‘Think back to when you were captured. Was anything said that seemed out of the ordinary? Completely out of the ordinary. Did he pray at any time? Say a prayer? Cross himself? Did he mention God, or anything like that?’

A weary voice replied, ‘What more can I tell you?’

‘That’s what I want to know.’

There was a long pause. Heath let loose a dry cough. The voice croaked in again. ‘He mentioned something about God. I can’t remember exactly.’

‘Please, Mr Barwell . . . Heath. It would be helpful.’

A frustrated sigh blew through the slat in the door. ‘I recall him saying something about the land out here being so dry God must have forsaken it, as if he was angry with it in some way. But he also said that it was beautiful. Like it was in the beginning, like everything was.’

‘In the beginning?’

‘Yeah.’

There was that phrase again – in the beginning. What beginning? The beginning of his murder spree? Was it something that he felt he had to do? Or – did he like the beginning of the process only? Capturing and getting to know his victim. The killing was merely something that had to be done and which he didn’t even enjoy.

‘Did he mention anything else about the beginning?’

Heath sighed again. ‘Like his childhood, you mean? Given what he’s done I’d say it wasn’t good, don’t you think?’

Heath stopped there. Chandler had hit another dead end.

‘But he did mention a place, said it was the beginning.’

The alertness in Heath’s voice made Chandler jump.

‘What place?’ asked Chandler, now equally alert.

‘I don’t know.’ Heath’s voice faded away, the moment of clarity quickly lost.

‘Please try,’ said Chandler.

‘I am,’ said Heath, sounding flustered and angry.

Chandler backed off. Silence descended over the cells. He felt tense, wondering if he had just hit upon another dirt road to nowhere.

‘Singleton,’ said Heath.

‘Singleton?’

‘Yes.’ The voice was shaky, unclear. ‘He mentioned it a couple of times in the car. I thought he was just pointing out somewhere he’d been or a farm that might have some solid work available, but I suppose it did seem a little out of place. He always said the word with passion. It was about the only thing that stirred him.’

‘And he said it was the beginning?’

‘Yeah, I think so.’

‘And what did he say this Singleton was?’

‘Again, I don’t know. A place, a farm, a person . . . And before you ask, I don’t know what it was the beginning of.’

Chandler didn’t know either. But it was something.