We were still discussing it when we arrived at the rundown council estate where Eddie Fowler lived on the ground floor.

He answered the door to us in his dressing gown and I wasn’t sure he was wearing anything underneath.

‘I was having a lazy day,’ he said as he led us into a small, untidy living room that stank of cigarette smoke.

We introduced ourselves and he asked us why we were suddenly interested in Terry, and I told him we were with the task force that had become the target of a killer.

‘We strongly suspect that Terry’s former boss, Roy Slack, might be behind it,’ I said. ‘And if so then it’s possible that he decided to do what he’s doing because of what happened to Terry.’

Fowler was a thin man who looked as though his best days were far behind him. His face had an orange tint and his eyes were patterned with broken veins.

But he seemed pleasant enough, and after inviting us to sit down he explained that he was with Chloe Malone for twelve years and during that time got quite close to Terry.

‘He was always a bit of a handful,’ he said. ‘But I liked him. Both me and his mum tried to persuade him not to get into villainy but he didn’t listen. He enjoyed making easy money, and I could relate to that because I went down that same road when I was younger.’

‘We understand that Terry joined Slack’s firm soon after Chloe died,’ I said. ‘Is that correct?’

He nodded. ‘At the time he was at a loose end. Your people had effectively cost him his job with the Romanians.’

‘And do you know if he approached Slack or Slack approached him?’

There was a flicker of hesitation on his face. His eyes moved from me to Marsden and back to me.

‘What is it, Mr Fowler?’ I said. ‘Do you have information that you’re not sure you should share with us?’

He cleared his throat and swallowed.

‘I can assure you that whatever you say will stay between us,’ I said. ‘This conversation is confidential.’

He licked his lips. ‘OK, well, it was Slack who approached Terry because Chloe asked him to.’

‘Really? When was this?’

‘Three days before she died,’ he said. ‘She called him from the hospital and got him to go and see her.’

I cocked an eyebrow. ‘Does that mean that Chloe knew him?’

Another nod. ‘They went out together for a few months over twenty-five years ago.’

‘So did they stay in touch?’

‘No, they didn’t.’

‘So why did Slack feel obliged to do as she asked?’

Fowler sucked in a breath. ‘Because she said she had something to tell him. Something she’d kept from him all those years. You see she never intended to break her silence but she wanted him to look out for Terry after she’d gone.’