Inside the hall, the desks had been moved around and a bunch of laptops, phones and a couple of TVs were now on top of them. Photos of the crime scene, including the bodies in situ, had been pinned to the board on the wall, along with names of potential suspects and printed copies of the messages in the Twelve Days of Christmas cards.

There were five uniforms present and they all looked busy. James quickly briefed them and was told who would be manning the fort during the night.

He then checked his watch and saw it was almost seven. He sent a text to Annie to say he’d be home soon and settled in a chair to watch live coverage on BBC News of the press conference in Penrith.

He was still waiting for it to start when his mobile rang. He answered it without checking the caller ID.

He recognised the voice immediately and it sent a chill through his body.

‘Andrew Sullivan,’ he blurted. ‘Is that you?’

‘It’s nice of you to remember my dulcet tones,’ came the reply.

‘How did you get this number and what the fuck do you want?’

Sullivan laughed. ‘I got the number from one of your former colleagues at the Yard. He rang to tell me you were urgently trying to find out where I am and what I’m up to. So, for old times’ sake, I thought I’d give you a bell to let you know.’

James was momentarily lost for words and he sat in stunned silence, listening to the vile thug who had driven him and Annie out of London.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Annie was at home when she received James’s text. Normally she would have asked him if he wanted her to prepare some dinner, but food was the last thing on her mind.

Instead, she poured herself another glass of wine in the hope that it would dull her senses and help her to get to sleep later.

She felt seriously uptight, and her mind was swamped by negative thoughts. But that was surely to be expected since it had been another harrowing day.

She carried the wine into the living room, switched on the television, and dropped onto the sofa.

She had already made up her mind to tell James about the abortion when he arrived home. If she didn’t, he was bound to hear it from someone else now that the cat was out of the bag.

She wasn’t sure how he was going to feel about her keeping it from him. They’d told each other years ago that they’d be open about their pasts. But she hadn’t, not entirely, and now she felt guilty about that. Was it likely to put further strain on their marriage at a time when they were faced with so many other challenges?

On the TV the newscaster announced that they were going over live to a press conference at Cumbria police headquarters in Penrith. Three people were sitting behind a table and Annie recognised James’s boss, DCI Tanner. She’d never met the man, but James had shown her pictures of him and she’d seen him on the local news.