‘But take it from me, it works that way with a lot of people. You can find yourself telling everything to some sympathetic stranger who’s prepared to listen. I think Rose Shepherd was so scared of giving away clues about herself that talking to people was too much of a risk. So she avoided it. Simple as that. A bit like a recovered alcoholic avoids taking the first drink. It’s not the one drink that’s the problem – it’s what he knows it will lead to.’

Fry began to pace the room again. ‘OK. So what was she hiding?’

‘Well, that,’ said Cooper, ‘I don’t know. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be so alone, to cut yourself off from everyone that way. How could anyone do that?’

‘Why are you asking me?’

Cooper raised an eyebrow at her tone and looked around the room. ‘Apart from Gavin, there’s no one else here, Diane.’

Fry was silent for a while, staring down at the floor. ‘This is getting us nowhere. Instead of all these what ifs, we need to start finding some answers.’

‘Sounds good to me,’ said Murfin. ‘So when do we start?’

‘Gavin –’

‘Sorry.’

‘Well, I know one thing,’ said Cooper. ‘It’s difficult to see a connection between the fire and the shooting. And now Simon Nichols – how does he fit in? I suppose if he didn’t die until Tuesday, he could have been involved in both incidents.’

‘Hold on,’ said Fry. ‘So far as we can tell, there were nearly twenty-four hours between the two. In Rose Shepherd’s case, the medical examiner gave us a pretty wide range for time of death – between thirty and forty hours. But let’s get this straight – the Foxlow shooting came first. It’s just that the victim wasn’t discovered until after the fire.’

‘Maybe Lindsay Mullen was in the wrong place at the wrong time, then. She must somehow have got a look at Nichols, or whoever was watching Rose Shepherd. A good enough look to be able to identify him later.’

‘So he decided to take her out before she could give anyone a description?’

Cooper nodded. ‘Before she even knew that Miss Shepherd had been killed. The body wasn’t discovered until Monday afternoon.’

‘Somebody wasn’t taking any chances, were they?’

‘It’s because they’re –’

‘Yes, I know. Professionals,’ said Fry. ‘That’s another factor against Nichols. If he wasn’t a professional himself, he had the right contacts.’

‘Well, we’ll have to wait for the PM results before we know more about Nichols.’

Fry stared at the ceiling for a few moments. ‘You know, you were right – the Shepherd enquiry is becoming a big distraction for me. I should be focusing on the arson.’

‘What do you mean?’ said Cooper.