‘Okay,’ McNab said cautiously.

From Emma’s expression, she had no such doubts. ‘It’s about the body on the moors,’ she began firmly.

Listening to what Emma now said was like going back in time. McNab had dismissed what he believed were fantasies back then, only to be proved wrong. Listening to her request again now, he had the same misgivings.

In every murder investigation where a body hadn’t been found, inevitably Police Scotland were contacted by psychics who claimed to be able to ‘see’ its location. As far as McNab was aware, no search had reached a satisfactory conclusion because of such information.

Except in the case of Emma Watson.

That night in the snowy forest she’d located a child’s remains under a pile of branches. She’d told McNab that she’d heard the dead child calling to her. At first he’d put it down to an overactive imagination and the shock of the car crash, but Emma had gone on to locate other burial sites, with no explanation as to how such a thing was even possible.

Something McNab had never found a satisfactory explanation for.

Emma was watching him, awaiting his response. McNab knew he had to choose his words carefully.

‘Did you tell DI Wilson this?’ he said quietly.

‘Yes. He told me to speak to you.’

It was a simple enough request. Emma wanted to be taken to the grave site on the moors. Her reason being she wanted to be sure there was only one.

As he watched, McNab saw the fear in her eyes that he was about to refuse such an appeal. Perhaps if he and Rhona hadn’t spoken at the PM of the likelihood of another victim, McNab would have told Emma that it wasn’t possible. That in such an ongoing enquiry, members of the public couldn’t visit the locus of a crime, or words to that effect.

Despite his deep misgivings, he found himself now contemplating the alternative.

Claire came in at that point. ‘Detective Inspector Wilson recalled everything that had happened the night of the crash,’ she said. ‘And what Emma found afterwards.’

So the boss wasn’t averse to such a request.

‘He thought Emma should speak to you first, since you were directly involved,’ Claire added, for emphasis.

‘Please,’ Emma said.

By the look on Claire’s face, McNab realized if he said no the likelihood was Emma would make her mum take her out there anyway. When he said, ‘Okay, let me discuss it further with DI Wilson,’ he was rewarded with a delighted smile from Emma, and a relieved sigh from her mother.

‘It’s important we go as soon as possible,’ Emma said determinedly.

McNab didn’t want to hear why that might be. He pulled out his card and handed it to Claire. ‘If you text me in the morning, I’ll let you know what’s been decided.’

Emma didn’t look happy about the partial brush-off, but appeared to decide not to persist.

All eyes turned towards them as they exited the boss’s office. A quick glance at Janice found a raised eyebrow and an enquiring look. McNab decided immediately that there was safety in numbers and paused to introduce Emma to ‘my partner, DS Clark’.