‘It’s the only thing I’m good at. I won’t work with Morgan and his people, though. I don’t care what he thinks. I’m not like him and I won’t let him convince me otherwise. They’re giving me some time to decide where I want to go, what I want to do. What about you? Are you going to keep hiding?’

‘No. I can’t. If the last few weeks have proved anything, it’s that profiling is what I do best. I’m going to put out some feelers when I get back, maybe see if there’s something for me with Europol. I can do good work alongside cops like Marijke and Petra.’

‘That’s a relief. I was scared you’d been put off again.’

Again, they grew quiet. This time, it was Tony who spoke first. ‘So, where do we go from here?’

Carol shrugged. ‘I have no idea. Onwards and upwards somehow.’

‘I’d like to be there for that,’ he said.

She smiled. ‘I don’t think you’ve got any choice.’

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

Moving off one’s home turf carries with it many risks. Those who assisted in minimizing those risks include: Pieke Bierman and Tom Wortche, who found the Irish pub in Berlin and provided many other important and invaluable research sources besides; Jeanet van Wezel, who showed me Leiden; Jurgen and Marita Alberts, who introduced me to Bremen; Ron Mackay, who smuggled me in where I shouldn’t have been; Hartmut Geisser, who took me on the Spree and shared a lifetime’s experience of the world of commercial schippermen; Captain Kirk Schoorman and Nils Clausen for their insights into life on the water; Adrian Muller for assistance with the Dutch police organization; and Dr Sue Black for her help with pathological detail. Thanks too to the British Council, who first took me to Köln and Berlin, and to LitFest Köln, who allowed me to renew my acquaintance with their city.

I would also like to thank Gill Lockwood and the staff of the ACU at Leeds General Infirmary, the CDU and SM4 at St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester, without whose efforts this book would have been much easier to write… And all of those who gave support of various kinds at crucial stages in the writing – Lisanne, Julia, Jane, Diana, Kate, Leslie and, more than anyone, Brigid.

I have taken some diabolical liberties with the geography of various European cities and the organization of assorted law enforcement agencies. But this is a work of fiction, which means the reader must forgive my playing fast and loose with reality. At least I got the rivers right.

About the Author

About the Author