Ollie had done favours for him in the past, and McNab didn’t want to jeopardize their arrangement. ‘No hurry,’ he said, ‘just when you can fit it in.’ He tried to look easy about it, even as he thought the opposite. If the guy was a felon, he wanted evidence to present to Ellie, and fast.

Then another outcome presented itself. Ellie might not care. Might think he was the creepy one in this scenario.

‘Okay, send me everything you find on this Go Wild thing, and any evidence to suggest that Ms Richardson is still alive.’

‘You think the cards didn’t belong to the victim?’

‘There’s always that chance.’ McNab hesitated. ‘We’re liaising with the Met on this one, in case the victim is one of theirs, and I’m the contact on that. If a DI Cleverly gets in touch directly, can you refer him back to me, please?’

‘Sure thing,’ Ollie said.

McNab left then to head to his next port of call, which was Jimmy. The old man hadn’t given them much. Maybe he was just too upset. Then again, if he had seen a perpetrator, he might not have been keen to make that known.

If some guy was up for setting a woman on fire, an old man who was witness to that might be his next victim.

14

The flies hadn’t been the only visitors to the crime scene. That became obvious as Rhona and Chrissy quietly went about their work.

‘You hearing them too?’ Chrissy said, her whisper muffled further by the mask. ‘They’re getting braver.’

‘We stole their future dinner once they’d finished with the kitchen,’ Rhona said. ‘Do you have your mobile with you?’

‘Never without it,’ Chrissy assured her.

‘Then let’s have some music. That might keep them away.’

‘Good idea. Any requests?’

‘Something rats won’t like,’ Rhona said, well aware that she might not like Chrissy’s choice of music either. Whatever it was, it would be better than listening to the squeaking.

Rhona wasn’t against rats per se. In fact, there was much to be admired about them. Still, she didn’t want them scuttling around her when she was on a job.

They’d erected a tent over their workspace, and brought the arc lights inside. The strange virtual world that surrounded them had exploded into life roughly every forty-five minutes. Shielded in part by the brightness of the spotlights, they’d gradually come to ignore the sudden screaming of their virtual audience, knowing they were stuck with it anyway until the body in the computer room had been processed.

She had chosen to leave the arena victims clothed, but had gone through the usual meticulous routine of photographing, examining and taping them.