Flowers watched as Sterling walked casually to the door, chatting to Elijah. ‘If you ever get tired of police work,’ he was saying, ‘there’s a job on offer at the hotel. I’m down two staff members, and you were a gun of a waitress.’

Sterling tipped back her head and laughed, and Flowers thought how lovely she was with her hair up like that, twisted into some kind of loose knot in an effort to control her curly hair. Clearly Elijah thought the same.

‘Thanks for the offer,’ she said. ‘I’ll keep it in mind.’

‘Well, make sure you drop in for a drink when you’re in the area,’ he said with a wave. ‘My shout.’

Sterling nodded. ‘I’ll do that.’

At ten o’clock Flowers and Sterling went up to the viewing room. Ryder had just started interviewing Heidi Lorrimer again. Benson was also at the table. Heidi’s eye covering was nowhere to be seen, and she looked a little better than the day before.

‘So, Garrett prepared the syringe in the car and told you to go into Detective Sterling’s place and inject her with the drug?’ Ryder asked.

‘Yes. He forced me to do it.’

‘Did you have a plan?’ Ryder asked.

‘No, I didn’t have any plan. I was just going to say it was me, and that I’d heard she’d been fired, and ask her what the hell happened.’

‘But then Detective Sterling let you in?’

‘Yes, I knocked, and she opened the door straight away.’

Next to Flowers, Sterling gave a heavy sigh. He turned to look at her. ‘Hey, Sarge had just told you Collins would be there any minute. There’s no way you could have known Heidi was on the other side of that door.’

When Flowers turned back to the window, Ryder was putting his phone on the table. ‘I’d like you to listen to this.’

Flowers tensed at the first sounds of Sterling crying out in pain, followed by the grunts and cries of a violent scuffle. There came a furious roar that didn’t sound like Sterling, and then a scream that did. Flowers closed his eyes at what he now knew was Heidi Lorrimer repeatedly slamming Sterling’s suitcase down on her shoulder. Then suddenly everything went quiet.

Flowers dragged in an uneven breath. ‘That’s when we thought it was over,’ he murmured, opening his eyes to find Sterling watching him. She moved closer, taking hold of his arm as they waited for her voice.

Don’t move. Drop the syringe . . . DROP IT!

‘Why did Ryder record the phone call?’ Sterling asked quietly.

Flowers shook his head. ‘I don’t know, I was driving. He must have switched on record when you went to open the door. We all assumed it was Sergeant Collins.’

‘Doesn’t matter why. I’m just glad he did it,’ Sterling said simply.