Paula smiled. ‘No problem, mate. I don’t think I’d want to go back there just yet if I was you. There’s no rush.’ Torin’s head bobbed in acknowledgement. ‘I do have some news about the investigation which I wanted to share with you.’ The atmosphere in the room quickened. Torin looked up, his eyes beseeching her. Rachel froze, her hand halfway to her wine. And Elinor gave her a tiny nod of encouragement.

‘This evening we made an arrest in connection with Bev’s death. And that of Nadia Wilkowa, another woman whose body was found earlier this week.’ Paula held her hands up, palms out, urging caution. ‘I don’t want you to overreact to this. It’s very early in the investigation and I’ll be honest with you. I have serious reservations about the guilt of the person in custody. This happens sometimes in serious crime investigations. We arrest a suspect early on, with minimal amounts of evidence. That doesn’t mean the investigation is over. In this case, the investigation’s barely begun. But this arrest will be all over the media tomorrow and you should be prepared for that. It would be best if you don’t speak to the media, but obviously that’s up to you.’

‘Who is it?’ Torin demanded. ‘Who did this to my mum?’

‘The man we’ve arrested is called Dr Tony Hill. He’s a psychologist who works at Bradfield Moor Secure Hospital and for years now he’s also been working with us at BMP, drawing up profiles of serious offenders.’

‘This man worked with you? And you had no idea he was a killer?’ Rachel’s outrage was obvious. It would only get worse, Paula suspected. Grief had to find an outlet somewhere.

‘We don’t know that he’s a killer. Personally, I don’t believe it. It goes against everything I know about the man.’ But she had to be honest. She owed that to Bev’s family. ‘There is some evidence that points towards him though. We have to test that evidence and see whether we can actually build a case against him.’ She looked to Elinor for support, but her partner was speechless, her face aghast.

‘I don’t understand,’ Torin said. ‘Did this guy know my mum from work? Why did he pick her?’

‘We don’t know, Torin. Right now, we have a lot more questions than we have answers. All I can say is that we’re doing our job. None of this helps you to deal with your mum’s death, I know. But I’m doing my best for her.’

‘Great speech, Detective,’ Rachel said. ‘I think it’s time I went over to Bev’s.’ To Elinor, ‘Have you got a taxi number?’

‘I could drive you over,’ Elinor said. ‘It’s no trouble.’