Imogen saw the knife in his hand too late. She rushed forwards as he raised it in the air, but she couldn’t reach him in time. He plunged it into the centre of his chest and collapsed to the ground.

What the hell was going on?

Imogen was on the ground with him seconds later then she heard Adrian on the phone requesting an ambulance as she frantically clutched at his chest and tried to stop the blood from pouring out. He spasmed and struggled for a few seconds but no more than that. She felt his heart labour then stop. He was gone. The pained look on his face was also gone and she could see the peace wash over him.

Imogen’s hands were covered in blood and she didn’t know what to do. She looked up at Adrian, who was on the phone but staring at the body on the floor. What was it that Leon hadn’t wanted them to know? What was he afraid of? Who was he afraid of? For all the questions Leon had answered, with this latest action he had opened up a whole load more. Too stunned to think, Imogen sat back on her heels and just watched the red stain on Leon’s shirt get bigger. Who would answer their questions now?

Chapter Twenty-Two

‘What the hell happened?’ DCI Kapoor snapped at Adrian and Imogen as they sat in her office.

Imogen could see the dark line of blood under her fingernails. Even though she had scrubbed her hands, she could see it and feel it. She clenched her hands into fists and tried to forget what had just happened.

‘We were just talking and he … he just stabbed himself,’ Imogen said.

‘That’s highly unusual behaviour, isn’t it?’ DCI Kapoor seemed just as baffled as them.

‘Well, yes,’ Adrian said, nodding.

‘And there was no indication before then that he was going to do that?’

‘He was agitated, but we had just told him that his friend was dead,’ Imogen said.

‘What did he say about Simon Glover?’ DCI Kapoor said.

‘They used to work together. As soon as he brought up the old job at Corrigan Construction, his demeanour changed completely. He became jumpy and anxious. I got the impression that he killed himself to avoid having to divulge anything else. He had secrets and it was all to do with that job they had together in Exeter. Something must have gone on down there,’ Adrian said.

‘You should have brought him in for questioning. I wish we had the exact words he said on tape. He never should have had that knife,’ DCI Kapoor said.

‘With all due respect, Ma’am, we speak to people in their houses all the time; this is not something we have ever witnessed before. It’s not as if we could have anticipated he was going to do that. It came from nowhere,’ Imogen said.