‘I thought you’d ask, ma’am, but it was just a copyright dispute; two adverts that sounded too similar for it to be a coincidence.’

‘Fine.’ Hawkins let it go. ‘And did either of you turn up links to the other two victims, or the Brixton area?’

Negative.

She summarized. ‘So, the three men had little in common, and no prior contact with each other as far as we can tell. It could be some kind of hate killing, of course, but Kowalski was an immigrant, whereas the others were Brits. We know Tennent was into men, but Kowalski had straight porn DVDs under his bed, and Wilson was married with kids, which reduces the probability of this attack being motivated by homophobia. However, I don’t think we should ignore the fact that all three were stripped to the waist. Their orientations may have differed, but that doesn’t mean there was no sexual incentive for their presence at the flat.’

She twisted to study the investigation board, now talking more to herself than the group. ‘The suicide angle’s still a possibility, too, but we need cause of death. Without that it’s all just speculation, especially given that none of them exhibited any unusual behaviour patterns in the run-up to their demise. What’s the connection?’

No one spoke.

Hawkins swallowed her frustration; turned back to her sergeants. ‘Does either of you have anything else that might be relevant?’

Aaron studied the floor, but after checking her notes, Amala looked up. ‘He was never done for it, but Wilson did have a few bags of white powder in one of his jackets. The labs haven’t tested them yet, but they’re probably speed or cocaine.’

‘Bags …’ Hawkins pressed. ‘Enough for him to have been dealing?’

Amala shook her head. ‘Personal use, but quite heavy.’

‘OK.’ Hawkins looked at Aaron. ‘Those teenage misdemeanours of Tennent’s you mentioned. What were they?’

‘Er, can’t remember them all exactly,’ Aaron fidgeted under her gaze, ‘but he definitely got caught with cannabis and skunk a few times. The university nearly kicked him out.’

Hawkins realized she was staring into space when Frank interrupted her thoughts. ‘Did Kowalski have a stash, then?’

She cleared her throat. ‘No, but that’s just it. It struck me when I was at his house yesterday that the place was suspiciously clean and tidy, not just Joel’s room; all of them. And the other tenants were somewhat cagey. At the time I put it down to the language barrier and the landlord having a cleaner, but what if Kask rang ahead when I left the garage, and told whoever was there to clear up any evidence of drugs?’

Amala frowned. ‘How would that tie in with these deaths, ma’am?’