‘That tells me he’s a sick son of a bitch. Same thing it tells you. But no, that’s not what worries me.’

‘What does?’

‘Off the record?’

‘Goes without saying.’

‘No it doesn’t, Sarah.’ Levy always believed in being direct. At least where possible. Right now, it was essential. ‘I’m taking a big risk talking to you. Which I’m only doing because you’ve shown yourself as trustworthy. But if I’m wrong about that – if you screw me over – you won’t want to deal with the consequences.’

‘So I’ve heard.’ Sarah smiled. She took another sip of wine. ‘My fiancé said the exact same thing.’

‘Your fiancé? Do I know him?’

‘Not really, no. At least not personally. He’s a barrister. Michael Devlin. I think he’s defended in a couple of your cases.’

Levy did not answer immediately. Instead she trawled her memory. It did not take long. Her time in Shin Bet had included training in absolute recall. By its very nature, a talent she could not forget. The picture of a tall man with blonde hair focused in Levy’s mind.

‘Michael Devlin,’ Levy said, almost to herself at first. ‘I remember him. He’s good, Sarah.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Handsome too. Lucky girl.’

‘Thanks again.’ This time Sarah laughed. ‘But seriously, anything you say to me is off the record. Hell, I could report what I already know – none of which comes from you – but I’m not even going to do that. There’s nothing you can tell me that’s more headline-grabbing than crucifixion.’

‘OK,’ Levy replied. ‘Then here’s what worries me. These killings, they’re identical. Ritualistic. Except it’s no kind of a ritual I’ve ever heard of. More a personal perversion of some sort.’

‘You mean sexual?’

‘I don’t think so, no. More a perversion of the killer’s humanity, if that makes any sense?’

‘I’m not sure I know what you mean,’ Sarah said.

‘Maybe that’s not the perfect description,’ Levy continued. ‘But whatever it is, this guy is not a blunt instrument. He’s not killing just to kill. Just to cause death. He’s enjoying every inch of it. The torture. The dismemberment. The terror, no doubt. And the aftermath. Some of the sick stuff he does is post-mortem. And that’s for us. For whoever finds the bodies.’

‘And you don’t get that with a spree killer?’

‘Not in my experience. They just kill; the killing is all it’s about. But it’s not only the sickness that sets him apart. It’s his intent.’

‘His intent?’

‘That he fully intends to keep going. Spree killers, they kill until they’re caught or cornered. And they don’t do much to stop that happening. But this guy? This guy is covering his tracks and he is doing it very, very well.’

‘How? What is he doing?’

‘He’s using bleach, to cover his tracks. He soaks the body in it. He pours it down their throats. And then when he’s done he uses it to cover any part of the house he’s been in.’