Carlo Salvi was wearing a black leather bomber jacker over a crew-neck sweater and pale blue jeans. There was no question he was good looking, with sharp features and dark brown eyes that had a piercing quality. But at the same time his face was pale and his mouth was pinched and drawn tight.

It was Abbott who went through the motions of saying the interview was being recorded and who was present in the room. Throughout this, Salvi remained silent and avoided eye contact with the two detectives, staring down at his hands, which were clasped together on top of the table.

When Abbott was finished, James said, ‘For the benefit of the tape, I’d like you to tell me if you know why you’re here, Mr Salvi.’

Salvi nodded, but it was Edgar who answered for him. ‘My client knows full well that you want to question him in connection with the death of Rachel Elliott. But I’ve only had time for a brief conversation with Mr Salvi and therefore it might be necessary for me to request a halt to the proceedings if I need to take instructions.’

‘That shouldn’t be a problem,’ James said, turning to Salvi who met his eyes for the first time.

‘I’d like to start by asking you a few questions about yourself, Mr Salvi,’ James said. ‘Can you tell us how old you are and where you’ve been living this past year?’

Salvi inhaled a long, loud breath before responding. ‘I’m thirty-one and my home has been in Ambleside.’ His Italian accent was strong, his voice low and raspy.

‘And you’ve worked as a visiting research fellow at the university there. Is that right?’

‘Yes. But my tenure has come to an end, which is why I was returning to Italy.’

James could see the tension in the man’s neck and he was clearly finding it hard to sit still.

‘Now, would you tell us how long you were in a relationship with Rachel Elliott?’ James said.

‘About four months, but it was fairly casual,’ he replied. ‘We met at the café where she worked. I used to go there for coffee and lunch. She was a really nice person, and I am devastated about what’s happened to her, but I honestly had nothing to do with it. I would never have harmed her.’

‘We’ll come to that, Mr Salvi. First, I’d like to find out more about your relationship with Rachel. How often did you meet up?’

‘Two, sometimes three times a week.’

‘And she regularly stayed overnight in your flat?’

He nodded. ‘We enjoyed each other’s company very much and had lots of fun together.’

‘Are you aware that she never told her family and friends that she had a boyfriend? For some reason she kept it from them.’

‘I knew this. She said she didn’t like lots of people to know about her private life, especially her sister who was always critical of any relationships she entered into.’