‘It’s true though.’ I turned back to the screen, like I didn’t care one way or the other. ‘We did use to talk.’ It was certainly the case that, once upon a time, me and Lauren had exchanged words rather more often than we did now, even if most of the words had four letters in them.

I waited. The three chefs – one of them was Gordon Ramsay – were somewhere in the American south, arguing about the best way to roast a pig.

‘What do you want to talk about?’ Lauren asked.

I didn’t see a lot of point in going round the houses. ‘Why didn’t you like Kevin?’

‘Who says I didn’t?’

‘A “two-faced little ponce”. That’s what I heard you called him.’

‘So?’ She shrugged. ‘Doesn’t mean I killed him, does it?’ She looked at me. ‘That’s what you’re going round trying to find out, isn’t it? Miss fucking Marple.’

Ugly as it was, Lauren had a decent head on her shoulders. She was the only one who’d really sussed out what I was up to. Or who let me know she’d sussed it, at any rate. It was my turn to shrug.

‘Got any suspects, have you?’

‘Bit early for that,’ I said. ‘It’s just a question of gathering information at this stage.’

She said, ‘Ooh,’ like she was impressed. It might have been at one of the chefs, but I’m pretty sure she was taking the piss.

‘So, why was he a two-faced ponce?’

‘Because he always tried to come across as such an innocent . . . like he was a victim. Him and his boyfriend.’ She flicked her head towards the door, where Shaun was sitting on his own. ‘Love’s young dream, over there. Well, we’re all victims of something or other, mate, that’s why we’re here. So I for one wasn’t having any of it.’ She sniffed, hacked something into her mouth and swallowed it. ‘He was into all sorts.’

‘Like what?’

She smiled and it wasn’t a good look. ‘They found stuff in his room.’

‘What stuff?’

She smiled again. ‘You think you’re the only one in here that knows anything?’

‘Who told you?’

‘One of the nurses told me. I’ve been in here a while and they know I don’t go around shooting my gob off like some. Can’t say I was surprised, mind you. About the drugs, I mean.’

I said nothing.

‘Dangerous game to get into, that one.’

I had every right to be annoyed that I wasn’t the only one who knew about the drugs, who had inside information, but I’m still angry at myself for letting it show. Clenching my teeth, I said, ‘Where were you when it happened, then? Did you go into the men’s corridor that night?’

‘Jesus, love, you’re getting a bit desperate now, aren’t you?’