‘OK, Wandsworth to Clapham, one-way system, you can do that trip in fifteen minutes. If you go via the High Street, it’s twenty minutes. Then he prepared Michael for his session, another ten minutes or so. From Clapham to Onslow Square, the murder site, you’re looking at twenty-five to twenty-seven minutes. Back from there to Clapham is twenty-five minutes and then pick up Michael from Clapham and back to Wandsworth, we are looking at fifteen to twenty minutes. So, you tell me, where in that timeframe do you think he had enough time to commit the murder and clean up after himself, because after Langton we know we have him at Mandy’s with her next client. At most, he’s got twenty minutes unaccounted for, which isn’t nearly enough.’

Spencer felt as if the rug was being pulled from under his feet, and he knew Tyler did even more. They already had on the board Farook’s movements for that day. He had been tailed from the Winstanley Estate in Battersea where he traveled by bus to Mandy Pilkington’s.

Tyler sighed. ‘Farook did a grocery shop, drove her to a hair salon, returned her to the house, then made another trip to a petrol station and car wash. He’s now parked outside the house eating a kebab. Now, I have two guys around the clock on this and I have search warrants for his flat, but if we’re going to get a result, we need to find a connection with Charles Foxley.’

At that point one of the clerical staff passed Tyler a note confirming the name of Farook’s sister-in-law as Farah Fareedi. Aiyla, Farook’s wife, was her older sister, and according to a neighbor, there had been a young girl living there until four or five months ago. But no one had seen her since.

Tyler sighed again and continued. ‘We have clarification that her name is Yasmin Farah Farook. They had made inquiries at local GP surgeries and, to date, none of the occupants of the flat are registered. It seems that the four-bedroom council flat was not allocated to Farook but to his brother-in-law.’

Spencer turned to Tyler. ‘Did you see Jane’s notes, sir? From that American profiler bloke? He said our killer might have some training as a butcher.’

Tyler put his hands on his hips. ‘Jesus Christ, every time we think we have a break, it requires further investigation.’

‘What do you want me to do with Michael Langton?’ Spencer asked.

‘Well, if you are concerned he is going to contact Farook and tip him off for dealing drugs, maybe that’s just what we need,’ he said.

‘What?’

‘We might need him to do just that. Let’s see what happens.’

*