‘We’ll make sure we get everything right,’ Hanson said, after a moment. ‘We’ll take every care. We owe it to you and the victim.’

It seemed to be the right thing to say. Issa nodded, and then said, quietly, ‘Thank you.’

Jonah sent a swift text to Jojo as they headed back to the car, explaining that his Saturday now looked to be a write-off. She was supposed to be taking him indoor climbing, his first proper introduction to her slightly obsessive hobby. He was sadder about not getting to see her than he was about dodging the session, but he knew she would happily head down there without him anyway. Jojo was never short of climbing buddies.

And then he called Surrey Constabulary through the Mondeo’s Bluetooth, asking them to notify Alex’s family of the death and to provide his number to call. Jonah disliked sending someone else to break the bad news, but it was a necessity when the trip would take them several hours.

Alex’s father called them back only fifteen minutes later, while they were sitting in city-centre traffic. His voice was the full upper-class Surrey gentleman, which was not quite what Jonah had been expecting.

‘I’m … Edward Plaskitt. I was asked to call you about Alex. About the terribly sad news.’

‘I’m so sorry, Mr Plaskitt,’ Jonah said. ‘I know you must have a lot of questions. As senior investigating officer, I’d like you to feel you can ask me any of them.’

‘Well …’ There was a brief pause, and then Edward said, ‘The two who came said it happened in the early hours.’

‘That’s right,’ Jonah agreed. ‘Alex was found at six thirty this morning, at a residential property. We’re trying to find out when and how he died. At the moment we think it was sometime between one thirty and four.’

‘I see,’ Edward said, his voice strangely unemotional. ‘They implied that it was violent. An attack.’

‘Yes,’ Jonah said. ‘And I want to reassure you that we’re going to do everything we can to find the culprit or culprits.’

‘Thank you.’ There was another pause, and then Edward asked, ‘Is there anything in particular that we should be doing?’

‘At present there’s nothing pressing, but we will need to know anything you think might help us. Anybody who wished Alex harm. Any recent arguments. Any involvement with potentially violent groups.’

‘I’m … sorry, chief inspector,’ Mr Plaskitt answered, ‘but I don’t think we’ll be able to help. We’ve hardly seen Alex since he moved to Southampton. Perhaps three or four times in five years. He’s drifted out of touch, and we don’t really know anything about his life.’

‘Why might he have lost touch?’