‘I take the Cat 2 waste away, don’t I? From the abattoir. I found a bin liner in with the waste. With hair and stuff. Gross. A load of long, dark hair and clothes and boots, and that weird necklace with the bird on it. And a smashed-up phone. I realised it must be off that girl. The girl that does those videos.’

So that was it. She really was dead. Craig slammed his hand on the table. ‘You didn’t think to call the police at that point? Given that you knew a teenage girl was missing?’

I shot Craig a look that said, Keep your shit in order. No emotions required on our side of the interview room. But inwardly I was furious. So much time had been wasted. So many hours gone.

‘Where does the waste go?’ Craig asked.

Mick hesitated. ‘Pet food and that.’

I felt a mixture of revulsion and anger. Violet’s hair had been dumped with the abattoir waste, with the snouts and trotters and stomach contents, the diseased animals and scrapings off the abattoir floor. And her necklace was there too, in case we were in any doubt whose hair it was.

‘Are you licensed to dispose of abattoir waste?’ Craig said.

Mick sniffed. ‘The permit’s not come through yet.’

‘That’s why you didn’t report this. You’re not licensed.’

Mick said nothing.

‘Isn’t Cat 2 waste supposed to be rendered?’ Craig said. ‘It’s not for pet food.’

‘Er …’ Mick hardened his expression. ‘Maybe it was Cat 3 actually.’

We all knew more than we’d ever wanted to about the correct process for disposing of meat by-products, following the Maggot Pete case.

‘We can find out easily enough,’ Craig said.

‘It’s a bloody shame,’ Mick said. ‘Why not use it for dog food or whatever? Some of it’s perfectly fine. You don’t expect to find a dead girl’s hair. Gave me the shock of me bloody life.’

Craig gave Mick a look of disgust.

‘I wasn’t selling on stuff that was really bad. Not stuff with maggots in and that.’

‘What happened to the rest of the waste?’

‘It’s gone to my mate’s company. It’ll be dog food by now.’

‘We’ll need details of your “mate”,’ Craig said.

There went any chance of us analysing the pigs’ stomach contents. They’d be inside someone’s spaniel.

‘It’s a very serious offence taking animal by-products and putting them back into the food chain,’ Craig said. ‘But murder is an even more serious offence.’

‘I didn’t kill her! I just found that bin liner in the lorry after I took the waste. Which is weird because you can’t put plastic in if it goes to be rendered. It’s dangerous. Toxic fumes. So I had a quick look inside and it was … that girl’s stuff.’

‘When did you pick up this waste?’

‘Monday morning.’