low and at an angle, taken from hip height, the way you photograph something while walking.

There was a knife on the board.

The chef's knife, the one they had been given as a wedding present, twenty centimetres, a dark wooden handle that was supposed to be oiled and never was. The blade lay flat and took the light from the ceiling fitting.