‘You’re still as sharp as a pin, but you may need to get your eyes tested.’ Ajay squeezed her shoulder. ‘How’s Kev?’

‘So,’ she said in exasperation, ‘everyone knows.’

‘Are you kidding? It’s all anyone’s talking about. Your life is so much more exciting than ours, Sasha, it’s all sex and violence. I thought people were meant to slow down at your age.’

‘You got the violence bit right, at least.’

They continued across the concrete walkway, past the underground garages, to climb the stairs to the second floor, their conversation bouncing off the walls.

‘Lydia’s death looks like an accidental overdose, she still has the syringe in her arm, but I thought you might want to take a look.’

‘Who found her?’

‘Your friend, Karin McCarthy.’

She was irritated by the suggestion. ‘She’s not my friend.’

‘She says she came this morning to see Lydia because she was worried about her after what happened on Marine Parade yesterday.’

Sasha stopped at the top of the stairs to recall her last sight of Lydia – her angry tears in the back of a patrol car with Karin – but also because she was sweltering after climbing two steep flights on a baking hot day.

‘Was Lydia traumatized enough to go back on the gear?’ she wondered out loud.

‘Karin didn’t get an answer when she knocked on her door so a neighbour kicked it in,’ continued Ajay.

They stooped beneath the tape at the inner cordon, which was set up on the balcony, where officers stood chatting with CSIs in Tyvek suits.

‘Did you trace Matt Foster’s phone number?’

‘It’s pay-as-you-go and switched off, but we’ll find out where it was used. CCTV from Marine Parade hasn’t provided much information about our mystery man. We’ve searched various databases for that name across the county and beyond, and checked on the PNC for Matts and Matthew Fosters, including Matthews with one t and two, for drug arrests or convictions, and frankly nobody fits the bill. We were hoping to get more information from Lydia this morning.’

Sasha stopped outside the door to the flat. ‘Tell me she at least gave us a description.’

‘She was all over the place last night, Sash. DCI Vaughn told us to wait till this morning when she’d calmed down.’

It was disappointing, but Sasha understood the reasoning; Lydia was difficult to talk to at the best of times. Nerves frayed from a restless night, she stared at her mobile when it rang, trying to work out the initials ‘RHS’ on the screen, wondering in her tiredness why the Royal Horticultural Society was among her contact numbers. Then she realized it was River Hill School. ‘I don’t know what this is about.’

‘Might as well answer it now.’ Ajay shrugged. ‘Lydia’s going nowhere.’

‘Is Craig with Karin?’ she asked.