‘Cheeky wee bastards!’ exclaims Quinn.

‘Our killer has become a modern-day folk hero,’ says Klara.

‘Can you get a close-up the reg of their van?’ asks Archer.

‘No problem.’

‘Look, I need to go,’ says Archer. ‘My grandad . . .’

‘No worries,’ Quinn tells her.

‘Grace . . . sorry . . . I found Elaine Kelly on the Infernos CCTV. There’s something else you should see.’

Archer is getting anxious about Grandad and the time. She pulls on her coat as Klara rewinds the video. Archer watches the grainy black-and-white footage of people dancing in an odd backwards fashion while others retreat from the bar and dance floor.

Klara pauses the video and points at a male figure behind the bar. ‘Keep an eye on him,’ she says.

Archer leans forward. ‘That’s Jason Armitage.’

‘He’s watching someone across the bar,’ says Klara. She runs her finger across the screen, to Elaine Kelly who is standing at the bar looking out toward the dance floor. There are other people at the bar and Archer isn’t convinced the shot has any value. ‘He could be looking at anyone?’ she says.

‘Look at this,’ replies Klara, pressing the play button.

Archer watches Elaine walk along the bar. Armitage steps forward, grabs her arm and says something to her. Elaine looks at him, pulls away and then walks on. Armitage watches her go, ignoring the customers waiting to be served.

‘Good work, Klara. Save that clip for me and see what else you can find.’

‘That’s not all. I did some digging. Seems he has a history of violence and an existing rape conviction.’

‘Let’s get him in.’ Archer turns to Quinn. ‘I really need to go. Can I leave it with you?’

‘Of course. You go see to your grandad and grab an early night.’

‘I’ll call you later.’

*

It’s almost 5 p.m. when Archer arrives at Roupell Street. She lets herself into Grandad’s house, where she is greeted by the familiar and comforting smell of burning wood and lavender, the latter a legacy from her grandmother that the old man could never let go of. There is another fragrance too, an appealing scent with subtle tones of pepper and citrus.

A man’s cologne.

Jamie appears in the narrow hallway. ‘Hi.’ His voice is quiet.

‘Is he sleeping?’ she replies.

Jamie nods. ‘He was tired and couldn’t stay up any longer.’

‘Thank you so much for taking him home and staying with him.’

‘My pleasure.’

‘Come into the kitchen. Can I get you anything?’ She notices the bottle of red wine from the hamper is half full and sitting on the kitchen table.

‘Jake insisted on opening it.’

‘He likes his wine.’

‘He had one glass and that finished him off.’

‘How has he been?’

‘On fine form.’

‘I’m so relieved. I felt so guilty not being there for him.’

‘Don’t be. He understands the demands of your job.’