Joel’s sat nav didn’t need to announce that he had reached his destination. Numerous marked police cars with their high-visibility occupants, a CSI marked van and a middle-aged man with a professional-looking camera jutting from his chest had already made that clear. The photographer reacted like he had been jabbed in the side when Joel stepped out of the car. He jerked his camera to his face and paced forward. The clicking shutter could be heard over an officer’s remonstrations as he stepped away from the communal entrance to meet the photographer head on.

‘I told you already, residents only!’

A second officer had stayed by the door. Joel showed him his badge, lingering long enough for him to note the details on the scene log. He read his name out loud as he did so. Behind him a young woman was leaning against a brick wall close to the block’s entrance. She looked mid-twenties. She was slim with light brown hair that was pulled back in a ponytail that trailed halfway down her back. She had slender fingers that moved a takeaway coffee cup to thick lips, and wore a blouse and trousers down to sensible shoes, with a suit jacket hung over her arm.

‘Do you know where you’re going, boss?’ the officer said to get his attention.

‘I’ll take him up,’ the woman said. ‘DS Lucy Rose.’ She handed her coffee cup to the officer, who already had a collection in a sack at his feet. Joel shook her hand.

‘Joel Norris. I understand we might be working together.’

‘That’s right.’

‘Have you been here long?’

‘A little while now.’

‘Long enough to know what the hell’s going on?’

‘I’ve found out what I can. I went up but not in. The CSI said she didn’t want to be repeating herself and that I should come back when I’ve got you.’ DS Rose started moving away, her pace instantly brisk, and Joel watched her go through the door.

‘Shall we then?’ Joel muttered towards the door, which was already swinging back shut.

There was activity at most of the flats. Everyone loved a cop show. Some of the doors were just ajar for the occupants to listen out for anything interesting, others were hurriedly pushed shut when Joel and the DS walked past. At least two were wide open with people sitting on chairs that had been dragged into the doorway so they could greet any officers that passed in the hope of a snippet of something juicy, maybe even something they could sell to the man with a camera downstairs.

‘You CID?’ one particularly large lady said. She was wedged into a deckchair in the last doorway of the first floor. The smile that followed her question lifted her cheeks to the point where her eyes looked closed. ‘Or Murder Squad maybe?’ She clapped her hands in her excitement.

‘Neither of them,’ Joel said.