‘And this is definitely the man you know as Jacob Mackenzie?’ she asks, showing me the picture again.

I nod. ‘So that’s not his real name?’

The detective shakes her head. ‘No, it appears not, and we’re wondering why he would use an alias.’

‘You and me both,’ I say tartly.

‘So your relationship with Mr Talbot . . .’ says the officer. ‘Was purely professional?’

‘Of course!’ I say, almost choking on my words. ‘I don’t know why you would think any differently.’

‘It’s just that we’ve managed to link him to a flat not too far away from here . . .’

My breath catches in my throat; I know what’s coming.

‘A flat that seems to be owned by you and your husband.’

I imagine Leon walking in right now. How would I possibly explain myself? To him, or the officers standing in front of me?

‘Erm, yes,’ I say, going over to the door and closing it.

The pair of them look at each other. ‘Is your husband here?’ asks Robson with raised eyebrows.

‘Y-yes,’ I stutter. ‘He’s upstairs sleeping.’

‘Might he want to join us?’ she asks.

‘No, there’s no need,’ I say quickly. ‘Jacob’s a client who rented our apartment when he needed somewhere to stay.’

Detective Robson tilts her head to the side. ‘So you do share more than a professional relationship?’

Tiny beads of sweat instantaneously spring to the surface of my skin, making me feel hot and uncomfortable.

‘He needed help and I was in a position to give it to him,’ I say. ‘Though it was all within the realms of our working relationship.’

‘Can you tell us why he was seeing you?’ asks Harris. ‘The problem you were treating him for.’ The little man has an unpleasant smirk across his face that I feel like slapping off.

‘I’m not in a position to breach client confidentiality,’ I say tightly.

Robson sits down next to me. ‘We believe Mr Talbot might be in danger, so it would be really helpful if you could tell us anything you know, so that we might be able to help him.’

I’ve watched scenes like this play out on TV and wonder if this is the point where I demand a lawyer.

‘Am I being treated as a suspect?’

‘Not at all,’ she says. ‘We’re just trying to form a clearer picture of his life in the hope it will help us ensure that he doesn’t come to any harm.’

I know what’s happened to him, so how can I possibly keep that to myself if it’s going to be the only way of finding him? In this instance, I deem it my right to waive Jacob’s confidentiality in good faith, and, in this instance, I hope he’d agree with me.