‘Can I help you?’ She returned her eyes to the computer screen.

‘I’m DS Miles. My colleague over there is DS Grey. We need to speak to someone about a former employee of this company.’

‘Do you have a name for this employee?’

‘Simon Glover. Do you know him?’

‘Vaguely. I saw him around. Is he in trouble?’ she said with uninterest, continuing to tap away on her keyboard.

Adrian couldn’t tell if she was actually busy, or if it was just a pretence.

‘Is there anyone here who did know him?’ Adrian asked.

‘I’m just checking out which projects he was on and which crew he worked with,’ she said as she hammered away. ‘He worked our biggest contract last year, that new multistorey in town, which means he knew most of the guys.’

‘Who is the person in charge, then?’

‘Do you mean the gaffer on site, or the head of the company?’ she asked before adding, ‘Actually, on that project it was the same person. The big boss. Mr Corrigan isn’t in just yet. Jimmy Chilton is in, though; he’s the next most senior member of staff on that project. He’s just in a meeting at the moment, but if you wait over there, I’ll get someone to call him out.’

‘Thank you.’

Imogen and Adrian moved to one side and waited as the girl on reception carried on with what she was doing. Imogen turned to face her and put her hand on her hips. No one was better at passive aggression than Imogen. When the girl looked up again and saw Imogen, she finally picked up the phone and called through to someone, rolling her eyes at the same time.

‘We’re in the wrong job. Look at this place!’ Adrian said.

‘Pretty fancy; there’s obviously a lot of money in construction,’ Imogen said.

‘I wonder who or what in this place spooked Leon Quick so much,’ Adrian said.

‘Officer?’ A man in his late forties with a scruffy peppered beard and a red baseball cap walked towards them with his hand outstretched to Adrian. ‘Jimmy Chilton. What can I do you for?’

He turned his hand to Imogen, who reluctantly shook it. Jimmy Chilton looked out of place in this grand lobby, as though he had just clocked off after a long-distance lorry trip.

‘We’re here to talk to you about two former employees of yours,’ Adrian said.

‘Two?’ Jimmy Chilton said.

He ushered them to the far corner of reception, away from the receptionist’s earshot.

‘Simon Glover and Leon Quick.’

‘Ah, right. Yes.’

‘Are you familiar with them?’

‘Yes, of course.’

‘What can you tell me about them?’ Adrian asked.

‘They were often late; sometimes their work was sloppy. Spent more time chatting than working. We had to let them go.’

‘We were led to believe they both left of their own volition,’ Imogen said.