‘How are the students connected to the professors? If we can establish that, then maybe we can find a pattern and find the final person Parker is planning on killing.’

‘I’d put money on it being a professor.’

‘We’ll get Gary to go through their computers with a microscope. Maybe they left some evidence.’

‘Let’s speak to Gary then.’

They both got out of the car and walked into the station. Adrian could feel eyes on him from his colleagues. Were they still convinced he was a rapist?

Denise smiled sheepishly from the front desk. He knew she had given a statement to DCC Trevor Sneddon and he knew she would have told them about the nature of their previous sexual relationship. He couldn’t be angry with her about it, but it did complicate their friendship. He wondered if she even thought that he did it. He couldn’t assume she didn’t. A part of him wanted to hate everyone who might have entertained the idea for even a second, but then he had to consider what he would have done in the same position.

Adrian noticed a silence descending as he walked down the corridor towards the room Gary worked in. Imogen was behind him and he could almost hear her annoyed discomfort with the situation; he was grateful at least that she had never wavered in her belief of him. Gary looked up as they approached.

‘Did you get anything from the professors’ personal computers?’ Imogen asked.

‘I was just about to come and find you. It all looks like it was on the up and up. Without trawling through each document and file individually, which will be done in time, there was nothing particularly innocuous on the hard drive. Mainly just lesson plans, assignments, first drafts of letters. Nothing especially exciting. They are old and well-used computers, though. Lots of info on there and lots of random stuff filed incorrectly, there’s a lot to go through.’

‘No mention of Caitlin or Owen?’

‘There was a paper written by Owen Sager for the first philosophy term. “Is there a moral obligation to obey the law?” I thought that was pretty odd. He was the only one in the class who picked that topic.’

‘And Caitlin?’ Imogen asked.

‘A standard nature versus nurture essay. Same as the rest of the class,’ Gary replied.

‘Any behaviour reports or anything like that?’ Imogen pressed.

‘Nothing,’ Gary said.

‘What about emails?’ Adrian asked.

‘Well, that’s the suspicious part. There are no emails between Norris, Lassiter and Mitchell. Not one. I know they worked in the same building, but it’s still strange, considering,’ Gary said. ‘And the thing is. I don’t think they didn’t email each other. I think the emails have been deleted. I think someone got into the system.’

‘Maybe they connected through a different email provider,’ Imogen said, quickly looking at Adrian, obviously thinking what he was thinking: Parker.

‘I checked. The college has a block on all outside email providers. The rule was brought in a few years ago to stop the sharing of illicit pics through the college.’