Their already cut-to-the-bone department was suffering from the recent departure of a DI and the failure to recruit another DC to replace the gap left by Renshaw when she was promoted to DS. The strained circumstances had made the rest of them a tighter operation, though, which in turn had facilitated a lasting thaw in Maggie and Renshaw’s previously fractious relationship. Maggie wouldn’t go so far as to call her a friend, but they were certainly friendlier.

‘Good. What do you need to tell me then?’

‘The eyewitness told PC Talbot that he saw the girl deliberately push the boy off the wall,’ Maggie relayed.

Renshaw frowned.

‘He must be talking about the caretaker – he was trying to get both children down off the wall when Benji fell. He’s top of my list to interview after the girl.’

‘Who is she?’

‘Poppy Hepworth, same age, same class.’

Her name didn’t ring any bells with Maggie – she wasn’t one of the Rushbrooke girls Scotty used to talk about.

‘We haven’t been able to get anything out of her,’ Renshaw went on. ‘She’s clammed up. Shock, probably, or maybe it’s fear, because if she did push Benji she must know she’s in serious trouble. A year over the age of criminality, old enough to be charged.’

‘Okay, so what can I do?’ asked Maggie.

‘See to Benji’s mum. She needs an experienced FLO and I want it to be you. I’ll square it with DI Gant. I know he likes to put forward his own choice from his roster but you tick all the boxes for this one – you’re used to dealing with cases where a child is the victim, you know the school because of your nephew and you’re empathetic but not at the expense of being a detective.’

Renshaw’s assessment was quite the compliment and Maggie was suddenly grateful she hadn’t told anyone at work about being estranged from Lou. If Renshaw, or DI Tony Gant, the Family Liaison Coordinator for their force whose job it was to assign Maggie to cases, knew she was banned from seeing her nephews and niece they might think twice about putting her with a grieving mum with a child the same age as Scotty, in case it brought to the fore emotions she couldn’t handle. Which, a voice in her head quietly cautioned, it well might.

‘Benji’s mum needs a FLO like you,’ said Renshaw, as though she could sense Maggie wavering. ‘I need you to be her FLO.’

That made Maggie’s mind up. A young boy was dead and his mum would be desperate for navigation and support as the investigation gathered pace. This was the role she was trained for and was bloody good at and there would only be conflict if she let there be. She dismissed any lingering doubt with a firm nod.

‘Of course I’ll do it.’