Clare held up a finger. ‘If you’ll just wait a moment.’ She started the recording and introduced herself, Tony and Chris. Then she cautioned Luke and he spoke to indicate he understood the caution. ‘I gather you have something to say,’ she began, and Luke nodded.

‘And, is this in addition to your statement yesterday? When you accused your wife and her brother David of murdering Russell Fox?’

‘Well,’ Luke rubbed the back of his neck.

‘Or do you wish to recant that statement?’ Clare said, her tone brisk.

‘Erm, yes.’

‘To be absolutely clear, Mr Gasparini, you are now saying the statement you gave yesterday implicating Gabrielle Fox and David Fox in the murder of Russell Fox was false?’

He avoided her eye but gave a slight nod. ‘Yes.’

Clare regarded him. ‘Can I ask why you gave such an elaborate and completely false statement?’

His head drooped. ‘Sorry,’ he said after a few moments. ‘I… I just panicked.’

Tony sat forward. ‘You panicked so you decided to throw your wife under the bus?’

Luke flinched at this, but he said nothing.

Clare glanced at Tony who rolled his eyes. She turned back to Luke. ‘Let’s move on then. You said there was something you wanted to explain.’

He cleared his throat then said, ‘About what I said… at the cottage.’

‘In relation to Russell Fox’s death?’

‘Yes, that. Well, I may, in the past, I may have given Doug Gerrard the impression it would be better if Russell were to die. That’s not to say I wanted it to happen, mind you.’

Clare made no reply, allowing an awkward silence to hang in the air.

‘Just one of those conversations,’ Luke went on. ‘One night when we’d had a few too many; and Doug, well, it looks like he took it too far.’

‘You are saying Doug Gerrard killed Russell Fox?’

‘Oh no! Not that. But he might have, let’s say, arranged it.’

‘Doug Gerrard hired someone to kill Russell Fox?’

‘I believe so.’

‘And you conspired in that?’

‘No, not as such.’ He broke off, as if trying to find the right words. ‘As I said, it was spoken about, mostly in jest, but then I think Doug must have thought I wanted it to happen. But I’m not responsible for him taking the law into his own hands, am I?’

Clare watched him. He was like a worm wriggling on the end of a hook. ‘Why did you think it might be better if Russell Fox were to die?’

‘Well, he was suffering from cancer. It can be a… a difficult death for some.’

‘So your support for Russell Fox’s murder wasn’t motivated by him proposing to withdraw finance from your next TV series?’

‘Absolutely not.’ Luke shook his head vigorously, to confirm this.

‘And your phone conversation with Doug Gerrard on the Friday evening – the one overheard by David Fox.’