‘Oh, yes. That was where you and DCI Matt Ballard had to go, wasn’t it? The repentant murderer and the copycat killer. We were both involved, weren’t we?’ It had been a nerve-racking investigation, Matt’s final case before he became a private investigator.

‘That’s right. At the time, Ross Cadman was pioneering a special PIPE unit at Gately, called the “Harbour.” PIPE being Psychologically Informed Planned Environment, in case you’ve not been in one. His was the best I’d ever seen.’

‘I’ve read about them,’ said Laura. ‘Matt didn’t want me directly involved, did he? So I never got to see one in action.’

‘Ross’s worked very well, and now he wants to make it even better.’

Laura tried to recall what she’d learned about them. ‘They aren’t treatment units as such, are they? More like progression programmes for Cat A prisoners with personality disorders and the like.’

‘In order to get into these units the relevant prisoners need to have completed high-intensity treatments, after which they’re assisted with personal development, so they don’t lose the ground they’ve already made. The conditions are much better, but they have to work closely with their psychiatrists and psychologists, and they must be willing to participate in in-depth probing sessions that often refer to the crimes that put them inside. It’s no walk in the park, that’s for sure, but for those that put in the work, there are rewards, and if a parole board sees that he or she has completed the course, it counts in their favour.’ Sam took a mouthful of tea. ‘But I digress. Trevor knew I’d seen several of these specialised units and studied the various programmes used, so he wondered if I might have any input as to ways to improve the system. Anyway, we chatted, and at some point, he started talking about HMP Belmarsh, so naturally I pricked up my ears.’

Laura understood immediately. The man who had instigated a reign of terror throughout Saltern-le-Fen and who had tried to kill Sam was incarcerated there. ‘Don’t tell me they’re going to open a PIPE unit there?’

‘No. What caught my attention was the mention that several of the Cat A prisoners are being moved.’ He paused. ‘Our nemesis is one of them.’

‘Alistair Ashcroft,’ she whispered. Laura swallowed. ‘Where is he going? Do you know?’

‘Trevor didn’t know about my history with Ashcroft. Now he does, he’s going to make sure that I’m made aware of exactly where and when he’s going. At the moment it’s probably HMP Frankland in County Durham, or possibly HMP Gartree in Leicestershire.’

‘Do you know why they’re moving him?’ she asked.

‘It’s not unusual for prisoners to be moved around, and there’s no reason for it to have any impact on us. Of course, considering his profile as a dangerous killer, the move will be a high-security operation.’ He set down his empty mug on the coffee table in front of him. ‘No, what bothers me is that both those prisons have special PIPE units. Ashcroft has apparently volunteered for every form of psychiatric treatment on offer. I’m wondering if he’s playing the system with the sole intention of getting into a special programme.’