‘I agree,’ Ava said. ‘So I want to go back to Stephen Berry’s death and see what we missed. The forensics has given us little to go on. Stephen previously made a very public suicide attempt on the Queensferry Crossing that was shared widely on social media. There was a large crowd on the bridge, and we know that both photos and videos were taken. There was a man laughing there. That information came from Mr Maclure, who talked Stephen Berry down, and it was confirmed by several officers at the scene. Our priority is to find that man. I want the identities of all the people at the scene. We should be able to get car registrations for those vehicles that were stopped behind the police line during the incident and drivers should be able to account for who was in their vehicle.’

‘That won’t prove who the person laughing was,’ someone added from the back.

‘No, it won’t, but we’ll be able to ask those present for any photos or video footage taken and maybe that’ll get us a step closer. Stephen Berry was likely the first victim, so it’s possible that someone at the scene took a lasting interest and seeing him attempting to jump was some sort of trigger for them.’

‘But how would they have found out about Fenella Hawksmith?’ Tripp asked.

‘Check media reports at the time. Speak with Mrs Hawksmith’s doctor, see if there was any public suicide attempt that might have got into the papers. Look at her medical records, find out the circumstances of her committal. I’ve already requested that uniformed units take statements from staff members at Reach You detailing their contacts with both Berry and Shozo, including their movements and whereabouts when all three crimes were committed.’

‘The murderer’s ramping it up, though, right?’ Janet Monroe said. ‘Three killings in three weeks, each more extreme than the last. We’re going to need to be more proactive to catch him or her before anyone else dies.’

‘What are you suggesting?’ Ava asked.

‘An attempt to attract the killer’s attention?’ Monroe suggested.

‘I don’t think so. It’d be difficult to set something like that up convincingly, not to mention dangerous, and a spate of public suicides can lead other vulnerable people to follow the same path. We know that from the online teenage suicide pacts. The last thing we need is to contribute to a pattern. If we do that, and other people follow suit, we may well end up focusing the killer’s attention on the wrong person and unwittingly end up helping him or her find his next victim.’

Monroe nodded.

‘So, DS Tripp’ll be in charge of day-to day operations, answerable directly to me. I want all hands on today and we’re not stopping until we have something to work with.’

‘What’s DI Supermodel working on, then?’ Lively called out.