He then went straight to the police and told them what he’d done and why. He was convicted of murder. Charlie and her team had been shocked. They hadn’t wanted the CPS to prosecute and, when things had gone the other way, they’d been sure Godfrey would be acquitted. His wife had stood by him throughout, and he’d finally been released from prison last year.

Sondra Halliday, in a series of columns in various national publications, lumped Godfrey Cornish together with every thug who’d ever beaten his girlfriend to death and every cheating husband who’d arranged a hit on his wife so that he could marry his younger, prettier lover. Typical pernicious male violence was her verdict and all she had to say on the matter. She railed against the journalists who reported the incident as ‘Tragic case of devoted father’s desperate attempt to spare his daughter pain.’ Halliday poured scorn on anyone who tried to tell the true story, and suggested that a more accurate headline would be ‘Yet Another Male Person Murders Yet Another Female Person.’

Charlie, who knew from first-hand experience of the man that Godfrey Cornish didn’t have a misogynist bone in his body, had hated Halliday ever since. Sellers, on the other hand, claimed to love all women; that was what made the delegating to him of this particular task so perfect.

‘Are you leaving the rest of that cake?’ Liv asked.

‘Yes,’ Charlie said before picking up the chunk that was left and putting it in her mouth.

‘But … you just ate it.’

‘Yep. I lied.’

Liv’s mouth flattened into a line.

‘Do you miss Gibbs?’ Charlie asked her.

‘Miss him? I still see him. I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with us ever since we split up.’

You didn’t split up. You lied about that. I just don’t know why.

‘We told you and Simon at the time that we’d always be close friends, and we still are.’

Yeah. Close friends who fuck each other’s brains out. What you told us at the time was as big a lie then as it is now.

‘How are things with Dom?’ Charlie couldn’t let it go. ‘Is your relationship with him better or worse now than it was when you were seeing Gibbs on the sly?’

‘I think it’s probably better,’ Liv said vaguely, looking away.

‘And Gibbs’ marriage?’

‘I … yes, I think it’s fine.’ Never had anyone wanted to get to the end of an answer so quickly.

‘Well, that’s good.’ Charlie smiled. ‘It’s bound to be easier all round if you’re not keeping secrets.’

She wasn’t expecting enthusiastic agreement from Liv on this point, so she wasn’t surprised when none materialised.