‘And why would you? You’re a good detective too by all accounts and a good detective doesn’t believe anything they haven’t seen for themselves.’

‘They don’t. But I liked you at the scene and you handled Sharon well. I wouldn’t want to be the one breaking that news to her, not with everything that’s gone on.’

‘She’s really been through it,’ Joel said.

‘She was one of the reasons Hannah was so desperate to make it right. The last time I talked to Hannah, she … I may have a theory on why we’re not getting anything out of the source unit, why she was there in the first place.’

‘Do you want to sit out of the rain at least?’ Joel said. DS Rose moved round and the interior light that accompanied the door opening revealed just how wet she was. She kept the door open.

‘First you need to understand that she got involved in cases, that she would do anything to get a result, but this case … Even for Hannah she was obsessed.’

‘OK.’

‘So, if she broke any rules it was always with the best of intentions. I don’t want her being blamed for this, for what happened to her.’

‘I’m not bothered if she made mistakes. I just want to know what happened.’

‘Hannah talked to me about that case with those girls. She had been working on it for two weeks or so and then Callie tried to kill herself. When a fifteen-year-old girl does that as part of a case you’re investigating it hits you hard. But she couldn’t turn down the source handler job when it came up. Someone got injured, bad enough to have to leave the team. Not how you would choose to get a job but she had to take it.’

‘I can see that.’

‘Hannah also saw it as an opportunity for Callie’s case.’

‘Go on?’

‘She said she could come at it from a different angle. She talked to her new skipper about the job. He told her how they have sources that have given information about sex offenders before. Apparently it’s the only information people will share for free, especially if you’re talking about kid victims. Her skipper found someone who might be able to help so Hannah put herself forward to meet with them as soon as possible.’

‘Do we know who?’