‘There’s a quiet path at the back of the house. It’s likely the perpetrator came in that way.’

‘So, where’s Megan now?’

Kesey’s brow furrowed. ‘She spent last night at her mum’s place while the SOCOs did their bit, but then she insisted on going back to her house this morning.’

‘What? That’s the last place I’d want to be. I’d feel like a sitting target. If he’s broken in twice, why not again? She’s at risk. It seems insane to me.’

‘Yeah, I said much the same thing to Ray. He tried to talk her out of it. She had other options. She could have carried on staying at her mum’s place or gone to stay with her ex. They both offered. But she’s got it into her head that she needs to be there in case Lottie comes back.’

‘That doesn’t make a lot of sense.’

Kesey was quick to reply. ‘It doesn’t make any sense at all, Jan. But try telling her that. Ray said he’d tried every angle, but she wasn’t having any of it. She was staying put, and that was it.’

‘Can’t you put an officer in the house to look after the poor woman until the maniac’s caught and locked up? You know, someone who can keep her safe? You could have someone with her twenty-four hours a day. I think that’s what I’d do in your place.’

Kesey sucked in her cheeks. ‘Yeah, you’d think so, wouldn’t you? But Halliday won’t agree to it. We can’t justify the cost, apparently. Megan’s chosen to stay there rather than having to, or at least, that’s his rationalisation. I’ve had a panic alarm fitted, linked directly to the police station. That’s the best I can do. If Megan presses it, there’ll be an immediate emergency response. There are covert cameras covering both gardens, front and back. They were set up by the tech team this afternoon. And I’ve told the patrol cars to drive past the house whenever they’re in the area. Resources are limited. I’d like to do more, but I can’t. You can shake your head as much as you want to. It’s the best I can do.’

27

‘Is that your father’s camera?’

Heath spun on the ball of his right foot, looking directly at his mother’s unreal image as she appeared, materialising from the mirror, becoming ever more vivid, the colours brighter with each second that passed. Heath was dressed from head to foot in her old clothes, dark tights, a skirt let out at the waist and a blouse with floral lace decoration around the collar. The blouse was at least a size too small. He was in full make-up, but not wearing the wig, due to the warmth of the day.

‘Yes, Mother, it is my father’s camera, as you well know, the German one, his favourite SLR. I feel sure you recall what he used to do with it. All the photos he took of me in various states of undress. The ones he shared with the priest and his other like-minded predatory friends. I was quite the star.’