‘Officially, nothing. I told you I shouldn’t even be talking to you. Unofficially I’ll go back over our systems and get you anything that stands out as relevant. I want answers for Hannah as much as anyone, you know that, right?’

‘Of course.’

‘Sounds like the bastard that shot her has already paid the same price. Shame really, would have been more fitting to put him through the same justice system.’

‘Would have been nice to ask him a few questions about how she died too,’ Joel said. He got to his feet to leave.

‘You’re really not convinced he killed himself?’

Joel shrugged. ‘I should be: man loses his shit when his daughter is abused, tortures and kills the bastard responsible, then the people that might be able to link him to murder. Then realises what he’s done and shoots himself …’

‘That makes sense.’

‘It does. And right now, little else does.’

Chapter 45

‘At last, the dream team is complete!’

Joel hadn’t expected a cheery greeting on return to his stolen office one storey above the source unit and he certainly hadn’t expected it to be from Superintendent Debbie Marsden. She already had a coffee. She lifted it out like it was a toast. DS Rose was in the desk opposite, her face close enough to the monitor for it to light her up.

‘Two of us, ma’am. Are we calling that a team now?’ Joel’s reply was instant.

‘Very good. I see what you did there – subtle as a brick, Joel, that’s exactly why I personally chose you to lead this team. And don’t you worry. I have started going through the applications for DCs – or foot soldiers, as I believe you called them.’

‘We have some then? Applications, I mean.’

‘We have some. And the more you’re out and about, spreading the good word, being visible at all the juicy jobs, the more I expect to have in to choose from. I reckon we’ll have the cream of the crop. The finest detectives Kent has to offer!’

‘The finest? Just one who can sit and do a CCTV review will do me. You should have seen the battle I had just to get a detective down to Dover to do that.’

‘Battle with who?’ Marsden’s tone turned stern.

‘It doesn’t matter. It’s getting done but I’m still pulling on our CID colleagues.’

‘You need me to have a quiet word with someone?’

‘I think that’s the last thing we need to be doing right now. We’re trying to make friends rather than tell on them. But thank you.’