‘Just “fuck”, when the hammer missed.’

‘And he thought it was said in an Australian accent?’ Wynne pursed her lips. ‘Hard to tell from one word, especially a short one, said in exasperation.’

‘If it had been “strewth”, or something like that, it’d be easier to be sure.’

‘Yes,’ Wynne said. ‘Then Mr Andrew ran?’

‘He jumped into the road. The attacker swung at him again, but he ran up to the canal towpath.’

‘And the guy didn’t chase him?’ Wynne said.

‘No.’

‘Curious. If the attacker thought he’d been heard speaking in an Australian accent, you’d think he wouldn’t have wanted Mr Andrew to get away. It’s a pretty clear piece of identifying information.’

‘Which means he wasn’t worried about it,’ Nadia said. ‘Because he didn’t say it in an Australian accent.’

‘Or it was deliberate,’ Wynne said. ‘To make us think the killer is Australian.’

‘Or they are Australian and it’s a double-bluff.’

‘Or that,’ Wynne said. ‘So it’s hard to be sure.’

‘You could say the same for the gender,’ Nadia said. ‘Could be a woman speaking in a deep voice.’

‘Could be. Which could be why the attacker didn’t give chase – not much hope of catching a fit seventeen-year-old boy unless she’s very quick.’ Wynne stood up. ‘On balance, though, I think we’re looking for a male, maybe Australian.’

‘Or a New Zealander,’ Nadia said. ‘They sound the same.’

Wynne raised an eyebrow. ‘Don’t say that to a New Zealander,’ she said. ‘They’ll be mightily offended. It’s a good point, though – if our assailant did have an accent, it might not be Australian. Could be London, or American. Hard to tell from one word.’

‘So what do we do?’

‘Take it at face value, for now,’ Wynne said. ‘And have a chat to any Australians or New Zealanders we can find.’

Tom

He had emailed his boss and asked her if he could work from home for a few weeks. He didn’t specify exactly why – simply mentioned some troubles with his daughter, and that he needed to be with her until this was over.

There was one more loose end to tie up.

He opened his email and composed a message.

Martha,

I wanted to thank you for your help with Jo, but for the moment we won’t be needing any assistance. I’ll be working from home for a while, so between Alice and me we should be OK. Thank you once again, yours, Tom

Her reply was instant.

Tom

I understand. I hope this is nothing to do with the bruises. If so, I want to state once again that I had no part in them. I enjoyed working with you and spending time with your beautiful daughter, and wish you all the best in the future.

Martha