The two women laughed and said goodbye. Kate put down the phone and did a little jig. She had known he was the man. She had known it in her heart. He was wily. He must have a very good friend if he would take a blood test for him. Especially a blood test on a murder case. A man who could arrange a bluff like that was obviously not lacking in imagination.

She threw on her clothes, pulled on her coat and picked up her bag, her coffee left by the phone to go cold. Forgotten now.

She would find George Markham wherever he was. Find him and put him away.

The earlier depression had disappeared. Kate felt wonderful.

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

Ratchette and Caitlin were both looking at her expectantly.

‘I have proof that George Markham is our man.’

She watched their eyes widen.

‘Last night, Amanda Dawkins checked through George Markham’s file. It seems the signatures on his statements for the blood testing and his previous arrest differ. I can only assume he had someone else take the blood test for him. He’s definitely our man.’

Caitlin’s face lit up.

‘I knew he was the bugger we were after. I just knew it in me guts.’

‘Well, we have Amanda Dawkins to thank for this. She saw what was under everyone else’s nose. I think she deserves to take full credit.’

Ratchette smiled gently.

‘Another good woman coming up in the ranks, eh, Kate? This is excellent news. I’ll get on to Flowers immediately.’

‘Make sure he knows it was Dawkins. I think she did an exceptional job.’

‘I will. So where will you go from here?’

‘Amanda Dawkins put another call out on Markham’s car. This time she asked them to concentrate on the Kent area. That was obviously his last port of call. I can only guess his wife was on to him, he murdered her, and now he’s trying to disappear. At some point someone would have wanted to know where she was. She’d been dead a few days so he has a head start on us. My guess is he picked on Cynthia Redcar while in Kent. God knows where he’ll strike next.’

‘Well, you follow up any avenues you have to. And tell Dawkins well done. I’ll see her myself later. Now I think you’d better tell all the officers on the case. A bit of morale boosting wouldn’t go amiss today.’

Caitlin left the office with Kate and put his arm around her shoulders. ‘Sure you women like to stick together. If it had been me and Ratchette you’d have accused us of pushing you out.’

Kate grinned at him.

‘Kenny?’

‘What?’

‘Up yours. That’s how you would have answered me if I’d accused you of pushing me out!’