Ignoring the passive-aggressive tone, Nell scrolled down, seeing pictures of the injuries Carla had pointedly added to the message, noting the slim build, the skinny arms. Could she have lifted a heavy object and brought it down so hard it made O’Brian’s brain explode out the other side? The final picture was one of Gloria and her son, both smiling at the camera, Gloria’s arms wrapped tightly around the little boy, hugging him close.

‘Jesus,’ Nell muttered, shoving it back in her pocket. She knew why Carla had sent that one – make the victim a real person and it increased your desire to help them. But Gloria wasn’t a victim, she was a suspect, at least to Nell anyway.

‘Got anything?’ she asked as she joined the two men.

‘Yeah – see.’ Paul pointed to the screen. ‘Got her coming and going over the last month, mostly at the start of the week. Don’t think she sleeps here, mind. Seems to arrive, followed by a steady stream of men, before leaving at about midnight most nights. Last time seen, yesterday, 23:54 hours.’

‘What time does she usually arrive?’

‘About 20:00 hours.’

Nell nodded and dragged a chair over. ‘Show me.’

Terry showed her two weeks’ worth of footage, then rewound the previous night’s tape until a tall woman appeared. Pausing, she looked right and left before running across the road and approaching the flat door, taking a quick look behind her before she disappeared inside.

‘Can you rewind that again?’ Nell leaned closer to the screen, noting the dark brown hair and thick legs. Nell watched the woman again as she crossed the road. ‘Have you got a close-up of her face?’

Terry loaded another cassette and up sprung Gloria’s face, looking at the flat door as she keyed in the entrance code.

‘What’s the date of that image?’

‘One week ago.’

‘And last night?’

‘I can’t get a close-up for that.’

Nell pointed to the close-up of Gloria a week earlier. ‘How long has that woman been renting this place?’

‘Dunno. About six months. Not long.’

Nell could see from Paul’s expression he needed an explanation. She gave the woman’s face one more look, then nodded for Paul to follow her.

‘What is it?’ Paul asked as they walked to the far side of the shop.

‘That woman, the one in last night’s CCTV, isn’t Gloria Benote. The build and colouring are all off.’

‘I don’t understand. There are two women?’

‘Looks like it, yes.’

Paul glanced back at Terry. ‘So Gloria was renting with someone else?’ He turned back to Nell. ‘Like a mini brothel set-up?’

‘I don’t think so, no. The only woman going into that flat has been Gloria. Except last night it wasn’t Gloria, it was someone else.’

‘Do you think Gloria knows who that was?’