‘You and Julia were in the kitchen?’

The boy nodded. Julia continued to build her own construction in silence.

‘Can you tell me what happened next?’ Mathers leaned forward in her chair, her forehead almost touching the top of Fred’s head.

The boy continued building. ‘Mummy and Daddy had a fight.’

Mathers exchanged a look with Bloom, and then said, ‘Mummy was there?’

Fred nodded.

Bloom sat further forward in her chair. So Faye was alive yesterday, three months after she’d disappeared. That was good news, if not a little unexpected.

‘Was there anyone else there with Mummy and Daddy?’

Fred shook his head and stood up to place two more bricks on his tower. ‘Just me and Julia.’

Bloom’s heart rate quickened. Perhaps it wasn’t good news, after all. She had a bad feeling about this.

Mathers’ voice softened. ‘How do you know they were fighting, Fred?’

The boy crouched beside the toy box, and discarded several bricks before selecting two more to use. Bloom noted that each of the selected bricks was red. Julia continued to build a random structure entirely from orange blocks.

‘Fred. How do you know they were fighting?’ The boy stood looking at his tower. ‘It’s OK, Fred. I know this is hard to talk about. You’re being very brave.’

Fred shook his head quickly.

‘Take your time, sweetheart.’

Fred gave another shake of his head.

Mathers looked at Bloom and her expression said, Take a break?

Bloom was about to nod her agreement when Fred began talking, his words running into and over each other, his babbling hard to follow.

‘I’m not brave. Daddy shouted run. I took Julia. I didn’t know where to go. I ran. I had Julia’s arm. She fell and I dragged her upstairs. I got behind the bed. Put Julia behind me. Then Mummy came.’ He looked at Mathers for the first time. ‘Then Mummy came.’

‘It’s OK, Fred. You’re safe here with us. It’s OK,’ said Mathers.

Fred looked back at his tower.

‘Then Mummy came …?’ repeated Mathers softly.

Fred said nothing for a minute or so, an achingly long silence. ‘I was scared,’ he whispered eventually.

‘Of what, Fred?’

Fred’s eyes filled with tears. ‘Mummy hurt Daddy.’

Oh no. Could murder be the final dare in some sick game? Who would design such a thing? Who would agree to play it? She and Jameson were out of their depth, if so. They investigated crime after it happened. They didn’t stop it in its tracks.

Mathers swallowed and placed a hand on the little boy’s arm. ‘Did you see Mummy hurt your daddy?’

The little boy nodded. ‘I was scared.’

Mathers looked at Bloom but kept her hand on the boy, stroking his arm with her thumb.

‘I cried,’ said Fred.

‘That’s OK. Lots of people cry when they’re scared, honey. You’re being very brave.’