‘If you can tell us what Mason’s up to, we’ll see what we can do about reducing the charges against you. Mason’s already in the crosshairs.’ The DI’s voice is steely. ‘Nothing you say can change that. You might as well tell us what you know. After all, Mason hasn’t exactly done you any favours, has he?’

James Hampton nods miserably. ‘He said that if we had a gentleman’s agreement, it would save a fortune in tax.’

The DI glances at me, then back to Hampton. ‘Porn and tax evasion, eh? I’d really like to have a chat with your friend. Do you have any idea where he might be?’

He shakes his head. ‘I haven’t seen him since the funeral.’

‘Have you heard from him at all?’

‘No.’

‘When did you first realise your money was being invested in child porn?’

‘Not to start with. He showed me a website.’ James Hampton looks haunted. ‘Then he told me he was developing an app and he was looking for investors. At first, I was shocked. But then he told me thousands of people make money in the porn industry – and it might as well be us as anyone else. He told me there were safeguards in place and the girls needed to make money …’ He rests his head in his hands, before looking up again. ‘I was desperate. A few days later, he called me. Said he’d like to come over and catch up with what I wanted to do. He came into my office … He suggested we take a look at the website together. He’d left his laptop in his car, so of course, I suggested we use mine …’ He pauses, his face ashen as he remembers. ‘He showed me images. He told me they were of teenagers over the age of consent … And I wanted to believe him.’

‘Go on, please.’ The DI’s voice is curt.

‘I transferred the money into his account. When I received the first return on my investment, I didn’t think too much about where it had come from. I was just relieved to have some money coming in. Then, one evening, I’d had a couple of drinks and I took another look at the website. This time, I looked at more pictures than Mason had shown me on my laptop. That was when I discovered images of children.’

I turn to the DI. ‘We have the search history, sir.’

The DI’s face is implacable, his eyes riveted to James Hampton’s. ‘What did you do then?’

‘I called Mason and told him I wanted my investment back. I offered to repay the money I’d received, but after that, I wanted out.’

‘What did he say?’