Vicky Willow sat outside the rape suite at Winchester Police Station, while Gillard and PC Sarah Noakes sat inside with Callum and a social worker. Callum had a box of plastic soldiers, which he was playing with on the coffee table. The social worker, whose name was Charlotte, introduced the child to the two police officers, who were casually dressed in jumpers and trousers to help the child relax.

‘Now Callum, we just want to play a little quiz with you,’ Sarah said. ‘We ask you things, and you give us the answer. Then we all have cake at the end. Okay?’

Callum nodded, but continued to play with the soldiers, making shooting noises as one plastic figure chased another amongst the coffee cups.

‘Do you remember your friend, Tomas?’ she asked ‘The man who let you ride on his shoulders.’

Callum looked up at her, his mouth wetly open, his pink tongue resting on his bottom lip. ‘I played cavalry with him.’

‘Do you remember playing with Tom at his house, at Dove Cottage?’

The boy nodded, and continued to play. ‘Tom went home, so I don’t get to play cavalry anymore. Mum doesn’t like me to play rough.’

‘Why is that?’

‘It’s dangerous. I can have plastic guns, but not metal. No swords, knives or scissors.’

‘Did you hurt Tom once?’ Sarah asked.

Callum’s concentration on one particular soldier seemed intense. He blinked several times, and then nodded. ‘I was messing around. Being silly.’

‘What happened?’

‘Tom was my horse, and I was on his shoulders, and he was galloping. He tripped and fell over.’ The boy’s face coloured at the recollection. ‘I won’t play cavalry again.’

‘It’s all right, you’re not in trouble. It’s just part of the quiz.’

He nodded.

‘So did he fall backwards?’

‘Yes.’

‘Did you have your lightsabre in your hand?’

‘Yes.’

‘What happened to it?’

‘He fell backwards onto me, and the sharp bit went right in his neck. There was blood, and it made him go to sleep. Mummy made me give the lightsabre away afterwards.’

‘She said she threw it away,’ Sarah said.

‘Yeah, but I got it out of the bin, and swapped it with Stewie.’

Gillard smiled to himself. Maybe Vicky had been telling the truth after all.

‘That’s great, thank you Callum,’ Sarah said.

‘Can I have cake now?’

‘Yes.’

‘Can Tom come and have cake too?’ he blurted out.

The three adults looked at each other, before Gillard said: ‘He lives far away now, but he sends you his love.’