‘The press will have a field day with this, it’s like the pensioner and the burglar all over again,’ I say. My left eye begins to twitch, it always does when I’m tired. At six o’clock this morning, I was singing ‘Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star’. I can count the number of hours sleep I’ve had in the past twenty-four on one hand.

‘#ReleaseEve is trending on Twitter,’ Guy adds.

I shake my head; social media is always the thorn in our side.

He hands me a folder. ‘Psychiatrist’s report. She’s only been a few times. The doctor wouldn’t supply recordings without a warrant but has written an outline of her mental state.’ This is something I’m looking forward to reading.

‘Thanks,’ I reply, turning my focus back to Hicks. ‘Was anything found at either home address?’

His eyes dart back to the sheet.

‘Rohypnol was discovered at Mr Shaw’s address, and there were traces of it in Eve’s saliva sample. Preliminary scan of his laptop shows he streams some pretty violent porn on a regular basis. A journal was found at hers, Lisa is going through it now but said nothing untoward.’ Hicks pauses, and Guy jumps in.

‘Financial and phone records aren’t out of the ordinary either. They communicated by text a few times, typical of a couple going out.’

Hicks scowls at the interruption. He’s grumpy today.

‘Thanks, Guy. So, evidentially, it looks as though she’s telling the truth. Can you see what you can find out about Ian Shaw. Any previous? Ask them to run his DNA through the system, if that hasn’t already been requested. And can you check the report for the CPS please, make sure it’s got all the findings in it so far?’ I ask.

Guy nods, scribbling the instructions on a notepad he cradles like a clipboard.

‘Already searched through the database for Ian, makes for interesting reading. I’ve sent the file over to you both,’ he says, before hurrying out of the office.

‘God, he’s so bloody keen,’ Hicks grumbles.

I ignore him.

‘We need to probe Eve more, perhaps ask some difficult questions. Are you up for that?’

Hicks grunts in agreement and takes a loud slurp of his tea. He is much better at squeezing information out of someone than I am, that I’ll willingly concede. He tucks in one side of his shirt which has worked its way out over his waistband. I’m sure he was wearing the same one yesterday. My nose wrinkles, I can’t help it. Personal hygiene should be a minimum for this job. Hicks is a good detective though and his gut has been a contributing factor in some other cases we’ve solved together. On the surface this looks like a clear-cut case.

We head back to the interview room, but we’re stopped in the corridor by Guy.