Wearily Ella walked over to the dresser and pulled out her savings account book and slid it over the table.

‘You gave him the whole two hundred and fifty thousand pounds?’

Ella nodded her head sadly.

‘Why?’

‘He had cash-flow problems and needed the money to help his brother out of a business predicament. But he said he’d have all the money back in my account by the end of the month. He promised.’

‘Have you met his brother?’

Ella felt her chest tighten again. ‘No.’ Every time she answered their questions her mind whirled.

‘What about credit cards? Bank accounts?’ questioned the officer.

‘I barely use my credit cards. If I don’t have the money, I don’t spend it. I have no debt whatsoever.’ Ella headed for the kitchen and returned with a pile of unopened statements. She tore the top one open and stared at the statement in her hand. She frantically began tearing each one open.

She had difficulty focussing on the numbers in front of her, feeling disbelief as she pushed the statements across the table towards the officers.

‘I-I didn’t spend all this money!’ Ella stammered. ‘This wasn’t me. How am I ever going pay this back in a lifetime?’

The police officers cast a glance of the statements. ‘There’s over ten thousand pounds’ worth of debt on this card, and you had no idea?’

Ella was in a state of shock, and she shook her head. ‘The card is in my purse. It can’t be possible; I just don’t understand.’ She muttered as she reached for her purse. She desperately searched all compartments for the card, but it wasn’t there.

‘It’s gone,’ admitted Ella, suddenly feeling exposed and judged. ‘What am I going to do? He’s maxed out my card.’

‘Our guess is the man you know as Dr Alex James is a professional fraudster. He targeted you when you were at your most vulnerable after your parents’ death and pursued your inheritance,’ shared the police officer gently.

Ella buried her head in her hands. With her heart thumping fast and the tears falling down her cheeks, she felt sick to her stomach. She had nothing left; Alex had stolen everything from her, including her heart. With all the evidence laid out in front of her, Ella had to face facts. The man she’d let into her life was an imposter and she didn’t know anything about him at all. Everything had been a lie. Whoever Alex was, he’d played the long game and swindled Ella out of everything. And he was never coming back.