‘You didn’t make him cross, Gloria, you made him a dinner he didn’t like.’ The family liaison officer’s tone was flat and Carla wondered how many times she’d heard the same thing: women so beaten – emotionally and physically – they could no longer see a reality outside the one their partners had created for them.

Gloria had never been persuaded to blame O’Brian and when the judge sentenced him to jail, she’d wept in the gallery as he was taken down. Carla thought of that image as she opened up the intelligence database, hoping she wouldn’t find anything to tell her O’Brian had got his hooks back into Gloria and forced her into prostitution. Because Gloria loved her child, would never do anything to endanger him, the only person who could challenge that commitment was O’Brian.

The search came back clear – not a trace of Gloria on any police system. Carla leaned back in her chair, relieved. It didn’t mean she hadn’t been selling sex, but at least she hadn’t been caught. Yet. Carla tapped her pen on the table. She’d get hold of the landlord, confirm the tenant’s name, and work from there. Maybe it wasn’t Gloria at all and a check of who was paying the rent could tell her that.

A quick call to the Oxford City Council Tax department and she had the landlord’s number. Dialling, she tried to think of what could have made Gloria attack O’Brian. It didn’t fit with anything she knew about the woman. It wasn’t just her adoration of him, her general nervousness suggested she wasn’t the type to commit cold-blooded murder – unless it had been an accident? But Nell had been pretty sure it wasn’t.

‘Yes?’ The voice was deep, heavily accented and obviously annoyed at having been disturbed. ‘What do you want?’

‘Hello, this is Thames Valley Police. I wanted to check on a tenant you have living at 34 Rose Way?’

‘Where they found the body?’ He sounded so matter-of-fact Carla was taken aback. He filled in the gap created by her hesitation.

‘I told the officer I’d be in tomorrow. It will have to wait until then. I have matters I need to attend to.’

‘Of course, sir, yes, that’s for your statement to my uniformed colleagues. But we have an urgent enquiry that I was hoping you could help me with now.’

She heard him sigh heavily down the phone. ‘Well then, what is it?’

‘I just wanted to confirm the tenant’s name at the property.’

‘I said this. Gloria Benote.’

‘Yes, thank you. Do you recall who paid the rent? The name on the bank account details, for example?’

‘Isn’t what I’ve told you enough?’

‘No, sir. Your tenant may have registered in Ms Benote’s name, but the payment details would confirm this – or not,’ she added.