He glanced at his computer screen. A police computer was the most robustly protected service available, and he took full advantage of that by handling all of his business affairs through it. No one was allowed in his office unless invited; it was a haven in which he could operate in complete privacy. There would always be too many questions at home. Here, he could create dozens of passwords and elevate confidentiality simply by encrypting each file for his eyes only. He’d been doing it for years. He looked at the screen and checked the balance of his offshore account in the Isle of Man. The government was tightening the noose around such tax loopholes and so he was in the process of transferring the whole lot into a new business venture here on the mainland. But it was tedious work and he left his accountant to sort out the detail.

He picked up his mobile and dialled a number.

‘Ormond here,’ he bellowed when the call was answered. He nodded and exchanged pleasantries, then dropped his voice, never sure of who might be listening.

‘I need some information on a fellow officer, and I need the utmost discretion,’ he said. ‘I want you to find something I can use. And while you’re at it, find out what she values the most in her life: cat, car, children… you get the idea.’

There was a short pause.

‘Her name is Detective Inspector Kelly Porter.’

He hung up and punched a different number into his phone.

‘Has it been done?’

‘Yes, guv.’

He was the gaffer and no one else.

Chapter 26

‘How well do you know Neil, Dad?’

Thomas Watson was driving his children home. Millie was quiet in the back, and Jordan sat up front with his father.

‘Just from the golf club. He was one of the first people to reach out to us when we moved here.’ The memory pained him and he bit his lip. Jordan saw it and stared out of the window.

‘I don’t like him.’

‘Why ever not? He’s a thoroughly decent man.’

‘He might be decent on the outside, but his staff don’t like him, and he looked disgusted when I said you were offering a reward for information about Keira’s death.’

‘I agree, Dad,’ Millie piped up. ‘I don’t think Kelly likes him either. She’s sharp around him.’

‘Maybe he’s acting strangely because he doesn’t know what else to do. I mean, he knew your mother personally. He has the resources and the power to make this investigation a priority. It can’t be easy being that close and not getting answers.’

‘It’s only been two days!’ Jordan’s outburst was aggressive and his father admonished him. All their nerves were frayed and it was becoming increasingly wearing living under the same roof as one another. Only Grandma kept them from snapping all the time.