‘No pork. Lamb.’ Yuki went over to the fridge and removed a white plastic bag full of raw meat.

The sight of it instantly reminded Tilly of the dead body that she had seen hanging only two hours earlier. Dennis Wade had looked like an animal carcass in an abattoir. Putting her hand over her mouth to stop the vomit spilling onto the floor, she dashed towards the bathroom leaving Yuki standing in the kitchen looking confused.

When Tilly returned, five minutes later, she looked worse than she had when she’d entered the flat, escorted by the policeman.

‘You sick?’ Yuki stood holding a knife.

‘Just the vodka.’ Tilly swallowed down another wave of sickness, the taste of bile still fresh in her mouth. ‘I think I’m going to go and lie down.’

‘Okay. I save you dumpling.’ Yuki returned to chopping up Chinese leaves.

‘Thanks,’ Tilly said, her throat raw from vomiting, as she went into her bedroom and closed the door.

It was cold in their basement apartment, so Tilly got into bed, fully clothed, and pulled the covers up around her face. She needed the job at Ashton’s Bookshop so she could afford to study. The realisation that this was now being threatened left her miserable.

For the first time since discovering the body, she realised what she needed to do was call home and hear the sound of her mum’s voice. Reaching out from beneath the warmth of the duvet she picked up her mobile phone and dialled her parents’ number.

‘Hello?’ The soothing tone of her father’s voice echoed down the line.

‘Dad, it’s me.’ Tilly felt the tears welling up again.

‘How are you, my love?’

‘I’ve had a bit of a rough morning.’ She didn’t want to frighten him.

‘What’s up, kid?’

‘Well, my manager, I went to work this morning and I found him dead.’

There was a pause on the phone while her father absorbed the unexpected information and Tilly found herself biting her nails, something she hadn’t done since she was young.

‘You poor child. How awful. What happened?’

Tilly proceeded to explain and her father listened silently, occasionally letting out a small gasp.

‘You should come home. You should not be in the city dealing with this by yourself.’ Her father had always lived in villages his entire life and never really entertained the idea of city living. This would only help to encourage his distrust.

‘I’m okay, Dad. I just needed to hear your voice. Is Mum there?’

‘She’s out walking the dog, but I can get her to call you as soon as she comes back. Why don’t you come home for a bit? Just leave Cambridge a few days early.’

‘I can’t,’ Tilly admitted, ‘the police need me to stay around for some reason.’