Hoskins leaned forward. ‘And if he did want to kill ’em both and had ’em tied up, why use some elaborate crushing technique? Why not try a simple whack on the head: easy to arrange, simple tools, job done.’ He shook his head ruefully, as if critiquing some botched DIY home repair.

‘It has certainly baffled me right from the start,’ Gillard said. ‘My gut feeling since the discovery of Rollason’s body was that we would have far more leads about who might have killed him than the Taiwanese guy. But who knows, we might make more progress once we get to know a little bit more about the first victim.’

Alison Rigby’s office seemed quite crowded. DI Graham Morgan, DCI Gillard and Christine McCafferty sat around the coffee table with the chief constable.

‘Okay, Christine, let’s have your take on this,’ Rigby said.

‘Well, as I mentioned, we have clearly shown a proactive approach. We should steer press enquiries towards the details of the coordinated national raid, it’s the sort of thing they love. What we don’t want and should refuse to comment on is any involvement in the creation of the false identity.’

Morgan nodded. ‘I second that, Christine.’

‘We can in any case direct any queries to the Home Office,’ Rigby said. ‘We have good operational reasons for saying nothing about how we protect those who leave prison, as this debacle clearly demonstrates. To do so would jeopardise future efforts, not only with people like Rollason but supergrasses and gang informers.’

‘I take it none of the shocking images of Rollason’s body will be released to the press?’ Christine asked.

‘No, absolutely not,’ Gillard said. ‘We mustn’t allude to the nature of the injuries either. As with the first victim, we just mention asphyxiation as the cause of death.’

‘They won’t take no for an answer,’ Christine said. ‘If you thought there was a lot of media interest in the first victim, you’ve seen nothing compared to what there will be for Rollason. We haven’t yet officially confirmed that it is him, but I’m already getting deluged with questions. By tomorrow the crime reporters will be digging out their old contacts in the Met and elsewhere who are happy to share off-the-record titbits in exchange for a big boozy lunch.’

‘We’ll just have to hold the line as best we can,’ Rigby said.

‘Can we use the picture of Rollason the witness already had on his phone?’ Christine asked.

‘We could release that, I suppose,’ Rigby said. ‘Though in theory we need Jakes’s permission.’

‘Tabloids won’t like it,’ Morgan said. ‘They want the picture of a monster, not some sweet old grandfather with Hollywood teeth.’

Christine conceded the point. ‘It’s true. They have a story to peddle and want an up-to-date illustration that fits the evil-murderer narrative.’

‘Tough luck, is the answer,’ Rigby said. ‘They’ll get what we give ’em.’