Fleet was already shaking his head. ‘As soon as we let the brass in on what we know, this whole thing is going to spiral out of our control. They want the stink, remember? The whirlpool. It’s going to be hard enough finding Melissa as it is. Pass that photograph of her around among the uniforms, but keep it low-key.’

‘Whatever you say, boss. Although if we let Burton know what we think we’re dealing with, there’s a chance we’ll get those extra bodies we asked for.’

‘There is. There’s also a chance they’ll give the whole investigation to somebody else. Somebody who’s happy to play along with their political games. Besides, it’s not just Melissa I’m worried about. It’s everyone and everything connected to the case. As soon as this thing escalates, there’s going to be so much noise around Callum Richardson, it’s going to drown out everything else. No,’ Fleet said, shaking his head again, ‘Burton can wait until he gets Randy’s report. In the meantime, we’ve got a window of opportunity. I say we use it. Agreed?’

‘Agreed,’ Nicky said. She smiled wryly. ‘So long as I don’t have to be there to watch when Burton decides to skin you alive. He’s not going to like the fact that you held things back from him, you know.’

‘I doubt it will make much difference to how he feels about me either way,’ Fleet said. ‘You may have noticed I’m on his shit list already. His latest gripe is the number of bodies that are going to be sucked into policing Ben’s memorial service. Somehow that’s my fault, too.’

‘Ben’s memorial service?’ said Nicky. ‘When’s that happening?’

Fleet had received word about the memorial service on his way back from London the previous day. With everything that had been happening since – with the case, with Holly – he hadn’t yet had a chance to think about it, let alone to brief Nicky. It had clearly been playing on Burton’s mind, however. Fleet had received a message from the superintendent complaining about it first thing.

‘They’re hosting it at the school a couple of days from now,’ Fleet said. ‘It was the headmaster’s idea, apparently. A publicity stunt as much as anything, if you ask me. Harris probably thinks that, by letting the press snap a few pictures of mourners filing into the chapel, they’ll decide the story has run its course and move on. Leave him and his precious school alone.’

‘Fat chance of that,’ said Nicky. ‘Especially once word gets out that Lance Wheeler was murdered, too. The newspapers aren’t going anywhere, not while Callum Richardson’s connected to the story.’