‘So why would he still be hanging around, days after the shooting?’ Chris said. ‘Surely he’d want to get as far away as possible.’

Tony shifted off the desk he’d been perching on. ‘I agree with DS West. You’re clutching at straws, Clare. Let’s get back to basics and check anyone with a history of firearms.’

‘Already done,’ Clare shot back. ‘And it’s thrown up nothing. Has it?’ She scanned the room. ‘Well? Anyone found anything?’

No one spoke. ‘Didn’t think so,’ she said. ‘I do realise you think I’m making links where there are none but, in the absence of any other bright ideas, this is what we’re going with. So, I want that photofit out to every station in Scotland. I want it on social media and I want an alert put out for this Willie. I want SOCO going over his room at the shelter,’ she glared at them, ‘and if anyone has an issue with that, well, just keep it to yourselves!’

She marched from the room heading for her office, past Zoe who was in the process of shutting down her computer. ‘Boss?’ Zoe said but Clare ignored her, slamming her office door.

Her desk was covered in Tony’s paperwork and she swept this up, dumping it on top of the filing cabinet. Then she sat down in her chair. She could feel her cheeks burning. It was a long time since she’d lost her temper. A tiny voice in the back of her head was saying they were right. They were right and she was wrong.

The door opened a fraction and a hand that looked suspiciously like Chris’s waved a white hankie. ‘Okay to come in?’ he said.

She scowled at him. ‘Well, come in if you’re coming.’

He pulled a chair over and sat down opposite her.

‘Don’t say anything,’ she said. ‘I know what you’re all thinking.’

He smiled. ‘For what it’s worth, I think you might have something. Maybe we should have hashed it out before putting it to the whole team. But I’m not disagreeing with you.’

She flicked a glance at him. ‘Okay.’

‘So, should we talk about it?’

‘We don’t have time, Chris. That’s the problem. That house party – they’ve all gone now and…’

‘What?’

She looked at him. ‘If the person who killed Russell was a family member, is it possible Gaby’s also in danger?’

Chapter 29

‘They never turned up for the overnight train,’ Chris said.

‘Dammit.’ Clare sat thinking for a moment. ‘Okay. Get their address in London. Check the house, the TV studio – see if Gaby’s been in touch. They might have decided to fly instead. Check with the three men in Glasgow too. See if Gaby and Luke stayed overnight with one of them. Maybe we delayed them with the DNA tests.’