‘Where’s Nell?’ she asked.

‘Having a fag. God knows how she can in this heat, but there you go.’ He peered at the computer screen dominating the centre of Carla’s desk. ‘What you working on?’

‘Just something that’s come up with the O’Brian case.’

‘Shit. What?’ Paul sat upright but Carla held up a hand.

‘Nothing major. Just a bit of an odd link between your pathologist and Connor O’Brian.’

Paul relaxed back.

‘Why? What did you think I was going to say?’

Paul pointed at the holder and she handed him a coffee. No sugar. He ripped off the lid and blew on the black liquid. ‘Just we left O’Brian last night and it didn’t feel right. Had a mad panic you were going to say he’d gone on a murderous rampage and we’d be hauled up for a disciplinary.’ Paul took a sip and winced.

‘What’s the link to Eve?’

‘Not sure yet. Did Eve say she knew Connor?’

Paul’s look of surprise told Carla she hadn’t.

‘Did you see them together at all? See any interaction between them?’

‘Not really.’ Paul frowned at her. ‘Come on, Brown, what you got?’

‘You say “not really”, so that means you did see them together?’

He laughed. ‘I thought I was the police officer in this relationship. Eve just poked her head round the door when we were in with Connor and the girlfriend. But they didn’t interact: no eye contact, no change in atmosphere when she appeared. She didn’t like him, though. Made that clear.’

‘Did she say why?’

‘Just that he was controlling Kelly-Anne. But she doesn’t think he killed the baby. She’s got the girlfriend already banged up for that one.’

Carla emptied the second sugar into the coffee, stirring it with a pen. Interesting Eve didn’t like him. But then she guessed Eve had seen enough shit in her time to be a good judge of character. Although it was also true to say the author of the letter didn’t share that assumption.

‘And there was no one else with you and Nell at the scene, other than Eve and the parents?’

‘None. Well, except the uniform on the door and the two who’d been first to attend the scene.’

Carla discounted the two initial responders; they wouldn’t have been aware Eve was assigned the case – only the uniform on the door would have known that.

‘Did you get the uniform’s name?’

Paul shook his head. ‘No, but Cowley police station will know that. What’s all this got to do with the O’Brian case?’

Carla handed Paul the letter, now in a clear plastic envelope, and watched while he read.

He looked up at her. ‘Are they saying Eve’s fitted someone up? On another job like the O’Brian’s?’

‘Looks like it.’