There was an air of pomposity about the professor we were interviewing. In fact, I felt it hard not to laugh at the stereotype of an academic he embodied. Framing a surprisingly youthful face, he had grey streaked hair that looked about four weeks overdue a cut. I’d guess him to be early forties, but according to his birth date, he would be celebrating the big five-oh later this year. Perhaps some of his research pertained to the elixir of youth. That, or working with young people all day was rubbing off. His glasses didn’t help with his airs. The way he peered over the top of them suggested they were for reading, not looking, so why the hell he didn’t just remove them was beyond me. His clothing suggested that he hadn’t had time to shop since the mid-seventies, and he’d lost weight since then. He couldn’t have been married – no woman would let him out of the house in that state. But then, he had a certain Conneryesque appeal. In fact, if you spruced him up, he’d be really quite dishy.

‘So Professor Simpson, if you were supervising Miss Bateman for her doctorate, how often would you work with her?’ Smithy asked.

‘We met regularly to talk about her research.’

‘Every day?’

‘Oh, no. The majority of her day-to-day lab work was with Dr Penny Hawkins and Dr Jeffrey Collins, so they would have seen her all the time. I met with Rosie once a week or so to discuss any issues and get an update.’

‘So, you didn’t do any of the lab work with her?’

‘No, not the practical work. That’s for the graduates and junior staff.’ It was stated simply and without any perceived snobbery, but I noted Smithy’s eyebrows rose as he jotted that down.

‘And she got on well with her colleagues?’

‘I imagine so, she was a lovely girl. Fun, polite, very conscientious. I’m sure everyone enjoyed working with her.’

‘But you don’t know for sure. You didn’t hear any murmurs of discontent, nothing on the department rumour mill? I’m sure the university must be a hotbed of gossip, everyone talking about everyone else.’

‘Well, I don’t like to give too much credence to that kind of thing.’

‘But?’

‘I think there may have been a few petty jealousies.’

‘What kind of jealousies are we talking about here? Relationships? Boyfriends?’

‘No, nothing like that. Anyway, Penny is married, and I think Rosie had a boyfriend. No, professional. I believe there may have been a little tension between them over their research workload. Academics can be a little particular about protecting their patch.’