Only when she saw a sign for the M1 North on a gantry over the North Circular Road did Anna realise they were about to leave London. And stasis. Because that was how it had felt until now, in the back of DCI Lucy Miller’s car. The slip road felt like a path into the rest of the day. Into a new life. One in which Josie played no role.

She couldn’t ever forget Josie, and the little lady wasn’t yet gone for ever, but she managed to put her aside long enough to focus on the immediate future. So she asked: ‘What happens next?’

Nick’s head had been on her shoulder, but now it jerked up. Miller, in the passenger seat, looked round at her. She was blinking rapidly, as if having dozed for a moment.

‘You need to take me into custody, don’t you? Put me in a cell. Because I’m a murderer.’

Nick squeezed her hand. Knowing the police had retrieved the disk from the kidnappers’ car, although they hadn’t yet viewed it, she had earlier started to tell her tale. DS Bennet had been willing to record her statement on the move, but Miller had warned her not to say a word. They would deal with it when they got home. And she shouldn’t say anything without a solicitor present.

‘The case belongs to the London boys and girls, dear. They’ll want to question you, but I’ll try to make sure they travel up here, instead of you having to go down to them. But this case has waited eight years and another day won’t hurt anyone. I’ll call those guys and gals tomorrow. You need some sleep.’

The detectives hadn’t slept, either, she knew. Both looked ragged, Miller especially so. She knew they had been up all night, watching Nick’s car, watching the bank. Even after she had approached Jefferson’s, they had waited. The plan had been to make arrests once they knew where Josie was, but they had been forced to make a move when it became clear that Anna wasn’t being taken to her daughter. They had allowed Nick to travel to London, already knowing exactly where he was going. Because her father had told them, although she had no clue how he’d known.

Miller continued: ‘We’ll run you by our station when we get back, Anna. Just to quickly process you. Apologies and all, but it’s something we have to… But we’ll get you bailed quickly, dear, and you can go home for the rest of the day. There’s no reason we can’t give you some good news about Josie before tomorrow.’

She didn’t know the ins and outs of police procedure, but got the feeling Miller wanted to help her more than she wanted an arrest for the scorecards. But she didn’t want help.