Becky was exhausted. All she wanted was to finish processing Callie Baldwin’s statement, go home, have a warm bath and go to bed. Mark would fuss over her, making her cocoa and toast, and she would revel in every moment of it.

She had finished preparing the paperwork. She had to get it signed, then they could call it a night. She opened the door to the interview room where Callie was slumped in a chair, looking as if her body had been drained of blood.

‘I think we’re done, Callie. You’ve been amazingly helpful, and I’m so sorry that you’ve had such a terrible time. We can arrange for you to see someone, to help you come to terms with it. Your house is no longer a crime scene, so I can get someone to take you home if you prefer? You can’t take Thea Atwell’s car. You understand that, don’t you?’

‘I don’t want to touch anything Thea’s had her grubby fingers on ever again,’ Callie said, a shudder running through her body. ‘And I’d prefer to go straight home, please, if that’s okay.’

Becky reached out and touched Callie’s clenched fist where it lay on the table. There was something else she needed to say, and she wasn’t sure how Callie would take it. While Becky had been preparing Callie’s statement, she had heard from Tom. He had told her what had happened at the house, and they had decided Callie should know. It would be all over the press tomorrow anyway.

‘The good news is that, thanks to you, both the other girls have been rescued. They’ve been drugged for a lot longer than you, so they’re suffering from withdrawal symptoms. But they’re on their way to hospital and doing well. Hannah has been reunited with her brother, who sends his apologies for – in his words – “being a dick in Burma”.’

That at least brought a brief smile to Callie’s lips.

‘Did they find Judith?’ she asked.

‘No. Not yet.’ There was no point telling her about Judith until they knew more. A team would be there from first light, complete with cadaver dogs, to see if she was in the grounds somewhere.

‘What’s going to happen to Thea and Garrick?’

Becky took a deep breath. ‘I don’t know how you’re going to feel about this, Callie. I have to tell you that they’re both dead.’ For a second Callie stared at her, then her eyes filled with tears. ‘I’m sorry. I should have realised it would upset you.’

Callie shook her head. ‘I’m not upset. I’m relieved. I’ll never have to see them again, and at least they can’t hurt anyone else now.’ She brushed the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. ‘Who killed them? That man Vincent?’