‘Me? Why?’ He turned from one to the other, feeling like a vulnerable child being scolded by the headmaster. He couldn’t be living through this, but he was.

‘Mrs Watson was attacked, sir. It’s a murder inquiry.’

Waves of nausea hit him anew.

‘Where is she?’ He couldn’t hear himself, was unaware of his mouth muscles working, so wasn’t sure if he made sense.

‘She’s being taken to the Penrith and Lakes Hospital. We would like you to confirm her identity formally, but there’s no rush at the moment.’

‘I want to see her!’ He stood up, but felt faint and sat back down again. ‘The children!’ He looked at his watch, but tears blurred his vision. He heard his voice but didn’t own it. It was just a noise that emanated from his throat; it wasn’t his. He had no control over it. His legs felt wobbly, even though he was sitting down, and he felt hot. Then cold.

‘I’m sorry.’ It was the young officer called Emma who spoke.

‘There must be some mistake. I… I can’t…’

It was too much. Thomas’s body began to shut down and his vision grew fuzzy. He was aware of somebody leaving the room and coming back with water. Minutes seemed like hours and the room felt as though it would suffocate him.

‘I have to get out of here. My children…’

‘We’ve arranged for them to be brought home. Is there somebody you’d like to be here with you?’ It was the tall man who spoke.

Thomas put his head in his hands.

‘Let me introduce you to a very experienced liaison officer. This is…’

He heard words and nodded, but he felt other-worldly. He paid attention when he heard the tall man mention the investigation, and it dawned on him that they’d have to rule him out. He’d seen it in the press and knew that wives were usually battered and dispatched by spouses. It was a fact. Fresh horror assaulted him.

‘Mr Watson. I know it’s the most distressing time and you’re in shock. But to find out who did this, we need you to focus and try to answer some of our questions. It will help our inquiry if we can start with these questions straight away. I’m sorry, I know it seems harsh, but it will help us to catch who did this to Ella. If you can’t manage it right now, though, that’s all right.’

Thomas stared. ‘What happened?’

‘She was stabbed. It appears that she was jogging. Did you know that she was going running in Potton Park?’