‘Also,’ she said, ‘there’s zero forensics, apart from the pencil. Even with the fire, it’s meticulous. And the timeframe? Looks like the car and body were hidden somewhere for, what, two whole days? Then it’s left burnt out in a car park, where it’ll definitely be found. Somebody who knows what they’re doing. It’s all very thoughtful, efficient. But…’ She shook her head. ‘They leave him in the passenger footwell. He must have been put there post mortem, yet there’s no clear signs of a struggle before that. A drug dealer who doesn’t put up a fight?’

‘Body in that state it’s difficult to know for sure.’

‘Still, someone puts a pencil into your eye socket and it goes all the way in? You don’t try to fight ’em off?’

‘He was taken by surprise?’

‘Must have been, I guess. No substances in his blood either, no sedation? Jesus, Joe, you know how to pick ’em!’

‘It’s opportunistic, right?’

‘Yes, it looks that way. But the pencil? That’s the strange part. The killer must have known the victim, or was comfortable in his presence. At the very least they must have been close up, talking. It’s the only way. Even then, it’s a stretch to incapacitate someone with a well-sharpened HB. But, y’know, the first kill? The unplanned ones can be weird. They can come from nowhere.’

‘Spontaneous?’

‘You wouldn’t choose a pencil, would you?’

‘The second kill? That was a choice.’

‘Yes. Different kind of thing altogether.’

‘Could it be two killers?’

She shifted on the bench.

‘It’s possible. But, I dunno, there’s something about both murders, apart from the pencils, something that connects them. They’re mad, but there’s an element of control. Manic but calm. I can’t put my finger on it… The second one, he gets the victim there by posing as a police officer. Forensics still pretty minimal. Meticulous. But it’s so completely different. Everything about it.’

‘I know, I know…’

‘Classic escalation, though. That’s my instinct. The first one: we don’t really know. But then he goes out, gets another victim, simple, planned, wallop. But you see the difference with the pencil?’

Joe nodded. ‘He only leaves it the second time.’

‘A calling card. But only he knows for certain that it leads back to the first kill.’

‘For his own satisfaction?’

‘Gotta be. Strengthens the case for the first one being opportunistic.’

‘If so, what’s the second? A campaign, a cause?’

‘I dunno, but it’s personal. It’s not for our benefit. This is all about the killer. Something about that first kill in particular, and the transition to the second. Kill number one becomes important. It overpowers him, compels him.’

‘A crusade?’