He looked up their personal and business names in the station’s records. It appeared they had all left town for similar reasons. This only served to reinforce his suspicions.

Ferocious warning barks from neighbourhood dogs cut through Jake’s concentration. He raised his head and squinted, dazzled by the headlight beams reflected into the front room of the station. Murphy’s vehicle rolled into the driveway. He looked somewhat the worse for wear.

‘You’re in early?’

‘Up all night. Can’t risk getting any kip now—I’ll sleep through my shift.’ Murphy’s voice was thick with smoke and dehydration. ‘Why’re you up?’

‘Just running a few things down.’

Murphy pulled a face. ‘I don’t understand you. Why aren’t you happy? This will look great on our records.’

Jake narrowed his eyes and brought Murphy into sharp focus. ‘What did your mate at the pub last night mean?’

‘What?’

‘I shouldn’t have got this job. That it should be the “other Murphy kid”?’

Murphy collapsed into a chair, one hand over his eyes, yawning. ‘My brother, Stu, is in the academy now.’

‘So why wasn’t it him?’

‘It was going to be, but he’s not ready to graduate yet. Headquarters said if Kelly didn’t take someone now he’d lose the position and we’d go back to just being a two-man station for good. They bumped up the pay scale so he could take you, but it’ll drop back after you leave.’

With an almost audible snap, something clicked in Jake’s mind. ‘Will Stu be ready then?’

‘Maybe.’

‘Maybe?’

‘He’s been in a bit of trouble. That’s why his graduation was delayed.’

‘What kind of trouble?’

‘Nothing serious.’ Murphy winked. ‘Slept with a superior officer’s wife.’

Murphy’s repeated suggestion that he’d slept with Nic made Jake furious. ‘For the last time …’

‘Okay, okay, you didn’t sleep with her.’

‘And you’re okay with your brother’s behaviour?’

‘For fuck’s sake, don’t get all sanctimonious,’ Murphy said. ‘If she wanted it, who was he to say no?’

Jake had never been able to piece together the con­stable’s motivation for joining the force. He was even more at sea now. ‘Murphy, why did you and your brother decide to apply to the academy?’

‘We-ell, I was a bit of a rat bag when I was younger. So was Stu. Kelly said Dad should sign us up, that it’d straighten us out.’

‘What did you get up to?’

‘Nothing serious, just teenage stuff.’

Jake waited.

‘I mean, it was just bit of fun.’

Jake continued to stare at Murphy, unmoving. The constable looked away.

‘Kelly never went hard on us. Said it was all just a misunderstanding. He understood we were good kids at heart.’

‘What. Did. You. Do?’ Implacable worked on suspects, perhaps it would work on this idiot.