‘They’re going in alphabetical order,’ Kate said.

The rest of them sat and listened as Kelly brought them up to date on the afternoon’s events. Jordan Watson had been taken to a juvenile correction facility in Carlisle, where his father would meet him tomorrow with his lawyer. The CPS would have a decision by then as to whether there was a case to pursue against him. Liam Brook was downstairs in one of their cells; again, the CPS would decide if he should be charged.

She glossed over the events at the warehouse but caught Will’s eye several times. She couldn’t help but be drawn to him, because she had such affection for him and had done for a long time. She just wanted to know the truth.

Emma didn’t come back. The door opened again.

‘DS Phillips, please.’ Will left. After another hour, he hadn’t returned either. Kelly was becoming increasingly uncomfortable, and they all filled time with calling loved ones, sorting out domestic arrangements and discussing the case.

It was usually a cause for celebration when they reached the conclusion to an inquiry, but this was different. They didn’t congratulate one another, though Kelly did thank for them for their incredible hard work.

‘What shall I say?’ Rob asked.

‘Tell the truth. We’ve done nothing wrong and we’ve got nothing to hide. That’s all I ask.’

She glanced up as the door opened.

‘DI Porter, please.’

She was led upstairs to her own incident room. She hardly recognised it. At least ten officers sat at desks, and she knew none of them. Nobody looked at her. They were all busy staring at screens and making copy files. It felt personal and she found herself on the defensive instantly. She was shown into her office. A woman sat at her desk and gestured for her to sit down. Another officer sat to the side with a laptop.

The preliminaries were read out: why they were there, how the process worked, how long it might take, and various legalities and housekeeping. Kelly tried not to look terrified.

‘When was the last time you saw Superintendent Ormond?’

‘I’m entitled to a chaperone.’

The woman running the proceedings sighed and nodded to a colleague, who went to grab a fellow officer.

‘Impartial.’

The woman nodded again, and this time they went to get a uniform from the front desk. It was a familiar face, and Kelly smiled. They quickly ran through instructions for conduct and boundaries, and began again. Kelly answered the question.

‘He hasn’t been in the office throughout the whole inquiry. I last saw him downstairs at the Watson press conference appeal. Though he called me last night to threaten me. I think he was drunk.’