‘I didn’t …’ Lane panted, struggling for breath, the blood rushing to his face. ‘I didn’t take her. I swear it.’

‘You sent us a letter. You told us you had her!’

‘What? I didn’t. I didn’t send any letter.’

CHAPTER 40

‘Shit, shit, shit!’ Tom slammed his hand against the wall in the corridor. ‘We have nothing. They won’t let us near him again today.’

Michael shook his head.

‘Richard Holland keeps ringing headquarters,’ he said, his voice brittle. ‘He thinks we’re hours away from finding his daughter. He thinks his family’s nightmare is nearly over.’

Tom closed his eyes and massaged his temples, trying to keep the stress headache at bay.

‘Okay. We’ll go back to HQ and get everybody together. We’re missing something. Another house, a burial site, something. We’ve a serial killer trying to convince us he suddenly has a conscience. He wasn’t displaying any of it with Laura last night.’

‘Does it happen?’ Michael asked. ‘Is there any possibility this is a coincidence? I don’t believe he would have stopped, whatever he’s telling himself – but is he telling the truth about Fiona?’

Tom shrugged.

‘Stranger things have happened. But we’re dealing with a pathological liar. Never forget that.’

Joe Kennedy was waiting for them back at headquarters.

‘Tom – can I have five minutes?’

The inspector looked at his watch impatiently.

‘I’m under pressure, Sir.’

‘Please?’

Tom wavered, then nodded at Michael to start proceedings.

‘I just want to check in with you,’ Kennedy said, closing the door to his office. ‘You’ve been through a lot in the last twenty-four hours. Can I get you something? A tea or coffee?’

Tom shook his head and sat upright in the chair. He’d cottoned on to his new chief’s method – reel you in with concern and platitudes, then try to manipulate the situation. He would be alert for whatever was coming, this time.

‘I’m fine,’ he replied. ‘Just eager to conclude this investigation.’

‘Are you sure you’re able to continue?’

‘Are you doubting my abilities?’ Tom asked, sounding far more relaxed than he felt.

‘Well, look at it like this. You’ve done a superb job in tracking down and arresting Lane. Saving your detective in the meantime – nobody can deny that was excellent police work. Although, people will probably wonder why she was allowed to go out to his house alone in the first instance.’

Kennedy paused.

‘They might,’ Tom interjected. ‘Of course, luckily for Laura, we knew immediately something wasn’t right and launched a full-scale investigation into her disappearance. Otherwise, I can’t imagine what might have happened. If we’d assumed, for example, that she just hadn’t been arsed to turn up for work …’

Kennedy pursed his lips and pushed his glasses up his nose.