Mason and Jack stood in the observation room, behind the two-way mirror that allowed them to watch Charlotte and DC Bevan in the interview room. Bevan stood just inside the door, like a sentry, while Charlotte sat at the table, fingers lightly touching the rim of a polystyrene cup of tea.

Jack entered the interview room and took his seat opposite Charlotte. She sat up straight in her chair, like a schoolgirl when a teacher walks into the classroom.

‘How’s Judas? New shoes OK?’

Charlotte looked confused. She wasn’t expecting small talk. ‘I’ll try not to keep you from him for too long. I expect you have a lot to prepare before the upcoming equestrian event. So . . .’ Jack turned the tape recorder on and introduced those present in the room. He then reminded Charlotte that she was under caution and that she’d declined legal representation, although she could change that any time she wanted. He then asked her to verbally confirm that she’d understood everything he said. ‘I saw Annie outside.’ Again, Jack’s words threw Charlotte off-balance. ‘She’s gone home to wait for you. I said you’d more than likely be back later today. As soon as we’ve finished talking.’

In the observation room, Mason grinned and nodded to himself. Jack was promising Charlotte something he knew she wanted: he was promising Annie. The reward of being back home with the woman she loved, dangled in front of her like a carrot on a stick . . . and to get her reward she had to tell Jack what he wanted to know. It was a cleverly veiled threat because the unspoken flipside of heading home ‘as soon as we’ve finished talking’, was that she would stay in custody if she refused to talk. Charlotte was becoming putty in Jack’s hands, whilst Jack, to the untrained eye, still remained very much ‘the good cop’.

When Jack started the interview in earnest, he was straight to the point. ‘You told me that four years ago Annie’s dad passed away and left you £200,000; is that right?’

Charlotte nodded.

Jack looked at her. ‘Only, when Annie was outside the police station earlier, she received a phone call from her dad.’

Charlotte was quick to answer. ‘That’s Bob. Her stepdad. Annie’s real dad passed away four years ago. Him and her mum split back in, oh I don’t know . . . I’ve never known them be together. He had a poor relationship with everyone in the family but, still, when he died, he left everything to Annie. Her mum has been with Bob for as long as I’ve known them. Lovely man. His memory’s not so good anymore. It would have been Bob who phoned her. I imagine he called a few times times,’ she smiled. ‘He usually does.’