‘It’s clear you hold her in very high regard. Was that the general feeling for everyone? We’ve been told that there can be a little jealousy between colleagues – was there any of that kind of friction here. Did anyone dislike her?’

‘You find petty jealousies everywhere. It’s human nature, isn’t it? To envy those who are better, faster, more talented than you? So yes, there was a certain level of friction, professional rivalry, but basically, she was such a lovely girl, people couldn’t help but like her.’

‘Was there anyone in particular who comes to mind?’

‘I’m sure others will tell you that there was a little tension between Rosie and Dr Hawkins. They were professional and got on with the job, but Rosie did find it difficult and couldn’t understand why Penny just didn’t seem to like her.’ I could relate to that. Didn’t everyone want to be liked? It wasn’t good for your confidence to know someone hated your guts. I could imagine Rosie would have found it quite hurtful, especially if she was in contact with Dr Hawkins every day. It would be hard to escape if your nose was being rubbed in it.

‘Are you aware of any romantic involvement Miss Bateman may have had within the department?’ That was a rather direct question from Smithy. He was making the assumption the good doctor here wasn’t a love interest, probably on face value.

‘No, she had a boyfriend in the Computer Department. James Collingwood.’

‘Did you see much of him?’

‘No, he didn’t come up to the lab. They used to meet for lunch and she’d meet him for dinner often when she was working late.’

That was curious. I recalled when watching the video of James’ interview he’d said they often met for lunch but not so much in the evenings.

‘Did you see them meet for dinner?’

‘No, that’s just what she said. I don’t pay too much attention to everyone’s love lives. You’d never get anything done.’

I was definitely going to have to engineer a meeting with the boyfriend. There were a few too many inconsistencies here and they all supported the idea Rose-Marie was having an extra-relationship affair.

‘What can you tell me about the commercial side of your research? Professor Simpson said that there was quite a bit of money to be had from this,’ Smithy said, changing tack.

‘Yes, the potential commercial applications are huge, as were possible spin-off lines of research. We’re talking on a global scale. So again, Rosie’s death is a huge loss.’

‘Did she stand to make money from the venture?’