‘I think my drink was spiked, I don’t remember too much. I remember waking up in a holding cell.’ He wasn’t convincing anyone.

‘So, you weren’t asked to do that? Forced to do it?’ Imogen pushed.

‘What are you talking about?’ Finn said, getting more agitated and looking at the door as if he wanted to try to make a run for it, or perhaps he thought someone was coming to save him.

He clearly hadn’t accounted for this situation. Wasn’t prepared for it. Whatever was going on with him, he seemed to be under the impression that this was all a big mistake. Had someone promised to keep him out of trouble?

Adrian decided to take a risk; after all, Finn wouldn’t know he was lying.

‘Caitlin told us about the game. About what you were being asked to do, by Helen Lassiter and the others. The drink driving, the attack on Caitlin.’

‘I didn’t attack her. I wouldn’t do that,’ Finn cried.

‘Was that Russ?’ Imogen asked.

‘It must have been. It wasn’t me. Russ was a psycho, you have no idea the things he was capable of.’

‘But you know what we’re talking about, don’t you?’ Imogen said.

‘I didn’t do anything. I swear to God I don’t know what you’re talking about!’

‘What other things have you been asked to do?’ Adrian said.

‘I don’t feel very well.’ Finn rubbed at his neck, which had gone an angry red colour; it looked more like a rash than embarrassment. He was sweating.

‘Did they make you hurt people?’ Imogen said.

‘Please, I need to lie down.’

They were close to breaking him, but they were also close to shutting him down completely. Adrian didn’t want to stop him from talking altogether, so he pulled it back a little. ‘OK. We’ll come back to that. Let’s talk about Russ some more. Do you know where he is?’

‘I don’t feel very well.’ Finn’s face had gone pale, exaggerated by the redness of his neck. He looked like he was going to throw up.

‘Do you know where Russ is now?’ Adrian repeated the question.

‘I don’t know,’ he said unconvincingly, the intonation at the end of the statement going upwards as though he were asking a question.

‘You don’t have any idea where he might be?’ Imogen pushed further.

‘His mum would probably know. She was always on his case to do better, to make sure he didn’t blow his chance at university. He would tell her things just to upset her, especially when he was off his face. Just to stop her thinking of him like he was her little boy still. He wasn’t a nice guy.’

‘I’ve noticed something,’ Imogen said. ‘You’ve been talking about Russ in the past tense. Why is that?’

Adrian couldn’t believe that he hadn’t noticed. Imogen was right.

‘I haven’t seen him in ages and I don’t want to see him again. He is not part of my life any more. The guy is nuts.’