‘I’ll ask you again,’ Richie pressed. ‘What have you done with Jahmelia? Because we’ve got teams of officers scouring the area. It’s better for you if you tell us where she is.’

Sarah was well versed in interview techniques, it was her favourite part of training. But she couldn’t see Yvonne unleashing her upon a suspect anytime soon. It was good to watch Richie in action. She had warmed to him since she’d got to know him, but he wasn’t making much headway with Christian yet. She watched as Richie turned his laptop. It displayed images of Christian’s car on CCTV, taken at the gated community where Libby lived.

‘That wasn’t me,’ Christian said dully. ‘My car was stolen.’

He picked up a disposable plastic cup of tea that Richie had brought in for him. His face soured as he took a sip. Sarah didn’t blame him. Custody tea was made with cheap tea-bags, powdered milk, and tasted like lukewarm dishwater. Beneath the table, his knee bobbed as nerves seemed to set in.

‘We have your fingerprints in Libby’s home. Jahmelia’s too.’ Richie remained cool. ‘Can you tell me how they got there?’

‘I’m an estate agent,’ Christian said quietly, staring at the plastic cup. ‘I’ve been in lots of homes.’

Sarah watched him closely. He was nervous, but she sensed he was telling the truth. The image of the car they had captured on CCTV showed the driver had been wearing what appeared to be leather gloves. She rubbed the back of her neck. This wasn’t going well.

Richie picked up a clear plastic bag from the floor. ‘Then why did you burn a black balaclava in a barrel at the back of your home?’ He pointed to the photo of the CCTV image of a man in a balaclava driving his car. Richie reeled off the exhibit number for the benefit of the recording as he waited for Christian to reply. All Christian had to say was that he was burning some old clothes. Lots of people owned balaclavas. It wasn’t strong enough evidence to pin the crime on him. But Christian was glaring at the bag, his lips parted in surprise.

‘I … I don’t know. That’s not mine.’ He looked at Richie. ‘Mom’s in hospital. I was clearing the house of some of her old clothes.’

‘Well, I seized it myself from your back garden,’ Richie replied.

Officers had attended after the arrest and carried out a complete search. It was fortunate the item hadn’t burnt away completely. But it was the look on Christian’s face that had come as a surprise.

‘I swear … I’ve never seen it before,’ Christian reiterated, beginning to gnaw his thumbnail.