“K? That’s crazy stuff, isn’t it? I don’t know. I wouldn’t think so. Mimsy liked a good time, she didn’t want to go apeshit barking bonkers.”

“Have you seen or heard of this counselor since?”

“No. They fired him. I heard he’d buggered off to Spain or somewhere. Too good for him. Ought to send him to the fucking North Pole stark bollock naked. Good riddance.”

“Is there anything else you can tell us, Albert?” Annie asked. “Anything at all. Was there anyone you know who’d want to do Mimosa harm?”

“Not that I know of. Except maybe the Pakis, if she pissed them off.”

“OK.” Annie glanced toward Gerry, who put her notebook away. “If you think of anything, and I mean anything, that may help us catch your sister’s killer, no matter how unimportant it seems, give us a call. Right?”

“Right,” said Albert.

“And try to get in touch with Ali. Want a lift home?”

“Nah. Thanks. I think I’ll just stay and have another. Let it all sink in.” He rubbed his eyes. “I just feel like numb, like.”

THEY MET in Banks’s office shortly after his return from Leeds: Banks, AC Gervaise and Adrian Moss. Banks could have done without the latter, but he seemed to be all over the place like a dirty shirt these days. The station was still under siege, cameras clicking and questions shouted every time anyone came in or went out. The clamor seemed as much to do with Mimosa Moffat as it did Danny Caxton. Now that Mimosa had been identified, a phalanx of media had headed up to the Wytherton Heights estate to get the story from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. No doubt viewers of the evening news and readers of tomorrow’s newspapers would be treated to Lenny Thornton’s or Albert Moffat’s opinion on the local Muslim community and Sinead’s feelings about her murdered daughter. Only Johnny Kerrigan would remain silent.

Winsome, Banks knew, had been hard at work since he had phoned her from Leeds with the identification of Linda Palmer’s mystery man. She had been on the phone and the Internet to amass as much information as she could about Tony Monaghan’s life and death and had gathered it together in a small file, which Banks had just finished reading. At the moment, Winsome was in the squad room trying to squeeze out more information and was due to join them shortly.