They had healed their differences to an extent, but it wasn’t the same. Johnny put Josie first and Kelly took a step back and spent more time with Ted, June and Amber. She went to her niece’s birthday party alone.

The first person she’d told when a handwritten letter arrived from a Berkshire postcode had been Demi, not Johnny. Demi was writing a new book entitled The Devil’s Apprentice. Her home address had been blocked, and arrangements had been made for her mail to be delivered to work and sorted there, as approved by HQ, and implemented by the National Offender Management Service.

The letter had been sent on the eve of Samhain, or Halloween. And it was written, as expected, by The Teacher. Kelly hadn’t read it but she had glanced over it to confirm the sender and spotted the words ‘thank you’ and ‘Daphne’. She couldn’t help it.

She’d testified twice at the trial of Daphne Junker. Although the young woman existed on no national register, that’s what they called her. It was held at Carlisle Crown Court and lasted two weeks. The prosecution pleaded sound mind but the defence won with their insanity plea and Daphne was sent to Broadmoor.

Kelly never wanted to interview her. The case was passed to a SIO from Lancashire Police and the trial was prepared by them. She toyed with a sabbatical. She questioned why she did her job. She doubted herself and had moments of anxiety.

It was Ted who helped her see that none of the events could be controlled by her or anyone else.

‘Everyone has choices. Yours is to protect and seek justice; The Teacher’s is to cause harm. It’s that simple. Don’t choose to be a victim. Choose to be proud.’

They’d been sitting at the Peaks Bay hotel, in the small garden, looking over Ullswater, where she’d taken Mum to lunch shortly before her last trip into hospital. It was where the ashes of the man she’d known as her father, John Porter, were scattered, incognito, without any of the hotel staff knowing, near a rhododendron bush. The flowers on that particular plant were still bigger than on any other each summer.

Kelly’s team did what they did best. They worked the evidence for the appointed SIO, and put in the hours. Together. Both times Kelly went to court, she saw Daphne sitting meek and innocent in the dock. They held a momentary stare the first time and Kelly thought she saw the face of a devil. Occasionally she felt a tingle on her skin where she’d held Daphne’s hand and spoken to her, so close that she could smell her hair. But she pushed aside the sensations and brushed the feeling off.

The Wendy steadied and Kelly pulled on a sweater. Autumn was on the wane.