‘It is possible,’ said Kotsev. ‘Her concern might have been to save the child, to get her out of the way of danger. That is how it is with mothers, I understand. But fathers want their children, too. Some want them very badly.’

‘How would he have tracked her down here, to Derbyshire? Could his influence reach here so easily?’

‘Yes. In fact, he might have preferred it. It’s not so easy in Bulgaria for the mutras now. As I said, the country is changing. There’s no place for those who grew up in the old ways.’

‘The old ways, Georgi? You mean bribery and corruption?’

Kotsev shrugged. ‘After the Change, that was the way things worked. It was the system.’

‘But the system didn’t work equally for everybody, did it? Isn’t that important?’

He smiled. ‘Ah, now you sound like a Communist.’

But Fry didn’t return his smile. ‘In particular, it didn’t work for Zlatka Shishkov.’

‘This is true.’

‘Georgi, would a father really go so far to get his child back? Would he go to any lengths?’

Kotsev took a drink, started to shake his head, then nodded instead. ‘I can’t answer that question, Diane.’

Fry looked at him, wanting to ask him whether he was a father himself. But she was afraid it would sound too personal.

Kotsev shrugged. ‘We might have expected the child to be taken – to be returned to her father. But that hasn’t happened.’

‘Not yet,’ said Fry. ‘It hasn’t happened yet.’

Fry updated her colleagues at West Street with the news, and they considered the theory suggested by the latest information.

‘You know, I never thought the fire made sense myself,’ she said. ‘And it still doesn’t.’

‘No? What do you mean?’ asked Cooper.

‘Well, starting that fire was a very dangerous thing to do, wasn’t it? It doesn’t fit the same pattern as the killing of Rose Shepherd. Apart from the effectiveness of the technique, there are no signs that it’s a professional job. Where’s the planning, the cool calculation?’

‘Perhaps you’re right, but I’m not sure why.’

‘Ben, look. For a start, they must have known Luanne wasn’t in the house with the rest of the family, or they wouldn’t have risked it. Not if they wanted to get her back so badly.’

‘Yes, I agree.’

‘And I’m not even sure what they hoped to achieve by starting the fire. Did they mean for the Mullens to be killed?’

‘Maybe they just made a mistake. If they acted recklessly and failed to make sure that Luanne Mullen wasn’t in the house –’

‘They’d be in big trouble, wouldn’t they?’

‘But now it’s Luanne who’s at risk again, isn’t it? These people will stop at nothing. So forget the fire – the living are most important. We have to save that child.’