Caitlin laughed out loud. ‘You’re learning, Katie, and that young Amanda did good. It’ll be one in the eye for Spencer anyway.’

They walked into the incident room and Caitlin called for silence.

‘I have an announcement for you all that I think will take the sour expression off your faces.’

Everyone stood staring at him.

‘Thanks to a certain young lady,’ he pointed to Amanda Dawkins, who went red with embarrassment, ‘we have reason to believe that George Markham is our man.’

There was a murmur of surprise.

‘It seems he got someone to take the blood test for him. The signatures on his statements don’t match. We must concentrate on finding out who that was, and on looking for George Markham. One can only lead to the other.’

The telephone rang and Amanda Dawkins picked it up, glad of something to do. Everyone was grinning at her.

‘Today we will concentrate on people who knew the Markhams: workmates, friends, relatives. Anyone at all. Let’s get going!’

The excitement was back in the air. Cigarettes were being lit with a flourish, the disappointment of the night before evaporated. Kate watched the change in her team and felt the adrenaline in her own veins.

They would find George Markham. She was convinced of it.

Patrick ate a hearty breakfast and went into work. He had managed to shrug off his feelings of despondency over Kate. Had convinced himself that what she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her. Once George Markham was out of the way, he would be able to relax once more. His debt to his daughter would be paid in full. He could live again.

He smiled at the men in his office and they smiled back, wondering who had put the smile on his face in the first place.

‘Gentlemen,’ he announced, ‘I am officially calling off the hunt for the murderer of my daughter. The man who gave me the information will be paid in full in a few days.’

He saw the men’s faces drop.

‘Now then, down to business. Larry, I want you to go down to Colchester today and repossess a Jag. The owner is a Paki and he ain’t paid more than one instalment on it.

The credit company think he may have ringed it. I want you to find out.

‘There’s also a large warehouse in Surrey that needs to be cleared out, mainly colour tellies and video equipment. The whole lot is to be moved from there and impounded. I’m saying this only once, so listen good. Only a telly or a video apiece can go astray. If I hear that any of the stuff’s being sold on the side there’ll be trouble. Right, Jimmy?’

He hung his head. Pat sussed all right. Everyone laughed.