Archer deletes the message with a sense of bafflement. Hasn’t she made it crystal clear to Hamilton that he will get nothing from her? And since when are they on first-name terms? It irritates her that he has her number and she wonders how he got it. She will try and uncover that mystery later. She has enough on her plate as it is.

Archer gives Grandad strict instructions to relax today and not venture out.

‘Your wish is my command. Don’t worry, Grace. I’ll light the fire, read the paper and listen to Radio 4. What more could a man want in life?’

Archer chuckles and kisses him on the head. ‘I’ll call you later.’

Outside the house she stops for a moment and checks the news on her phone. The Marshland Martyrs dominate the headlines, but to Archer’s disgust the articles she scans seem to focus less on the victims and more on the killer, with one in particular describing him as ‘a visionary, albeit a psychopathic visionary’. Archer feels a chill run down her spine. The language used to describe the killer is changing subtly and as a result so are people’s opinions. The three pranksters with their matching @nonymous hoodies are testament to that. She spots a link to Mike Hamilton’s latest offering and despite herself clicks on it. She can’t bring herself to read the entire article but words like ‘screwball’, ‘fruitcake’, ‘whack job’ and ‘talentless’ almost leap from the screen. There is nothing of substance about Elaine Kelly, Chau Ho or Megan Burchill. It’s as if they have already been forgotten. Archer wonders if the media have learnt nothing from history. She pockets her phone, dropping it in as if it’s contaminated. Pulling up the collar of her coat, she makes her way to Charing Cross feeling like there’s a dark cloud over her head.

At the incident room almost one hour later Archer has printed off an agenda for each member of the team. They are seated around the conference table.

‘First up, DCI Pierce has some new evidence from the Greenwich Peninsula, which she’ll share with us when she arrives later. Os, what do we have on Ben Peters and Hilary Richards?’