‘Daphne?’ Kelly shouted. ‘Daphne, it’s me, Kelly, I’ve come to see how you are.’

There was no response. Kelly whispered into her radio for the armed response team to proceed up the fire exit to the rear of the wing, and approach the eleventh floor on standby.

Kelly tried the door, it was open. Rob nodded and indicated that he was ready.

Beyond the door was merely a patient, unarmed and probably very scared.

She went in.

The bathroom was empty.

They sighed a mixture of relief and frustration. Where the hell could she be? They’d questioned the ward sister who swore that Daphne hadn’t left the room.

Out in the corridor, Kelly contemplated her next move and DS Umshaw called once more from Eden House.

‘Guv, we’ve got the governor of Broadmoor on the phone. An inmate wants to speak to the Cumbria Police, but she’ll only speak to you.’

‘Don’t tell me.’ Kelly closed her eyes.

‘It’s Amy Richmond, guv.’

Chapter 62

It was HQ’s decision to send Kelly back to Broadmoor. She was being used and she knew it. There was absolutely nothing she could do about it. Daphne was missing and Amy Richmond was hoping for a reduced sentence for helping the police. They had lawyers researching the legal limitations of bargaining pleas. If an inmate could make a plea, then they had to be sane: ergo, Amy Richmond’s conviction was unsafe and a retrial would have to be pursued. The psychopath was on shaky ground because she could end up with a heftier term, not a reduced one. Kelly was staggered that a personal audience, face to face with her, was more important than the terms of her incarceration. It made her queasy. Without Johnny to speak to, or her mother, she turned to Ted.

He’d offered to go with her, and despite her better judgement to decline his support, her emotional need triumphed and she accepted. They boarded a plane at the newly opened Carlisle airport bound for Heathrow at seven p.m. A car was ready to meet them in an hour and whisk them down the M4, using blues to get through the traffic. They should be in front of The Teacher by nine p.m. if all ran smoothly.

In the initial phone call that Kelly was forced to take by HQ. Amy Richmond told her that she knew, unequivocally, where to find Daphne.

‘Why would you betray your apprentice?’ Kelly asked her. Amy didn’t answer. The hunt for Daphne had begun and DS Umshaw was left in charge.