‘Oh, for Christ’s sake, Edith, he’s a grown man,’ Joss told her. ‘He’s probably gone out for a beer and got talking to someone.’

She did not bother to answer. She tutted. Imagine thinking George would get talking to someone. Sometimes she didn’t think that Joss realised just what was going on around him. George talking to strangers indeed!

Natalie kissed them good night and went up to bed. Edith watched her walk up the stairs and felt the pride she always felt in her children.

She had done well for them. She had always looked after them and protected them.

The police answered the call at eleven thirty. The hotel manager had dragged his eyes away from the television set at eleven twenty to go and rout out room number 14. They had been in there for over five hours. He now had another couple who wanted the room. He asked them to wait and went up and knocked on the door.

It was deathly quiet.

He unlocked the room with his master key. He was not too shocked at what he found. He told the couple to come back another time, and hid George’s credit cards before he phoned the police.

Edith was informed at twelve ten precisely.

Duane Portillo watched the proceedings before he left the scene. He went straight to Shaun O’Grady with his story. Shaun scratched his head in bewilderment.

‘You mean the guy you was gonna kill has been killed! By a goddam whore, for Chrissakes!’

Duane nodded. He couldn’t quite believe it himself.

Shaun O’Grady saw the funny side.

‘Well, who the hell would credit that?’

Duane Portillo laughed too. It sure had been a weird day.

Kate was helping Lizzy sort out what clothes she was taking. Since she had been dropped from the Grantley Ripper case, she had tried to assume an air of nonchalance but it had gradually been slipping away from her.

‘Mum?’

‘What, love?’

Lizzy turned her mother to face her.

‘What’s wrong really? Have you had a tiff with Patrick?’ Kate felt an urge to cry and laugh at the same time. A tiff? Lizzy sat on her bed and looked at her mother.

‘Please tell me what’s wrong with you, Mum. I can’t stand seeing you so unhappy.’

Kate looked into the dark eyes so like her own and felt a rush of love for her daughter.

As she tried to speak her voice broke and Lizzy pulled her into her arms. Kate sobbed her heart out on her daughter’s shoulder.