‘It’s a grim business, Kelly,’ Ted said. ‘Stick to the facts; they always lead you to the right place eventually. This is a sorry-looking place.’

They’d arrived at a gate that opened onto a road at the back of the estate. There were garages and a pavement and that was it: no trees, plants, cars or people, giving it the air of an abandoned other-world. Perfect to hide in.

‘Can you see any cameras?’

‘Nope. I didn’t expect to, but it’s still disappointing. I think we need to do door-to-door starting with those flats. There’s no line of sight to where Ella actually died, but from the upper floors, the park will be clearly visible.’

‘I’ll walk you back to your car,’ Ted said.

They turned around and made their way back. They said goodbye and made plans to meet up soon, as father and daughter rather than investigators of slaughter.

It was going to be a long evening. In her head, Kelly set about putting together an investigating team of officers. Before she allocated jobs, she’d need to introduce them to the crime scene. It was fresh in her mind and she’d already begun to prioritise.

When she returned to Eden House, she went straight to the coffee machine and then sat at her desk collating what they had so far, including the disturbing collection of forensic photographs. Death was the most personal and private rite of passage, unless you were murdered, when it became a public display of a person’s life; like some grim documentary. After a few days, they’d all be immune to the blood and gore as they filed past the grisly collage posted carefully on the incident board.

It was six o’clock before she briefed her squad. They had little to go on, but the first day or two was always the calm before the storm. Thomas Watson had provided the names of Ella’s friends and associates as well as a recent photograph to be circulated on the evening news. A fatal stabbing in broad daylight, in a park used by families, should garner a positive response. It was the type of case that tended to horrify local residents, and Kelly expected a flood of phone calls and emails. It was also shocking enough to catch the attention of the national media. It was everyone’s worst nightmare: a random stabbing of somebody in the wrong place at the wrong time. If that was indeed the case.