I fixed my headband torch in place so I could run with Waffles before dawn and not trip down a rabbit hole. I stuck mostly to the roads for safety. They were deserted at this time of the morning. The easy rhythm of running soothed my thoughts and kept my anger at bay. When the system had failed Gemma, it failed all women, including whoever Noah had targeted this time. What he did to Gemma was not a one-off accidental rape. He had targeted her, isolated her from the herd, then struck. He was no less dangerous than a lion. And like a lion, he was majestic in his approach. He had the looks and the manner and the family to cloak what he was.

I saw a pothole ahead and, instead of weaving around it, I sprang over it. Felt myself lift. Felt the power of flight, just for a second, then hit the ground easily and kept going.

I was pouring a hot cup of tea into my travel mug when Daniel appeared, mussed with sleep, stretching so his T-shirt rose up. I averted my eyes.

‘I’ve gotta go,’ I said. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him I was heading to Melbourne because Noah Shepherd had done it again, but I remained silent. Noah Shepherd was a hornet’s nest as far as Daniel and I were concerned. Daniel didn’t believe Noah had done anything wrong the first time around, so there was no victory in claiming a second victim. There are no points to be scored off rape. My energies were best served focusing on Melbourne.

‘Can I stay?’ Daniel asked. ‘I’ve got a couple of days off … and I wanted to talk.’

I looked into his blue eyes. It was hard not to flinch at the memory of intimacy. I was no expert at shifting status from partner to stranger. I had no answers. Agreeing was easier than a conversation asking him to leave. I grabbed my tea and my keys and left instead.

He called out as I hurried down the hallway. ‘Um. The dog? Will he bite me?’

‘Probably not,’ I said, a smile coming unbidden to my lips.

It was still cold enough for the exhaust to steam against the red of my brakelights. I messaged Wozza as I let the engine warm up. Heading to Melbourne.

My phone pinged almost instantly. Need company?

Yes, but no. Talk later.

Normally I listened to audiobooks or podcasts on the long drive to the city, but on this occasion my mind was too full to concentrate on any storyline other than the one in my head. Daniel. What the hell? This case. Gemma. Noah Shepherd …