‘Hi, Fiona, it’s DI Kingston from the Flying Squad. I was wondering if I could come and take a statement from you this evening. I appreciate you’re busy, but I wouldn’t ask unless it was important. It’ll be easier if I explain when I get there. I’ll be about half an hour. Thanks, I really appreciate it. See you in a bit then.’ He put the phone down. ‘That was—’

‘Fiona Simpson. If it will speed things up I don’t mind writing the statement while you get the details from her.’

‘Thanks for the offer, but Simpson’s pub is on my route home, whereas you live in the opposite direction. You’ve done well today, so go home and put your feet up.’

She finished her Scotch and stood up.

‘I’ll see you in the morning then.’

‘Could you grab me some statement forms from the documents tray in the squad room, please, while I sort myself out?’

He picked up his jacket and put his pen in the inside pocket. Jane nodded and went to get the forms.

‘Everything all right?’ Katie asked, as Jane opened the statement form tray and got a handful out.

‘Yes, DI Kingston needs to get an urgent statement regarding some information I got earlier this evening.’ She put the forms in a folder.

‘You got the statement forms, Jane?’ Kingston asked as he came out of his office.

‘Yes, Guv.’ She smiled.

He handed a copy of the artist’s impressions to Katie.

‘Stick them up on the wall for me. I’ve got to shoot out on an urgent enquiry. Man the phones for another hour then you can go home.’

‘Will you be coming back to the office tonight?’ Katie asked.

‘No,’ Kingston said as he and Jane left the room together.

‘Bitch!’ Katie muttered to herself, wondering exactly what sort of ‘urgent’ enquiry they were really on.

*

Jane’s journey home to her flat in Melcombe Place took her forty-five minutes – a lot quicker than her morning trip in rush hour. After parking her car, she walked to a nearby fish and chip shop. It had been open for about a year and served the best cod and chips she had ever tasted. It was owned by a Greek immigrant called Filippos, affectionately known to his customers as ‘Fil the Greek’, who had sensed a business opportunity as soon as he saw the popularity of fish and chips. Some local residents objected when it first opened, worried he would start selling kebabs as well and lower the tone of the area, but Fil was savvy enough to offer the locals a free first meal. Once they had tasted his fish and chips they soon came back for more. In the far corner of the shop there were three small tables where people could sit and wait for their food to be prepared or eat in if they wanted.