‘Not quite.’ There were only two computers in an office shared by five detectives and I sure as heck didn’t qualify for one. Budgets didn’t extend to the so-called luxury of a computer each. ‘This is Smithy’s desk. I’m still the underling.’

I’d been reading the reports and statements completed by the end of the week. Other work was continuing over the weekend – I was aware of DI Johns and others following up on the animal-rights activists – but the typing pool got Saturday and Sunday off, so any interview transcripts wouldn’t be available till Monday.

It had been an exercise in futility. There were no obvious suspects, several different lines of enquiry and a growing sense that this was going to be one hell of a long investigation. We were just going to have to cover all bases and be thorough. The killer would make a mistake. We would spot it. Media attention on the case had brought forward more people with information on the murders in the other towns, which offered some hope of fresh leads. All it needed was one person with the right piece of information to make it all come together. Legwork and persistence were what would crack this one. It wasn’t glamorous, and it wouldn’t keep the top brass and politicians braying for a quick result happy, but thems was the breaks.

It would be easy to get distracted by all the satellite issues, spreading my mental resources too thin, so I was back to concentrating on Rose-Marie, setting aside thoughts of any connection to the other murders. For me, for now, it was all about her.

Paul had wandered off, I presumed to the loo. I’d been so engrossed in looking over the photos of Rose-Marie’s bedroom and belongings that I hadn’t realised it had been longer than a comfort stop until he announced, ‘I’m back’. I swung the chair around and resisted crushing his ego by admitting I hadn’t noticed he’d gone. He had something hidden behind his back and was looking quite pleased with himself.

‘Here, close your eyes, hold out your hands.’ I obliged and held my hands out cupped together, eyes closed and fervently hoping it was something involving chocolate. I felt something warm lower into my hands and at the same moment felt a cold chill shoot down my spine. The chill spread to my face and I gasped in surprise as my hands flew apart and my eyes flashed open in time to see the takeaway coffee succumb to gravity, bouncing off my knees and hitting the floor rolling.