‘She said the boss had made some comment about liking them young, and the next day, he came back on his own. Basically, what it came down to, he’d “look after her” while she worked it off. She’d actually pawned her mother’s necklace in the morning – it had a tiny diamond on it – but he wouldn’t take the money. He went with her to the shop to buy it back, made out like he was doing her a favour.’

‘Why didn’t she call the police?’

‘Because she was terrified. Completely out of her depth, terrified. A couple of days later, he came into The Spot, him and two others. They weren’t doing anything you could say was actively threatening, just looking, making their presence felt. I thought she was going to have a breakdown.’

‘Why didn’t you call the police?’

‘Because when I cornered her in the kitchen, she begged me not to. Pleaded. He’d told her that bad things happened to people who did.’

‘Did anyone else notice, or say anything? The manager – David?’

‘Yeah. He asked her what was going on, why was she so upset, but she just made up some cock-and-bull story.’

‘And he believed it?’

‘No. He went to talk to them, sat down with them, and a couple of minutes later, they got up and left. They left a fifty-pound tip.’

‘He didn’t go to the police either, though, obviously. Why not?’

Tarryn glanced towards The Spot. ‘I talked to Lisa about it – she runs the back room, where I work, they’re together. She said he’d had some trouble in the last place he worked, in Leeds. She wouldn’t tell me what but that’s why he’s so careful.’

‘Trouble with people coming in, or trouble himself?’

‘She wouldn’t say exactly. I think she wanted me to think it was people coming in but … Anyway, as far as David was concerned, it didn’t matter after that because the problem evaporated. She didn’t work here again. She went to work for him.’

‘Where?’

Tarryn looked sick. ‘Massage parlour.’

‘Do you still share a flat?’

‘No. She moved out.’

‘When did you last speak to her? Today, I’m guessing.’

‘This afternoon.’ Even quieter, ‘She rang me because she knew the woman who died. Shannon.’

Progress. Robin felt an exhilarating surge of adrenaline. ‘How? Through him – the massage parlour?’

She nodded. ‘She said Shannon was his girlfriend, too.’

‘Did he kill her?’

‘She thinks so. Yes.’

‘What’s his name?’

‘I don’t know, she won’t tell me. At the beginning, he said to call him Robbie but it’s not his real name.’