Kate walked into the interview room followed by Caitlin. Her first thought was that the witness was a good-looking boy. He was blond with deep-set brown eyes which looked troubled at this moment, and he was well dressed. He looked about twenty. His shoulders were wide and even though he was sitting, Kate saw he was a large boy. She smiled at him.

‘I’m Detective Inspector Burrows and this is Chief Inspector Caitlin. I understand you have some information about Louise Butler?’

Kate sat opposite him and Caitlin leant against the wall of the room, his cigar smouldering in his mouth.

The boy looked at them nervously.

‘Well, I didn’t know her personally but the other night like, I think it was her that we seen on the Woodham Road.’

‘We?’ This from Caitlin.

The boy nodded.

‘Yeah, me and me mates. We was going to the rave - me, me brother Ricky, and three others: Tommy Rigby, Dean Chalmers and Mick Thomas.’

He swallowed heavily and Kate felt sorry for him.

‘Go on.’

‘Well, as we was driving along, we saw this bird, walking by the roadside. She was on her own like. Anyway, I stopped and offered her a lift. But she wouldn’t get in. I’m sure it was her though.’

‘Why wouldn’t she get in? Did she say she was waiting for someone? Did she mention what she was doing on that road on her own?’

‘No, nothing. Mick Thomas was pissed out of his head. He slagged her off.’ His voice broke. ‘We all did. We left her there, on that road. We left her there to die. We drove on to the rave and left her walking, thumbing a lift.’

‘Thumbing a lift? Was she definitely thumbing a lift?’

The boy nodded.

Caitlin’s voice made him jump as he bellowed across the room: ‘You left a young girl to walk along a dark road at night? You slagged her off, as you put it, and left her there? Have you any sisters, young man?’

‘Yes, sir, two.’

Caitlin had the cigar clamped between his teeth. He removed it before saying venomously, ‘Well, I hope if they’re ever in Louise Butler’s position, they’re treated better than you treated that girl. Now then, names and addressess of the other boys. Pronoto. I can’t be bothered to waste me breath on yer.’

Kate closed her eyes. Caitlin was right, of course. The boys should never have left her there. But by the same token, the girl should have had more sense than to walk along a road like that in the dark. But that bloody Caitlin, he had to throw his weight around. He had to make himself heard.

And the worst of it all was, Kate was the one who had to listen to the old sod!

She smiled at the white-faced boy.

‘Shall I get us some coffee and then you can make your statement?’