‘Thanks, sweetheart. Sorry to drag you into this.’

‘It’s okay. I’m going back to the city for some peace. Bye.’

Issy painted a smile on her face and walked slowly back into the kitchen.

Jazz had managed to catch Patrick just as he was about to get on the A14 back to London. He had picked her up outside the hospital and they had sped off to Norfolk.

Jazz had spent most of the journey on her mobile to Norton.

‘Not a good situation, Hunter. I’ve dispatched extra SOCOs already, but you’re obviously going to need more back-up to help you. You have one very experienced detective conveniently on the spot, so to speak. The point is, can you work with him?’

Jazz knew she was damned either way. If she said ‘no’, Norton would regard it as the height of unprofessionalism; ‘yes’, and she was doomed to working with Patrick until the case was solved.

She had no choice. ‘Yes, Sir. Of course,’ she answered brusquely.

‘Good. I’ve contacted King’s Lynn, and they’re sending some officers along to you as we speak. They can at least provide a presence at the school.’

‘I was just coming to that, Sir. Do I close it immediately? DS Miles has evacuated Fleat House, and the boys are being put up in other dorms for now. But the moment word gets out of this third death, which, from what Miles has told me is unquestionably murder, there’ll be mass panic.’

‘Get there first, then we’ll take a view. Call me after you’ve been to the crime scene.’

‘Will do, Sir.’

She closed her mobile and stared into the distance.

‘You okay, there?’ Patrick closed a hand over hers. Jazz moved it away.

‘Yes, yes, I’m fine.’

‘You’re exhausted, Jazz, just remember that. Fair play to you, you’ve been through a difficult couple of days.’

‘Really, I’ll be fine,’ she repeated curtly, her pride asserting itself. ‘I can cope perfectly well.’

‘I know you can, Jazz. And I accept working with me is the last thing you had on your mind.’

‘Especially as you’re now the senior officer, since your promotion,’ Jazz muttered.

‘Look now, I swear I won’t step on your toes. Can you try and give me a briefing of where you are in the investigation?’

She gritted her teeth. ‘I’ll do my best.’

By the time they arrived in Foltesham, Patrick knew the nuts and bolts of the situation.

‘From what you’ve just told me, I can’t for the life of me see where the Julian Forbes connection comes in. Unless you and Issy got it wrong and David Millar really is after going berserk,’ surmised Patrick.

Jazz opened her mouth to reply, but Patrick silenced her. ‘No, Jazz, I’m not criticising you, so. Neither the facts nor the character analysis hang together, but fair play, he does have the motive, for both the boy Cavendish and his ex-wife’s lover.’

‘But even though that would tie in the deaths of both Charlie – Millar murdered him because he was bullying his son – and Julian – Millar hated him for being his wife’s lover – that still leaves Hugh Daneman out of it.’ Jazz sighed.