“Thank you for seeing me,” Tyler says, sitting back down. “Firstly, I should apologize for my colleague.”

Enfield shrugs but says nothing. He’s clearly still smarting from Daley’s cold shoulder at the incident room. He pushes a folder across the table. Tyler opens it and flicks through the reports inside. “Three fires in the Castledene area over three consecutive nights: a bus shelter, an allotment shed, and the scout hut you saw this morning.”

“Linked?”

Enfield stares at him and raises a thick eyebrow. “Two fires within a mile of each other in the same week? That’s not exactly within statistical norms. What do you think the chances are of three?” He speaks quietly and precisely, but there’s an edge to his words.

“Arson, then?”

“There were traces of accelerant at each of the scenes. Petrol. We’ll probably narrow it down to a specific company, but other than that, it could come from any forecourt in the country.”

Tyler thinks about the words of the officer this morning. Probably just kids. “Are we talking about a single arsonist or a group?”

Enfield hesitates. “One,” he says.

“Why? Why not just a bunch of kids messing around?”

Enfield brushes a square jaw with thumb and finger, looks down at the table while he thinks. He seems to be working out exactly what he wants to say before he opens his mouth. “There’s usually other stuff first,” he says. “Cigarette butts, candles, that sort of thing. There’s no evidence of this kind of experimental fire setting in the area. Castledene’s a quiet country village. They don’t have kids roaming the street at night setting light to things. If they do, someone notices and the kids’ parents get a visit from a concerned neighbor.” His brow creases with faint lines. “I suppose, to be honest, this just feels different.”

“Different how?”

Enfield frowns again, apparently at a loss to know how to articulate what he means.

Tyler lets it go. “What made you come to us?”

Another long pause; he can almost see the cogs grinding. Enfield is clearly not a stupid man, just careful. But what is he frightened of giving away exactly? “The fire at the vicarage,” he says. “I think it’s related.”

“What do you know about it?”

“Only what the records say. I came to Sheffield a few months ago, so it was before my time. I assume you’ve read the file?”

“The file says it was kids. Squatters. Why do you think it’s related?”

Enfield just stares at him, but this time Tyler waits patiently for an answer. After a few moments Enfield says, “Considering what you found out there this week, I think we’re moving out of the realms of coincidence, don’t you?”

“I agree. But is that all you have? Coincidence? Or is there something more concrete? Something that indicates this is the same arsonist as six years ago.”