‘So what’s been said so far?’

I thought back over the brief conversation I’d had with Detective Inspector Brown – the same Amber Brown I’d been roasted by the time before. I got the feeling she’d requested the case, purely to gloat.

‘So, we meet again, Mr Fforbes,’ she’d begun, with an ironic stare. Original, very. ‘Anyone would think you couldn’t bear to be away from me.’

‘Hardly,’ I said, returning the look with venom. ‘Would you mind telling me what I’m doing here? What evidence do you have?’

‘The investigation’s at a very early stage,’ she said, dismissing the mention of evidence with a wave of her hand. ‘I’m sure you realise why you’re here. When a woman’s killed following an assault, one does tend to leap to conclusions. Imagine my surprise when I dug a little deeper and found out your ex-girlfriend is also missing.’

‘I loved Aimee,’ I said, with a sigh of impatience. ‘Why would I hurt her?’

‘If I had a pound for every time I’d heard that one, I’d be able to retire early,’ she said, looking unimpressed.

‘Do you talk exclusively in clichés?’ She was rattling me, and she knew it. ‘I did everything I could to find her. Christ, I was the one who filed the missing persons report.’

‘Yes,’ she said, with a smirk. ‘And if I had a pound for every murderer who filed a missing persons report…’

‘Yes, yes, I know,’ I interrupted her. ‘You’d be retired already.’

‘We’ll know more when we get the forensics report,’ she said, standing up to go. ‘Your lawyer’s been contacted. For now, you can make use of the leisure facilities.’

‘So they’ve no forensics to link you,’ said Lionel, after listening to this exchange in silence. ‘Not yet, at least.’

‘Not at all,’ I said, getting up and pacing the room. ‘How can they have? I didn’t do it.’

‘We’ll just have to wait for the results to come back, then.’ He put the charge sheet down on the table. ‘You didn’t say anything untoward, anyway. She shouldn’t have spoken to you at all, without me present. Maybe we can use that, if we have to.’

‘She did the same last time,’ I said. ‘I need to get out. I have to find out who did kill Charlotte.’

‘Now that…’ Lionel looked up at me sharply. ‘Is a job for the police. You need to steer well clear. Do you hear me?’

I nodded.

‘It won’t do you any good, interfering in the investigation. Christ, as if you’re not in enough trouble.’ He went to get up, then stopped and sat down. ‘Do you know who did it, then?’

I shook my head. ‘No…that is…I don’t. No. And yet…’

‘And yet?’

‘It’s just a hunch. It’s probably ridiculous.’ I ran my hands through my hair. ‘I’m just thinking of people who might want her dead.’

‘Those people being?’

‘It doesn’t matter.’ I sat back down at the table. ‘It’s impossible, anyway. I mean, physically impossible.’

‘So, tell me.’

‘If I do, it stays between us, do you understand? This is something I need to sort out for myself.’

    Four

Her

I see now that’s where I made my mistake. Going out in the mood I was in was bound to end in disaster, but I was still too shocked and miserable to think straight. So we changed and headed out into Chiswick on a pub crawl. It seemed like a good idea, at the time. We both needed to blow off steam and, as the afternoon wore on, the tension inside us gave way to a kind of nervous hilarity. By the time Jimmy rang me at about four o’clock, we were in the beer garden of our third pub and I was properly drunk - giggling one minute and weeping the next.

‘Grace?’ His voice was high-pitched with excitement

‘Hello, Jimmy.’ I put my hand across the mouthpiece. ‘It’s Jimmy,’ I told Liv, in a stage whisper. She gave a huge snort and dissolved into giggles.

‘Grace, I’ve got a job offer for you,’ he said. ‘It’s a cosmetics ad. A new brand – very high end. Think Clinique…Lancôme.’

‘Sounds fab, Jimmy,’ I said, not really listening. ‘I’m in.’

‘There’s only one problem.’ He hesitated. ‘The shoot’s tomorrow. It’s a last-minute thing. The model they were going to use…pulled out.’

‘O-kay,’ I said, trying to absorb this new angle on events. In my current state, it wasn’t easy. ‘Are you sure they’ll want me?’

‘Are you kidding?’ he said, with a laugh. ‘They’ve doubled their original offer already. By the time I get back to them, I’m betting it’ll have doubled again.’

‘Count me in,’ I said, blithely. ‘I’ll do it.’

‘Good girl,’ he said. ‘There’ll be a car coming for you at nine tomorrow morning. Be ready.’

‘That was Jimmy,’ I said, unnecessarily, after he’d hung up. ‘I’m doing some photo shoot thing tomorrow.’

‘But tomorrow’s Monday.’ Liv sounded agitated. ‘Max’ll go mad.’

‘It’ll be like the film,’ I said, with a cavalier shrug.

‘What film?’

‘Mad Max.’

We both collapsed into yet more giggles, before Liv put down her glass and looked at me, clearly making an effort to sound sober. ‘He will go mad, though.’

‘So what?’ I said, with a toss of my head. ‘I don’t care about Max Flint. He was nasty about my Filth Monger.’

‘Your what?’

‘Nathaniel,’ I said, quickly. ‘It’s…his nickname.’

‘A charming one, I’m sure.’ Liv looked unimpressed, then reached across and grabbed my hands. ‘I’m in love with him.’

‘Well, it’s a bit late now,’ I said. ‘He’s under arrest.’

‘Not with him, you doughnut. With Max.’

‘Oh,’ I said. ‘I’m in love with Nathaniel.’

‘You can’t be.’ Liv picked up her glass again, and took another gulp. ‘He’s a murder.’

‘I know.’ I followed her lead and drank some more wine. ‘But he’s lovely.’

‘He’s a lovely murderer, then.’ Liv sighed. ‘Max is just lovely.’

‘He’s a self-centred, obnoxious dick,’ I said.

‘You’re right,’ said Liv with a sigh. ‘Okay then, I’m in love with Gav.’

‘Gav’s a tosser.’ I drank some more wine. ‘So’s Leo.’

‘He is.’

‘But I miss him.’ I started to sob, loudly. ‘I want him back.’

‘No you don’t.’ Liv looked around us. ‘Sh. Everyone’s looking.’

‘Are they?’ I glanced around without really looking. Everything was beginning to get distorted from the drink, and my head swam with the sudden movement. ‘I don’t care. I love Leo – I do – and I miss him so much.’

‘You don’t,’ said Liv, getting up and holding her hand out to me. ‘And we need to get out of here. Those people have got their phones out. They’re taking pictures.’

‘I don’t care,’ I said, letting her drag me out through the beer garden. ‘At least he’s not a murderer. I love Leo. I want him back.’

‘Well, love him back at mine.’ Liv carried on relentlessly, dragging me out through the pub and into the street. ‘You’re making a show of yourself.’

By the time we got back to Liv’s, I was feeling sick and, after retching in spectacular fashion down the loo, she put me to bed.

‘Leo’s the least of your problems,’ she said, sitting on the edge. ‘You’ll have the wrath of Max to contend with, if you don’t go in tomorrow.’

I was tempted to say I didn’t care, but I knew I did really. This whole thing with Jimmy could dry up tomorrow. I still needed the job for the time being, at least. But it was more than that. I hated to let people down, even Max. Christ, especially Max. For one thing, I’d been his assistant for over three years and I knew that, deep down, he appreciated me. For another, he was my last, and only, link to the Filth Monger.

    Five

Him

The next morning, I was taken back into the interview room. Giles was in there, waiting for me, along with my new best friend, DI Brown.

‘Good news, Filth Monger.’ She sounded thoroughly pissed off. ‘You’re free to go.’

‘Am I?’ I shot a look at Giles, who nodded.

‘Your incredulity speaks volumes,’ she said, with her by-now signature raised eyebrow. ‘Don’t go anywhere we can’t find you. We’ll be needing to speak to you again.’