‘Good move. Maybe we’ll find our man somewhere in Nan Cutler’s past, along with why he’s stealing pictures of ten-year-olds.’

‘That’s the plan.’ Through a mouthful of biscuit she said, ‘I was also thinking of doing a search on any incidents occurring in the last five years that involved youngsters of that age.’

‘Sounds a bit “needle and haystack,” Marie,’ Jackman said. ‘We’re just making wild guesses. Don’t waste your time. Stick with the old lady’s relatives for now, okay?’

‘You’re probably right.’ She closed her notebook. ‘And that’s that! As I said, not much.’

‘But considerably more than nothing.’ Jackman glanced at the clock. ‘We’d better be getting off home. Laura’s last appointment was in her consulting room at the mill, so hopefully she’s got dinner on the go.’

He was wearing that faint look of anxiety again. Before she could ask, he said, ‘Poor Laura is a bit down and distracted right now, and there’s nothing I can do to help.’

‘What’s up, Jackman? You guys share everything.’

He sighed. ‘Not everything. Patient confidentiality, you see. It’s one of her cases, and it’s really bugging her. I’ve never seen her quite so preoccupied with a client. I’ve told her to talk to Sam Page, and I hope she has. I’ve never known Laura to be unable to find the key to a problem before. That’s why it’s so worrying.’

It was true. Laura was streaks ahead of any other professional in her field — apart from Sam, of course. ‘Sam’ll help her,’ Marie said. ‘And if even he can’t find a solution, he’ll know someone who can.’

‘Anyway, enough of my worries. You get on home.’

‘You and your worries are important to me, Jackman. Anyway, Sam loves Laura to bits. He’ll help.’

‘You’re right, Marie. No use fretting when she has Sam to call on.’ He held the door open for her. ‘See you tomorrow.’

‘Let’s just hope our creeper doesn’t go on another midnight jolly tonight!’

CHAPTER ELEVEN

As midnight approached, two figures slipped through the shadows, like vampires avoiding the light. Each had been driven to walk the streets by an overwhelming compulsion that was leading one of them towards a nightmare.

* * *

On his way to a hospital appointment with his mother, Ratty had spotted a property with his name written all over it. Perfect. Now he just needed to find out who lived there, where they slept and whether they worked at night. In this agricultural community many places operated round the clock — notably the food processing and vegetable packing industries that employed many of the workers in the area. As the summer drew to a close, harvesters too worked all night in the fields gathering the crop before the weather worsened and rain set in. Thus, you could never tell which householders would be asleep at home.

Now, at midnight, he was back to have a closer look at the place. A sweet choice, probably inhabited by a pensioner or someone who had no need to work. The cottage looked neat and cared for, but what enticed him were the windows. The owners had obviously replaced the original wood-framed sash windows and installed double glazing but kept to the traditional design, so they were easy to get through.