I could tell he was waiting for me to protest or argue. But I said nothing. Then he stood and went to the cabinet that held the keys to the cells.

Surely not! ‘My phone call?’ I said.

‘What makes you think you deserve a phone call?’ he spat.

‘Deserve has nothing to do with it.’ I kept my voice calm. ‘Under the rules of arrest, I have the right to make a phone call to a legal representative and a friend to let them know of my arrest. The only question is: do you want to play this by the book or leave yourself wide open?’ I looked over at Jane and Randall, who were staring wide-eyed at the proceedings.

Wheels glanced at these two witnesses. ‘Fine,’ he said. ‘You’ve got one minute.’ He stepped to the side and nodded to the phone.

I dialled Pip’s number. She answered on the second ring. ‘Yep?’

I looked at Wheeler as I spoke into the phone. My ink-smudged fingers had left greasy marks on the buttons. ‘I’ve been arrested,’ I said.

‘What the hell—’

I interrupted. ‘You are my one phone call.’

Pip’s voice turned businesslike. ‘Leave it with me,’ she said. A moment’s pause. ‘I’m stuck in town. I’ll get Daniel on to this.’

That was enough to put a tremble in my voice. ‘Okay,’ I said finally.

Then Wheels bent over and clicked the end call button. ‘Time’s up,’ he said, smiling.

Then he led me to the interview room.

I’d interviewed a lot of people in my job, but I’d never experienced the interview room from the other side of the table. To be honest, it was a little nerve-racking. Wozza sat miserably beside Wheels, who took the lead. He began with the preliminaries and ended with the caution, which sounded brutal when you were on the receiving end of it. Anything you say may be used in evidence …

Wheels began. ‘You admit that you were the last person to see Jack Barratt?’ There was a smugness to his tone.

I ignored the leading question. ‘I estimate that I left the cliff top no later than four pm. I made a phone call from my car at four sixteen.’

Bill Wheeler leaned back in his chair. ‘We only have your word for it that you were actually in your car when you made that call.’

It was a fair point. I would have made it myself. ‘I went from the car park straight to Doc Caldicott’s office. I documented my arrival there in my statement to the divisional district inspector. The call duration was four minutes. The doctor’s surgery is one-point-two kilometres from the car park and I arrived there at four twenty-five pm.’

Wheels looked flustered for a moment but, as I’d come to know, he always came back fighting. ‘So you say,’ he said.

I didn’t reply, refusing to take the bait.