‘I believe you, Mickey,’ interrupted Joseph, not wanting to hear the unfortunate child say that he’d ‘hope to die’. ‘In the job I had before this one, I used to have to guard people. Very important people, just like you.’

Mickey yawned. ‘So who did you protect?’

Joseph leaned across and whispered a name in the boy’s ear, then he moved back to see the child’s dark eyes widen and the lips form an amazed ‘O’.

‘Never!’

‘Yep. I really did.’

Mickey’s eyes began to close, but the smile stayed on his face. ‘I got secrets, too.’

Joseph stiffened, but kept his tone soft. ‘Really? Big as mine?’

‘Bigger.’

‘Wanna share them?’

‘Maybe.’

As Joseph watched, the child’s breathing changed, and his ravaged face relaxed into sleep.

‘Great timing, Mickey.’ He sat back and tried to make himself comfortable. ‘But I’ll still be here when you wake up, believe me!’

Nikki closed the folder and let out a long, audible sigh. The forensic findings showed that Lisa Jane had been grabbed from behind, and throttled to death with great force. The whole horrible incident would have taken only minutes. She hoped that Archie and his family might take some sort of consolation from that fact. She could just as easily have been incarcerated somewhere and tortured. Nikki tensed. Which could be the fate of Kerry Anderson, if they didn’t damn well find her.

‘Ma’am. May I have a word?’

She looked up to see WPC Yvonne Collins, dressed in civvies, waiting in the doorway.

‘Sure. Problem?’

‘I hope not, but I’ve got bad vibes about something, Guv.’

Nikki pointed to a chair, and realized that Collins, a woman who had never been her greatest fan, had just called her ‘Guv’, and her tone had none of its usual rancour.

‘What’s worrying you, Yvonne?’

‘Earlier today Niall and I went to see an old snout of mine. We’d asked him about Fluke, and he said he’d get us some information and meet us at five.’ Yvonne rubbed her forehead. ‘Thing is, we waited at the rendezvous, but he didn’t turn up.’

‘And he’s normally reliable?’

‘I’ve known Vic longer than some of my work colleagues, and he’s never missed.’

‘Do you drop him anything?’

‘Just a token amount, Guv, from my own purse.’

‘I do the same. It keeps them coming back.’

Yvonne looked miserable. ‘It’s not just that. I like the old boy. He’s harmless, and very intelligent. I’d hate something to have happened to him. I’m off duty now, and I’d like to go look for him, but I thought I should check with you first.’

‘I’m not sure that the Carborough at night, and out of uniform, is a good move.’

‘It’s far worse with your uniform on, believe me! But Niall has offered to go with me.’