‘Not at all.’ They strode out of the main entrance and towards the waiting car that Kelly had forgotten to cancel so they could walk. They’d follow the same pattern as yesterday and stop at the Starbucks to grab some sustenance. ‘It’s intense. I learned a lot, and it was time for a change. I missed home.’

‘How long did you work down here?’

‘Ten years.’

‘Wow.’

They joined the long breakfast queue in Starbucks. Kelly picked up three packs of egg sandwiches.

‘I used to work with DCI Carter,’ she said.

‘Without speaking out of turn, guv, I think I prefer working for you.’

‘I appreciate your honesty. He’s good, but everybody has their own style. I’m a bit more casual. Today, listen to how officers communicate, and think about what we do at home. The bedrock of any investigation is people talking. I’d rather be in a noisy office than a quiet one.’

‘Yes, guv.’

Kelly’s stomach tightened as she thought ahead to seeing Matt again. She wished she’d spent her evening with a takeaway and a bottle of wine, watching crap TV. It would certainly have made things easier this morning. The alcohol from last night mingled with her anxiety and teased her consciousness into a sense of doom: a classic hangover. She’d made a great start to the visit, and had Matt firmly under control, but she’d been weak and he knew it; now he’d be sniffing around even more, and she could do without the added pressure.

The coffee hit her bloodstream and she felt instantly stimulated and less tired. They got back into the car and she opened one of the sandwiches and devoured the calories. If Emma thought her choice of breakfast unusual, she didn’t show it. When she’d stopped chomping, she screwed up the rubbish, wiped her mouth and flipped open her iPad, scanning the investigative notes and opening emails.

When they arrived, Matt was already in the incident room and greeted his visitors warmly. He acted professional and busy, and to Kelly’s relief showed no indication of being frustrated or embarrassed by her rejection last night. People filed into the room, and she took a seat and listened to the game plan for the day. The investigation was becoming complex and everyone knew this was standard. Cases usually began like a spider’s web: small and contained, eventually spiralling out to different points, all needing hard work, eventually spanning a whole empire.