‘Where do we go from here, Dani?’ she said, then let out a mocking laugh. ‘Great, and now you’re talking to yourself again, you mad woman.’

Front and centre in Dani’s mind was genuine sorrow and guilt over the death of Dean Harland, not to mention the other people caught up in the mess who would be scarred, both mentally and physically. Yet she also felt hurt and betrayed, and angry. Strangely, the one person she was feeling herself pushed closer to in that moment was someone who had hurt and betrayed her more than anyone else. She really didn’t know why, but after she’d finished her first bottle of cider she picked up the phone and called the prison.

Of course there was no prospect of either seeing or speaking with Ben that day, but with an appointment to see her brother after the weekend, and little else to do for the rest of the day, Dani fixed herself another drink.

Hours later she was still sitting and sipping in silence when the doorbell rang. She groaned, got up and headed to the hall. She looked on the intercom monitor and saw Jason. She thought about not answering, but really she was intrigued. He was like a boomerang.

‘What do you want?’ Dani asked, pressing the speaker button.

He held up a hand gripping a bottle of vodka. Grey Goose at that.

‘Come on up,’ Dani said.

‘It was a shitty thing to happen,’ Jason said.

They were sitting on opposite sofas in the lounge, both holding onto a tumbler of neat vodka with ice. Their third.

‘You know what, I really don’t want to talk about it,’ Dani said. ‘I did what I thought was right.’

Jason said nothing.

‘What’s going on with the case?’ Dani asked. ‘I’m guessing you’ve been put on it instead of me now.’

‘Fletcher’s going to be off any day. McNair needed another DI.’

‘What about DCI Fairclough and the Organised Crime lot?’

‘To be honest, he’s not really too interested. He didn’t know of Reeve or Harland or Ethan Grant, said they must only have been small players. He’s doing what he can to look into people who may have known Reeve or Harland, but so far he’s not given us anything useful.’

‘So where’s the investigation headed?’

Jason screwed his face, like he’d been asked a hugely inappropriate personal question.

‘Maybe we should drop the work talk. Take your mind off it.’

‘Whatever. But I want to know what’s going on still. It’s my case. There’s at least one murderer out there and it matters to me that we catch them.’