‘We haven’t told her that we’ve brought him in – not yet. We don’t need her interference, she’s been a real pain in the …’ Yvonne seemed to remember her audience. ‘Anyway, we’ll update her after the interview. Hopefully we’ll have some good news then.’

A flutter of butterflies rose in Sarah’s stomach as she watched the empty interview room through the desktop computer. She wanted to be in the heart of the action, but monitoring was a step up from knocking on doors. ‘It’s a shame we couldn’t have observed him to see if he would lead us to Jahmelia.’

Yvonne didn’t disagree, but Sarah knew obtaining permission for undercover surveillance would tie them up in red tape. As Yvonne stood over her, the sweet scent of her perfume filled the air.

They watched the monitor as the interview-room door opened and Abraham was led inside. Sarah’s spirits lifted as Richie appeared with Christian. This should be interesting, she thought. In their shirts and ties, they could have both passed as police officers. But at a closer look, Richie carried himself with confidence, while Christian’s face was pale, his head bowed. Given it was such a serious offence, Sarah was surprised to discover Christian had declined free legal advice. This was a first account interview and the decision had been made for Richie to take the lead. A younger officer sat next to him and readied himself to make notes. Interviews for serious offences could go on over the course of days, provided they could get an extension past the permitted twenty-four hours. The purpose of this interview was to obtain a quick and dirty account of Jahmelia’s whereabouts. The rest would come in time. Richie began with the usual preliminaries of cautioning the suspect and ensuring he was aware of the offences he was arrested for.

‘Enjoy,’ Yvonne said, heading towards the door. ‘I’ve got an interview of my own to make. Update the system straight away if he coughs it.’ A ‘cough’ was what they called a confession, although Sarah couldn’t see that happening anytime soon.

Sarah watched as the door clicked shut. That’s some personality change. Bernard really must have gone to town on her. Perhaps she wasn’t the only one to mention her bullying behaviour. She wouldn’t put it past Richie to have had a word. Sarah relaxed in her chair, engrossed in the interview. Preliminaries over, Richie began with open questions. Each one was met with a grunt or a shake of the head.

Rolling up his shirt sleeves, Richie pinned Christian with a gaze. ‘The evidence is mounting up against you, Christian. It’s better for you if you come clean. Where is Jahmelia?’

Christian opened his mouth but seemed to think better of it and snapped it shut again. Richie wouldn’t disclose all the evidence they had against him just yet. That would come later.