Tripp went off without speaking. It was no indictment on the young officer that he hadn’t the stomach for the corpse. Ava reminded herself that she’d find a way to sleep at some point in the future – she always did – and made herself take a proper look, kneeling down next to the crumpled body.

The man’s face was badly burned, a long time ago from the look of it, and his throat was gone. His head remained attached to his torso by the spine. That wasn’t what was going to give Max Tripp and anyone else working the scene nightmares, though. Inserted into each eye was a long, shiny black feather. A viscous fluid, mingling with blood, had leaked down each cheek, giving the impression that the victim had wept over his fate, as Ava would later. It didn’t matter how hardened she became. There were always a few tears to spare for victims who’d suffered so appallingly. She got Ailsa on the phone, dispensing with small talk.

‘Was he shot first, or were the feathers put into his eyes while he was still alive?’

‘I’m confident he was shot and that the damage to the eyes was done postmortem. I’ll have the feathers sent to an ornithologist as soon as we’ve removed them at the mortuary and taken any trace evidence from them.’

‘How long has he been dead?’ Ava asked.

‘Twelve hours is my best estimate. Now, why don’t you ask me the question that’s really on your mind.’

‘We should swap jobs,’ Ava said. ‘Not that I’m qualified to do yours.’

‘Never!’ Ailsa exclaimed. ‘I only have to deal with people I feel sympathy for. You have to sit in small rooms with the men and women who commit these evil acts. I prefer to spend my time with the dead, thank you very much.’

‘You’ve got a point. And all right, if you’re going to make me say it: Is this the work of the same person who killed Fenella Hawksmith and Osaki Shozo?’

‘What do you think?’ Ailsa asked.

‘My gut says yes, but I have no good evidence for that. New method of killing. I know nothing about the victim except that at some point in his past he was badly burned. No cable ties this time. But the level of violence, the force of destruction, that feels the same. I don’t understand the feathers, though. If it’s the same killer, why haven’t we seen those before? Do you think it’s the same perpetrator?’