She fiddled with some notes and stared out of the window. She had no idea where she was, because it was dark, but the scenery told her she was out of any built-up areas and well on her way home. Her train was due to get in at one o’clock in the morning.

‘I was thinking of taking everybody out for dinner to celebrate when Josie gets her competent ascent qualification,’ Ted said.

‘That’s a lovely idea. When? You know what it’s like when I’m in the middle of something like this. If you tell me when you’re thinking then I can perhaps juggle a few things.’

‘Saturday?’

‘I’ll see what I can do.’

They hung up.

Next, Kelly called Demi and hoped she’d answer. Demi was planning to go back to Lancaster to give her lectures, but return to the Lakes tomorrow to help out.

‘Kelly? Are you still down south?’

‘No, I’m on my way home.’

‘That was quick, but I can’t say I’m surprised. How did it go? Did you get anything worth working on?’

Kelly told Demi what The Teacher had told her.

‘Did you come up with a profile?’

‘It’s difficult to be sure when I haven’t got the report on Carry Tomlin yet. If you’re sure it’s the same killer then the MO is all over the place. We’ve got opportunity versus premeditated, we’ve got rage versus no rage, and we’ve got day versus night.’

‘Wait a minute.’

‘What?’

‘That’s it! Day and night. It’s all about bloody balance! Jesus!’

‘Give me a clue?’

‘Sorry, let me explain. Mary and Fred’s altars are all about balance, that’s the whole point about the wheel of Paganism and the eight festivals: dark and light, black and white, winter and summer, Horned God and Moon Goddess. Everything in and of the earth has an equal action and reaction – like goddamn physics. It’s the same with the elements; they all balance one another with direction and power. God, do I sound like a lunatic?’

‘Yes.’

‘Good, I’m on the right path. It’s the least crazy thing I’ve thought for two weeks. So, the next one will be brutally violent and, wait, let me look at my map. Braithwaite… Thirlmere car park, they’re directly diagonal to one another… balanced. If I cross the other way, I get… oh Christ, Demi, this train is throwing me about all over the place, I could be anywhere, it’s like the needle in the haystack.’

‘I never heard of a diagonal cross used in the occult. Sorry to piss on your parade. It’s more a Christian thing, you know, like the staff of Christ carrying the lamb: was it Christ carrying the lamb?’