When she returned to her basement flat she was relieved to find Yuki, her flatmate, sitting on the sofa and talking fast in Chinese on the phone.

Yuki’s perfectly plucked eyebrows rose when a police officer escorted Tilly inside.

‘The DCI will probably want to ask you more questions, miss.’ The officer stood tall in his high-vis coat.

‘That’s fine.’ Tilly sank into the sofa next to Yuki and started to rub her temples. ‘Thank you.’

The officer nodded before letting himself out.

‘What you do?’ Yuki had hung up the phone and turned her full attention to Tilly. She was wearing a grey fluffy onesie, which swamped her small figure.

‘Mr Wade, the bookshop owner, I found him this morning dead in the shop.’ Her memory of the image made her well up again. ‘He killed himself.’

‘You what?!’ Yuki put her slender arm around her friend. ‘Poor Tilly. Awful. Why you not call me?’

‘I didn’t know if you were awake. You were sleeping when I left.’ The excuse sounded feeble, but it was the only one she had.

‘I so sorry Tilly. I would come.’ Her poker-straight black hair shimmered like satin in the low winter light that forced its way through the grubby window.

‘I know.’ She sniffed. ‘I need a drink.’ Tilly looked down at her shaking hands.

‘I get whisky from shop.’ Yuki sprung up out of her seat and darted for the door.

‘No, no need. There is some vodka in the cupboard. That will do.’

‘No.’ Yuki was insistent. ‘Whisky good for shock.’

Tilly smiled at her petite flatmate, suddenly very grateful for her company.

‘The vodka will be fine.’

Yuki, realising that she’d lost this time, shrugged and returned to the sofa.

‘I never seen dead person.’ Her grasp of the English language left a lot to be desired.

‘No, me neither,’ Tilly said reaching for a glass and pouring herself a healthy measure of vodka. ‘You want one?’ She held the bottle up to Yuki, who giggled behind her hand at the thought.

‘No. Too early for me.’ Yuki held her hands up.

‘Well normally it would be too early for me too…’ Tilly glugged the cold vodka and then wrinkled her nose. ‘Do you have anything on today?’

‘Cooking. Friends come for food later.’ It was the answer Tilly had been dreading.

‘I teach you Chinese cooking?’ Yuki was doing her best to be a friend.

‘Do you know what…’ Tilly smiled. ‘That would be great.’

‘You no have job now. Maybe you be chef.’

‘Not sure it’s quite my thing.’ Tilly paused. It hadn’t dawned on her that her job was in jeopardy but, of course, there was no way that the shop would open again any time soon. She gave a small shudder. ‘So what are we cooking then?’

‘I show you how make dumpling.’

‘Pork?’