‘Then I’ll let you rest,’ said Vic. ‘Thank you both. I’ll speak to you again soon, probably tomorrow, for a formal statement, and hopefully get your expert opinion of our man.’ He stood up. ‘You’ve got my card. Ring me, day or night, if anything occurs to you or — heaven forbid — you see him again.’

The look on Laura Archer’s face said it all: heaven forbid indeed.

Outside in the car park, Vic Blackwell rang the station to check on progress. He was told that Shields’s car had been picked up on cameras in the town, but then lost after he headed out into the Fens. There were a few cameras scattered around the bigger villages, but most of the area was invisible, a vast unseen blank. All they knew was that he had been heading in the direction of the river. Two of Vic’s colleagues had searched the house and removed his personal papers, bank and credit card details, along with other relevant items such as his diary and laptop. So far, his credit card had not been used, and a mobile phone registered to him was switched off, so they’d been unable to locate him that way. As things stood, he was their prime suspect for the murder of Catherine Shields. He was their only suspect.

The concern on Sam and Laura’s faces had been warning enough, without professional opinions and psychological appraisals. Freddie Shields needed to be apprehended and locked up as soon as possible. Vic drove away, fast.

* * *

Marie arrived back shortly after Jackman. ‘That area is massive,’ she said. ‘If Spiller is there, I saw no sign of him. All I succeeded in doing was getting Tiger covered in mud. She looks like a trials bike now.’ She thought for a moment. ‘There were a couple of places that I couldn’t actually get to because of the ditches and drains, and I thought I’d try looking at a satellite map. If I spot anything of interest, we could contact our “eye in the sky.”’ Marie had been dying to find a reason to make use of the newly formed drone unit, and this could be her opportunity. She flopped down in front of her computer. ‘I haven’t missed the food, have I?’

Jackman smiled. ‘No, it’s all ordered. Should be here soon.’

‘So, while we wait, tell me what happened at the Spiller home.’

He handed her his phone. ‘I found this, in the bedroom.’

She stared at the image and let out a low whistle. They’d seen pictures arranged in similar fashion once before.

‘We also have a photo of Teddy and some actual details about him and his mother, which is something. Plus, I’ve got a good idea why he broke in and stole the pictures—’

‘DI Jackman!’ Kevin called out from across the room. ‘I think I’ve found Claire Spiller.’

A silence descended over the room.