Her eyes plead for answers, but Joe doesn’t want to share their working theory. He hasn’t visited the crime scene yet, or interviewed a single person of interest, so he’s trying to keep an open mind. But the uniforms first on the scene said it looked like a fight over drugs that escalated. The place was a mess apparently, a smashed mirror, boot holes in the wall, furniture flung around. And there were dozens of packets of spice scattered over the floor. Spice may be the value brand of the narcotics world, but that kind of quantity is still way more than someone like Mark could afford to buy. It doesn’t take a genius to work out he nicked the stuff and then got punished for it.

But it’s not Joe’s only working theory. He thinks about the voicemail still sitting on his work phone. The angry voice of Simon Packard demanding that he arrest Mark. Or do something, for Christ’s sake! Joe wonders what his failing to pick up the message until this morning might have led to.

‘It’s early days, Mrs Sullivan. But I promise we’ll be investigating this fully.’

‘He was coming home, you know. Back to Cambridge, for Christmas. We were all looking forward to seeing him, hearing his news. And then I get a call from the police at six o’clock this morning saying Mark’s in hospital.’

‘I’m sure he’ll appreciate having you here when he wakes up.’

‘DC Stone?’

Joe turns his head, then stands up.

‘I’m Dr Rahim, the SHO here. I’ve been treating Mrs Sullivan’s son.’ She nods at Mark’s mother and smiles. ‘I understand you want to know more about Mark’s condition?’ she continues, looking back at Joe.

‘Yes please,’ Joe says quietly.

The doctor gestures back towards the reception desk and Joe follows. Jason, always the best at building a rapport with distressed mothers, stays put. When they reach the desk, Dr Rahim pauses. ‘So Mark was transferred to ICU from A&E at about five o’clock this morning,’ she says, sounding more at ease now she’s got facts to relay. ‘He is in an induced coma on a ventilator; he was intubated by the A&E team because he was very combative on arrival.’

‘You mean he was lashing out at staff?’