Marie was almost bouncing in her seat. ‘Oh, that’s the best thing I’ve heard today! What’s her name?’

‘Gilly. Do you remember my friend John Beard who helped us in our last big murder case? Well, she’s his sister-in-law. She’s only been here a year, so I thought I could take her around — you know, show her the Fens.’

Only now did she notice how much better Gary looked. Their last investigation had been pretty gruelling, not to mention Alistair Ashcroft’s continual harassment. Under the weight of it all, Gary had begun to look older than his years. Now he looked much brighter, more relaxed. He’d even swapped his signature ancient wax jacket for a smart navy coat. ‘I think she’s just what you need, Gary. I’ve got a good feeling about it.’

‘Well, I kept up my side of the bargain. It wasn’t an easy move to make, I must say. And now I’ve done it, I’m beginning to think I’ve been acting like a bit of a prat since I lost my sister. Even if it doesn’t work out, at least I know I’m not a prisoner to myself anymore.’ He shook his head, looking embarrassed. ‘As I said, a prat.’

‘These things only happen when the time is right, Gary. It was the same with me, I could only move on when I was ready for it. Now it’s your turn, so stop calling yourself a prat.’ She grinned. ‘After all, in our job there’s always plenty of others ready to do that for you.’

Just then, Jackman called from his open office door, ‘How did you two get on?’

They moved themselves over to his office and Marie began. ‘Well, boss, we’ve managed to find a couple of reliable parents with good visual memories. One guy — his twins are at one of the schools — he’s a photographer, so he reckons he’s good with faces.’

‘And,’ added Gary, ‘his description ties in pretty well with one of the mothers at a different school. She’s a hairdresser, and she remembered he had medium-length hair with a fashionable cut.’

‘He doesn’t seem to change the type of clothes he wears either,’ Marie went on. ‘Jeans, a casual zippered jacket, a T-shirt and trainers. Around thirty, maybe younger, fairly tall and slim. No one saw him get in or out of a vehicle. Our civilian technicians are trawling through the schools’ CCTV footage.’ Marie looked at her notebook. ‘He’s certainly not your stereotypical pervert in appearance. He doesn’t talk to anyone, just waits, then goes. It’s making people nervous. It’s nothing like that case of the distraught father hunting for his kids — he talked to everyone, begging people to look out for them, showing them photos. That was understandable, this guy’s just creepy.’

‘So what’s the overall opinion of him among the parents?’ asked Jackman.

‘They don’t have one, boss,’ Gary shrugged. ‘They’re just baffled by his behaviour.’

‘And it’s not going to be long before someone challenges him,’ added Marie. ‘So far, one or two have tried to engage him in conversation, but he just mumbles. There are a couple of mothers who could well take him on, especially if they gang up.’