‘I know that strictly speaking I shouldn’t have come here, guv,’ I said to Drummond as he followed me into Carver’s kitchen where the man was still lying on the floor. ‘But after I read the forensic report that described this guy as a computer wizard I suspected he might have been the one who sent the text messages. So I decided to drop in here on the way home. He was just arriving back himself when I approached him on the doorstep and said I wanted to ask him a few questions.

‘But he started threatening me straight away and then became violent so I was forced to use the Taser and then restrain him with the cuffs. I was about to call for back-up when I stumbled on the secret room.’

‘The bitch is lying,’ Carver shouted from the floor. ‘She attacked me for no reason. She was going to torture me.’

Drummond rolled his eyes. ‘Save it, Carver. Detective Jefferson is a fine, upstanding officer and there’s no way she would do something like that.’

He instructed the uniforms to take Carver outside and told me to show him what I’d found.

As we walked along the hall to the living room, he put a hand on my shoulder and said, ‘Tell me the truth, Laura. Did you attack him? And were you planning to torture him? I’ve already got enough on my plate dealing with the fallout from what your colleague Marsden did. And now this other shooting.’

I shook my head and the lie came easily. ‘Of course not, guv. It happened just like I said it did. You have to believe that.’

He gave me a hard stare. ‘I want to, Laura. I really do.’

‘Well, you can rest assured that I didn’t step over the line, guv. I acted in self-defence. I know I shouldn’t have come here but I’m glad I did. And you will be too when you see what I’ve found.’

A moment later Drummond followed me into the hidden room and then stood behind me as I sat down at the desk and scrolled through the online sites on Carver’s computer that referenced The Slayer.

‘I’m convinced it’s her, guv,’ I said. ‘This woman, The Slayer, also rides a motorbike and I don’t reckon that’s a coincidence.’

‘We need to involve the other law enforcement agencies,’ he said. ‘And the Mexican embassy here in London. We also have to put the squeeze on Carver.’

‘He’s clammed up and wants a lawyer,’ I said.

‘Then we’ll push him hard.’ Drummond took out his mobile phone. ‘The techies are supposed to be on their way but I’m going to chase them up. I want those smartphones unlocked and I want to see everything that’s hidden on that computer.’