She smiled at him. ‘It did feel like a rescue, Spence, and I really appreciate the fact that you drove over here. I’m sorry if I was a bit terse with you earlier.’

He patted her knee. ‘You were right about KatWalk. I think we might have a development on that front.’

During the rest of the drive back to the station, Spencer filled Jane in on the interaction with Simon Quinn and the fact that he had been unable to identify the model he had seen on the steps of the agency with an envelope full of money.

‘I got the girls’ contact details form the back of the photos. I’m telling you, Jane, I was shocked how young some of them were. But the person we need to question about the girls is Julia Summers. I think she knows all about it. I reckon these so-called models were being exploited for underage sex.’

*

When they got back to the station, Jane typed up the report of her meeting with Justine, underlining that there should have been measures to ensure her safety when there were concerns about Justine’s mental state.

It was coming up to 5:30 p.m. and Spencer decided to contact Michael Langton, Mandy Pilkington’s disabled client and the only one they felt could give a timeframe regarding the afternoon of Foxley’s murder. Spencer spoke to a Mr. Alistair Jones, the caretaker at the care home. He was told that Mr. Langton was not available until the next day as he was undergoing treatment. Spencer clocked the time and wondered if his treatment was at Mandy Pilkington’s. Alistair Jones said he would be available at ten the following morning.

After he finished his report he went over to Jane’s desk and said he was going home, suggesting that she should do the same. Although she had dismissed the whole incident with Justine as being nothing serious, he knew that she had been shaken by it.

‘Thanks, Spence, but I’m fine. I just need to finish my report.’

Twenty minutes later, as she was about to leave, Gary Dors came over.

He explained that he’d contacted the forensic laboratory with regard to removing the whiteout and had been told their equipment had been taken to check a fault so they wouldn’t be able to examine the pages until the following day

‘But,’ he said, looking pleased with himself, ‘I’ve figured out how to lift whiteout off a page. You use a wet cloth and just keep dabbing gently until it’s almost gone and then if you hold the page up to the light, you can sometimes see what’s written underneath.’

‘Thanks, Gary, but I’d rather let the lab examine it,’ Jane said.