They found Mike Staunton waiting for them outside in the corridor, pacing anxiously.

‘DCI Laughland wants to see you urgently, sir.’

‘What’s it about?’

‘Sorry, sir. She just said to get you to go straight along as soon as you came out of the interview.’

Patrick frowned. ‘Carmella, do you want to grab a drink or something and I’ll meet you outside interview two in a minute? Assuming Frankie hasn’t been found safe and sound – in which case we can all go home and put our feet up.’

He knocked lightly on Suzanne’s door and went in. His heart sank when he saw who was sitting on the near-side of the desk. Winkler, that insufferable smirk on his handsome, slappable face.

‘Alright, Pat?’ he oozed.

‘Patrick,’ Suzanne said. ‘Take a seat.’

‘What’s happened?’

‘DI Winkler has unearthed some important information about your young suspects. You’d better fill him in, Adrian.’

‘My pleasure, Ma’am.’

As Winkler told him about how he had discovered that Alice and Larry had made a porn video starring two other kids and that on the night of Frankie’s disappearance, they were editing the video, Patrick’s head filled with the high-pitched tremulous hum of his tinnitus. Winkler went through the whole thing, from being contacted by a girl on Facebook to the interview with the school stool pigeon.

‘And that,’ Winkler said, leaning back in his chair and showing off his damp armpits, ‘is the real reason why your number one suspects don’t want anyone to know what they were up to that night. Not because they accidentally killed the kid and buried her in the flowerbeds. I mean, I hate to say I told you so . . .’

Patrick looked over at Suzanne, at her tight lips, the worry in her eyes as she no doubt pictured herself telling the Commissioner this.

He put his face in his hands and rubbed his brow. Then he lifted his head and said brightly, ‘Thanks, Adrian, that’s brilliant.’

Winkler’s expression changed in an instant. ‘What?’

‘That’s exactly what I needed. You’re a true star.’

He stood up and patted Winkler on the shoulder as Suzanne looked on, shocked.

‘Right, I’m going to get these interviews wrapped up. If there’s nothing else . . .’

Before either of them could respond he pulled open the door and left the room.

As soon as he heard it click shut behind him he let out a silent scream.

He found Carmella waiting outside interview room two, swigging from a bottle of water.

‘Come on,’ he said. ‘This is it. Do or die. The last chance saloon.’

‘What are you talking about?’ she asked. ‘What happened in there?’

‘Someone tried to shaft me,’ he replied. ‘We’re about to find out how successful they were.’

He sat down opposite Alice and started the interview again.