‘We just wanted to ask you a few questions about your son, Mrs Quick,’ Adrian said.

‘Can we come in?’ Imogen added.

‘I don’t think so. Just ask me what you want to ask and then leave.’

‘Do you know why your son moved back home?’

‘He said he wanted to save some money, said he was struggling to keep on top of his bills. I didn’t really scrutinise his reasoning; I was just glad to have him home.’

‘Did he say much to you about his work at Corrigan Construction?’

‘No, but he was different after he worked there. It changed him, it did.’

‘Changed him how?’ Adrian asked, remembering that Gerry Thompson had said something similar about working there.

‘He just became a total recluse. He was always late for things, or just didn’t turn up at all. He cut himself off from almost everyone he knew apart from Simon.’

As she spoke, Adrian thought again of the idea that had come to him at Cameron Becker’s residence. He remembered the look on Leon Quick’s face as he plunged the knife into himself. There had been something he would rather die for than talk to them about.

A few weeks ago, Adrian had no idea what could have caused a young man to behave in such a way. As soon as the thought entered his mind it stuck. No proof, but Adrian knew. He thought of Leon’s face and he knew. He knew what had happened to Leon because it had happened to him and, he believed, to Cameron Becker, too.

Reece Corrigan was behind the sexual assault on Adrian. Any doubt Adrian had of that fact was quashed by this realisation. He might not have done it himself, but he was the driving force. To distract him from the case? To teach him a lesson? To put him in his place? There were no boundaries. There was nothing Reece Corrigan wasn’t willing to do to protect himself. There was also no way Adrian was going to let him get away with it.

This meant that it was more than likely one of Corrigan’s associates was his attacker. This narrowed things down and gave Adrian a sense of peace, knowing which direction the attack had come from, knowing the reason.

The adrenaline coursed through him with new vigour as he imagined getting his revenge, followed by the feeling that this was already more than he could handle on his own. He couldn’t tell Imogen, though; he didn’t know if he would ever be able to tell her. Keeping such a big secret from her didn’t feel right, but there was no way Adrian could utter those words yet. He needed to get better first. Before taking any more action, he had to stop falling apart and put himself back together.