I put the kettle on and offered him a cup of tea. As it was boiling, Anna came into the kitchen and smiled at Singh. They’d met several times during the investigation into Lexi’s death, and I knew she’d be pleased he’d come round. The three of us sat down in the living room as I told Singh exactly what happened after I got home from my night out.

Once I’d finished, he looked me in the eyes. ‘You told me that Mike Lowther is your ex-boyfriend, but I think there’s a lot more to it than that. Is there anything specific you want to tell me about?’

‘I’m not pressing any charges against him. I’ve moved on and I don’t want to have to relive it.’

He made an exasperated noise. ‘I’m not just talking about making an official complaint, I mean so you have someone else who can help you, support you when things like this happen. I meant I’m here for you as a friend.’

I sat back and looked at Singh. I knew he was right, and even though I knew it was going to be difficult, it was time to tell him.

‘Mike and I met eight years ago. I was twenty-two, he was twenty-seven. We moved in together quite quickly because his rental contract was coming to an end and he didn’t want to renew for another year.’

Singh nodded, perhaps wondering where this was going.

‘Of course, a lot later I found out that was a lie. He was being evicted for non-payment of rent. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

‘When he moved in, everything was good for the first eighteen months or so. He contributed towards the bills and we enjoyed living together. I saw less of my friends, but it was a new relationship and that often happens. The money issues started first. He would borrow money from me just before payday, then he’d pay it back. But gradually, month after month, the date he asked me for it would get earlier. And then he stopped paying it back, and the amounts gradually increased. But we were in love, we lived together. In my mind we shared everything. I knew he didn’t get paid very much. He worked in a call centre and I could see that he hated it. But it got to the stage where we couldn’t really afford to have nights out. While we were watching TV he would always have his phone out. It turned out he was gambling. A lot.’