‘It was an alibi that only the most detailed checking would uncover,’ Lal said.

Claire looked puzzled. ‘But why do it? You had a comfortable life, a luxury flat one floor beneath your lover, I’m sure you would have been paid off.’

‘Who do you think I am?’ Lal said, eyes blazing. ‘It’s not the money! I’m worthy of respect, my life is worth something.’

‘Very laudable for a man who’s dealing coke,’ Gillard said.

‘Not dealing, really. I supplied Kiara and some of her friends when they asked.’

‘And Mehmet Ozul?’ Gillard asked.

Lal’s shoulders sagged. ‘Yeah, him and his friends too. I was using too much of it myself. And I knew early on I wasn’t tough enough for that game. I wanted out.’

‘Well, you’re out now, Zayan.’

Epilogue

Zayan Lal pleaded guilty to the murders of Mrs Roy and DC Colin Hodges and was sentenced to eighteen years. Deepak Tripathi denied five counts of fraud, and after a long and involved trial over two years was eventually acquitted. The prosecution failed to satisfy the jury that he made any personal gain. He left the UK immediately and settled in the Caribbean with his girlfriend, Victoria.

Harry Roy married Sonali Desai. Her family took over Empire of Spice, making Sonali the chief executive and Morag Fairburn her deputy. Harry soon resigned, and took a full-time post with a charity providing sports and fitness sessions to disabled people. He never visited Zayan in prison, or forgave him for killing his mother. Harry and Morag remained the closest of friends.

Within a year, most Empire of Spice brands had been auctioned off, mostly to Hong Kong & International Cuisine. The valuable Slough site was sold off to repay most of the loans. The family trust was wound up, with remaining assets of less than £3 million eventually distributed equitably between the three Roy children. Prisha was heard to mutter that it seemed like a pittance after what she’d hoped for.

Kiara Roy’s fashion brand did surprisingly well from the publicity about the murder, especially when several minor members of the royal family began to be seen in public wearing her designs. That same year Prisha Roy finally became pregnant and gave birth to a healthy boy. She then married Simon Parr-Fielding. As expected the boy was brought up Hindu, despite being blond. Sadly there was nothing left for him, or his mother, to inherit from the trust.

DCI Gillard was praised for his work in the intricate case, but remain dissatisfied with some of the outcomes. He still wanted to take action against Prisha Roy for stalking him, and rang a senior lawyer at the CPS, an expert in the field, and described what had occurred.

‘Has this woman been telephoning, emailing or texting you on a regular basis?’ she asked.

‘No. But, as I mentioned, she came round to my home.’

‘Wasn’t she simply looking to buy it?’

‘Yes, but she wasn’t serious.’

‘You’ve no evidence of that. Just one or two visits isn’t exactly a compelling case for harassment.’