Dan zapped on the overhead projector and stepped in front of the team. The light on the board exaggerated his Irish colouring. ‘Let’s consider why might someone might want to set fire to the soup shop. The key arson motives are crime concealment, financial gain and boredom.’ His iPad projected each motive as a bullet point on the board.

An angry mutter bobbed round the room at the mention of ‘boredom’.

‘We also need to consider extremism, jealousy and revenge. The intention is always criminal damage or endangering life, sometimes both.’ He faced us now. ‘With those in mind, what should our working hypotheses be?’

‘An insurance job by Indra?’ Alexej offered, looking up from his monitor. ‘I’m checking whether Simas and Indra had the building insured, and whether Simas had a life insurance policy.’

‘Yes,’ said Dan. ‘What else?’

‘Who might not have liked the soup shop being in Brick Lane?’ Alexej pointed at the street plans and photos. ‘We know ethnic groups stick together. There’s also an element of immigrant kinship and turf-orientation, but when it comes down to business, people’s loyalties are to themselves.’

The atmosphere tightened.

‘Thanks, buddy,’ Dan said. ‘I agree. Other ideas?’

‘Maybe someone has their eye on the building?’ Shen had been listening to Alexej carefully. ‘A developer, perhaps?’ She had a small, delicate frame and her voice was quiet at first. ‘I often walk up Brick Lane to visit my brother. The shops change hands quickly and businesses move from one premises to another.’ She checked her notes. ‘The shop was gutted before the Brick Lane Soup Company opened. Perhaps the arsonist was targeting the freeholder rather than Simas Gudelis?’

‘Who is their freeholder? They’ll have the building insured.’ I tapped at the image of the shop on the board, as though encouraging it to speak to me.

‘Man called Solomon Stein. He owns a few freeholds in Brick Lane.’ Shen pointed to her notepad. ‘Seems legit but I’m doing a few more checks.’

‘It’s possible the arsonist was targeting the woman.’ Dan was typing the additional points into his list. ‘It’s difficult to assess until we know who she was.’ He was rubbing his chin thoughtfully. ‘I want to know what bad blood exists between Indra and Simas, and between them and other people.’

‘If Indra knew Simas was having an affair, she might want revenge?’ Shen suggested. ‘Or perhaps we are looking for the partner of the woman in the fire?’

‘Yes, Indra has to be a suspect.’ I tucked my hair behind my ears, feeling the weight and scope of the task ahead. ‘If the woman’s partner is responsible, surely they’d have reported her missing so as not to arouse suspicion?’