Timothé followed his new companion into the square kitchen. There were maps along the wall – Kent, Dover, Canterbury. He paused at the door to take in the scene. The dog walked over to his owner and sat in the blood that had pooled at his feet. The man was tightly bound to his chair with plastic cable ties around his ankles and wrists. It was hard to judge his age because his body was so bloated from decomposition. But it was clear that he had suffered significantly in his dying moments. Timothé saw that the man’s toenails had been pulled out and he was missing a finger on each hand. His head was tilted up to the ceiling and a deep wound ran the width of his neck, his mouth open wide in a silent scream.

10

Jameson was already at his desk when Bloom arrived in the office on Thursday morning. She’d missed seeing him there every day.

‘What?’ he said, over his shoulder.

‘I didn’t say anything.’ Bloom took her seat and powered up her laptop.

‘Why were you staring?’

Bloom smiled. He’d sensed her watching. ‘You’ve had a haircut.’

Jameson ran his hand through the mop of curls. ‘It was getting unruly.’ He turned to face her. ‘Let’s review what we’ve got. Any more details on Harry’s injuries?’

Bloom shook her head and opened the OneNote document for Karene’s case. Jameson had access to this too. It was where they recorded any insights or evidence of value. It was a process that ensured they both had all of the available information all of the time. ‘I checked with the consultant and there were no additional minor injuries, no signs of having been tied up or tortured. It seems he was admitted on Tuesday evening, seventy-two hours after the explosion. An A&E nurse found him unconscious on a gurney in the hallway. They couldn’t find the crew who brought him in but it was a busy shift; there’d been a fire at a local factory so there were lots of walking wounded.’

‘Clever. Bring him in and dump him when people are too busy to notice. They were probably watching the hospitals, listening to ambulance call-outs. That’s what I’d have done. Any CCTV?’

‘I spoke to the security manager. He wasn’t particularly helpful. He says we need a police request.’

‘But they do have it?’

‘Yes. I took a walk through. A&E is well covered.’

‘Could the hospital determine when and how he’d sustained the head injury?’

‘The consultant said it was consistent with trauma sustained in an explosion or impact of some kind. He doesn’t seem to think it occurred separately.’