Kelly scrawled two words on to her notepad. She used capital letters. She’d been doing it for the last hour, and was in the process of what could only be termed as faffing. She had jobs to do, but none of them jumped out to excite her, and, as a result, she didn’t know which one to start on first. She’d been at work for two hours. The run with Johnny had been exhilarating and they’d seen not a soul as they pounded the paths up to the top of Steel Knotts. The tiny valley, which protected the medieval Church of St Martin, sat like a giant cradle, and they’d parked by the church gate. Tourists often got married there.

She daydreamt about the smell of the late summer flowers and the nip in the air making the run slightly less taxing than it was in hotter weather. But The Teacher kept jumping into her head, unwelcome and jarring.

She’d already walked around the office, nosing over the shoulders of her colleagues. She’d made coffee for everyone and caught up with paperwork. When active crime was quiet, a rare luxury, they all caught up on admin jobs and minor visits. She was in danger of becoming a micro-managing mindful HR hero of the year. Not that any member of her team needed it. DS Kate Umshaw, in between cigarette breaks, possessed the tenacity of a squirrel building a winter home and ploughed through reports. With three teenage girls to get ready in the morning, she always arrived a little unkempt herself, was always on a diet and starting a new gym membership but tucked into sausage rolls and pastries at her desk. DS Will Phillips was pristine in comparison. Newly married and promoted, his suit was immaculately pressed by a loving wife and he smelled of Ralph Lauren cologne. DC Rob Shawcross was Phillips’ right hand nerd, though he looked more like a champion athlete in training. He had keen eyes and stood erect, with his hands in his pockets, ready for whatever Kelly might throw at him. Then there was DC Emma Hide, who’d accompanied her to London earlier in the year on a case. She was wide eyed and deceptively brilliant for her age and experience. She usually wore running kit, cleverly disguised as casual trousers and jacket, poised for anything and always on hand to provide Kelly with expert briefs in record time. Her brain was like a processor and Kelly remembered few like it, across her career. It was Emma Hide’s knowledge of poetry that had changed the investigation into The Teacher.

Her team was tight.