‘Well, you lot look like you don’t need me around here.’ It was true: they all appeared busy and focused until they realised that their boss had just walked in; then they stopped what they were doing and greeted her, saying they’d forgotten the time and asking her how London had been. There was a low hum of excitement as they waited their turn to bring her up to date with what they’d been working on. It touched her and she felt like she really belonged. She noticed that this was happening more and more lately. Coming back to Johnny, coming home to her team, and later she’d see Ted. It felt right.

It was good to be back. The air was different from London, and not only that, the change of pace was welcome. There was less of a rush to get results and move forward. It wasn’t that there was no urgency here; it was just that the self-imposed pressure was removed. Of course they wanted to find answers for those who loved George Murphy and his colleagues, but there was also a harmony that was lacking in the huge glass buildings of the capital. Kelly embraced it all and took a deep breath. Last night Johnny had asked her if the big city had retained its lure for her, and she’d emphatically told him no.

She logged on to her computer and Matt’s face appeared. She introduced him to her team and began to lead the meeting, hoping he wouldn’t butt in too much. Matt looked tired and she guessed she did too. Her team responded well to him, because he was good at his job and asked all the right questions, and after an initial nervousness, everyone soon relaxed.

‘The white van angle is promising,’ Kelly said, ‘and we’re still on the lookout for this man.’ A photograph of Leo Brown came up on the large whiteboard shared by all their personal computers and screens, so that Matt could see. The mug shot supplied by the parole officer was unflattering. Kelly usually found that if something walked like a duck and talked like a duck, it usually was a duck, and Leo Brown was their strongest lead yet. But they couldn’t find him. ‘He should know by now that he’s wanted for questioning.’

‘The aunt is unconvincing and I’ve put her under surveillance,’ Matt said. ‘How did the interview with Graeme Millar go?’

If her team was puzzled, they hid it well. She hadn’t informed them of Matt’s suspicions. They also hadn’t witnessed a suspect coming in to be questioned.