‘He’s not here,’ she said, with a note of panic in her voice. ‘Come in and see for yourselves. I promise I’m telling the truth.’

Once inside, she took off her coat and hat and said she was happy for Abbott to look around the flat while James went with her into the kitchen to start asking questions.

She stood with her back to the sink and invited him to sit at the small table that was sandwiched between a large fridge-freezer and a cupboard.

She was wearing a brown jumper, black trousers, and a large leather belt that accentuated her narrow waist.

‘Do you live here alone, Miss Bell?’ James asked her.

‘I have since Neil moved out,’ she replied. ‘That was about eighteen months ago.’

‘How long were you together?’

‘Just over a year. And before you ask, I was the one who ended it.’

‘And why was that?’

‘Well he just wasn’t committed enough to the relationship, and I felt that I was being used. He kept promising to get a job but never did, and all he was ever interested in were drink, drugs and sex.’

‘So why are you still seeing him and how long has it been going on?’

She shrugged. ‘It’s not serious. We’ve got together about half a dozen times since he started seeing Charlotte. And it was only ever for a couple of hours. We had sex and a laugh and it suited me because I’ve been by myself since the break up and I get bored and lonely at times. I don’t feel proud of myself, but then I don’t feel guilty either. He was the one who was cheating on his partner. Not me.’

‘So why did you meet up with him on Christmas Eve?’

‘Oh, it wasn’t pre-planned. I work as a cleaner and I did an early shift that day. I popped into a supermarket on the way home and we came face to face in the booze aisle. He suggested we went for a drink since it was Christmas and one thing led to another. He said Charlotte was working and that he’d be spending Christmas with her mum and dad at the farm.’

At that moment Abbott entered the room.

‘There’s no one else here, guv,’ she said.

‘That’s what I told you,’ Amy was quick to point out. ‘And believe me if he is the one who did that to Charlotte and her parents then I don’t want him anywhere near me.’

‘Do you think he’s capable of doing something like this?’ James asked. ‘We’ve been told he can be violent at times, especially when he’s drunk or high.’

‘I’ve never thought he’s as bad as people make out,’ she said. ‘He would shout and swear but I’m glad to say he was never violent towards me. I wouldn’t have stood for it.’