Nell was studying him. ‘Like a trigger? Joanne sees Eve is working on another sudden infant death case and it prompts this reaction?’ She brandished the letter in the air.

‘But that still doesn’t cover how she knew Eve was working on the case,’ Carla pointed out.

‘I like the trigger idea,’ Bremer said from his office door. ‘But I agree with Carla – to be triggered she’d have to have known, and there’s only one way for that to have happened.’

He walked to the wipe board and pointed at Joanne’s name. ‘Someone told her.’

Nell’s phone rang. ‘DS Jackson speaking.’ Holding up a hand to excuse herself, she walked to the edge of the room.

‘A leak then?’ Paul said.

‘Maybe, maybe not,’ Bremer replied, ‘but until we know I want radio silence on this one.’ He looked to Carla and she knew what was coming.

‘Not even to be discussed with Eve or her husband until we’ve ruled out a link to the O’Brian job, OK?’

Carla wanted to ask him if he’d have said that to a police officer, or whether the fact she was a civilian meant he felt the need to question her ability to keep her mouth shut, but she just nodded. Paul gave her a wink.

‘Good.’ Bremer looked over at Nell, who’d just hung up the phone. ‘Anything?’

‘Eve.’ Nell walked back to the group and sat down on the chair next to Carla.

‘She’s sure it’s Kelly-Anne who killed the baby, not Connor.’

‘Do we believe her?’ Paul asked.

‘Why wouldn’t we?’

Paul pointed to the letter. ‘It’s what they said would happen – Eve would blame the girlfriend. And she does have previous for getting it wrong.’

Before Nell could respond Bremer held up his hand. Speaking to Paul, he said, ‘I get your point but I’ll go with a pathologist over a poison pen letter until I’m proved wrong.’

‘Eve is a good pathologist,’ Carla added. ‘Joanne, if she wrote the letter, obviously has an issue with her, and rightly so, but it can’t stop us relying on Eve’s word.’ She looked at Bremer. ‘Want me to do some digging on Kelly-Anne, see if she has form?’

Bremer shook his head. ‘No, I want to see what Joanne knows about the case. Nell, Paul, you bring Kelly-Anne in.’ He paused. ‘And Connor.’

My God, so Bremer had his doubts too? Had everyone lost all reason based on a vicious letter? Irritated, Carla picked up her brown leather tobacco pouch. If they were going to rely on hearsay rather than facts she needed nicotine.

‘And Carla,’ Bremer continued, ‘we’ll go and see Joanne, see what light she can shed on the case.’

Nell stared at him, jacket half on, car keys in hand. ‘What?’