January 5 Cook glad to end lonely summer

The sad and lonely summer of Maurice Chevau ended with him sitting quite still, legs dangling over the edge of Ricardo Montalban House. The last dish he'd prepared had been sent back untouched. A delicate filet of sole with a light but tangy lemon and caper drizzle, it was his signature dish, the one that had won the heart of his first girlfriend.

'when you get home will you call me?'

It would be easy to describe his death in cooking terms, poured from one pan into the waiting soup below, his body loose and spaghetti like as it folds in on itself in the air.

But that wasn't how it was, nothing approaching that in fact.

The strange truth of the matter is that Maurice had never lifted a Sabatier in his life, he was no more a chef than a lump of coal.

'I can meet you after work if you like?'

The credits are out of focus, the faux thirties style is too sharp and computer generated. Maurice is left on the edge and inside Daniel O'Rourke starts making plans.