As he tipped the piping hot food onto a plate his phone began to ring. He looked at the number but didn’t recognise it.

‘Hello?’

‘Hi, is this Toby?’

‘Erm, who’s asking?’

‘It’s Lucy – Detective Inspector Harwin – from work.’

He punched his right fist into the air; it was as if by thinking about her he’d made her appear. He wondered how she’d got his number.

‘Hi, Lucy.’

‘Hi. Control gave me your number. Look, I’m sorry to bother you, but I really need your help. Would you be able to come out to a multiple-murder scene to help Amanda? Obviously you’ll get paid overtime; it’s just things are a bit manic and we need to get it processed as quickly as possible. I need you to go to the station and swab the boss’s hands, for gunpowder residue. Then you need to seize his clothes and book in the evidence as it comes in.’

‘Of course I can.’

‘Really? Thanks, that would be great and I’d appreciate it.’

She ended the call and he did a little dance. Lucy obviously liked him as well or she wouldn’t have phoned him herself to ask, would she? No, she would not. It looked like Toby was about to get what he wanted. He ignored the small inner voice that said being on call was part of his role as a CSI and that it didn’t mean that it was a declaration of her undying love for him. All Toby could think about was the fact that she’d phoned him herself and he couldn’t stop grinning.

* * *

By the time Tom and Browning arrived back at the scene, Catherine Maxwell had finished her preliminary examinations.

‘Well, once again I’m going to have to go home and be extra nice to Mr Maxwell. This is getting to be a bit of a bad habit, Lucy. He’s going to get used to it.’

Lucy smiled back at her, not sure what this appeasement would require and a little envious that she had a husband to go back home to and share the horrors of what she’d just witnessed. Whatever it was she had to do, she hoped Catherine was successful in her endeavour. Browning waved her over and she walked down to where he’d parked, as near to Tom’s house as he could. As her boss got out of the car wearing a white paper suit identical to hers, she felt sorry for him. How was he going to live the rest of his life wondering if it could have been him and his kids?

‘How are you feeling, sir?’

He rubbed at his chest. ‘Like I’m in a bad dream. I just can’t get it out of my head that my friends are all dead.’

‘I know. It must be an awful shock for you.’

Before they could continue, Alison came running out of the house screaming at Tom.

‘Oh my God, where are your clothes? Have you been arrested? Did you kill them? Was it you?’

The shock that crossed his face at the strength of his wife’s allegations made his already grey-coloured skin break out in a fine film of perspiration, and Lucy wondered if he was going to have a heart attack.

He turned and hissed at her. ‘No, you stupid cow – I didn’t kill them. I don’t own a fucking gun. What’s wrong with you, Alison? Get in the house, you’re making a scene.’

He took a sharp intake of breath and lifted his hand, clutching his chest. Then he collapsed to the floor with a loud thud. This set her off screaming even louder. Lucy dropped to the floor and ripped open his paper suit to get to his chest; the paramedics, who had been about to leave, jumped out of the ambulance and ran towards him. She began to pump his chest until they reached him and a strong pair of hands hoisted her up.

She heard Mattie’s voice: ‘Let the experts take over; they know what to do.’

She turned to look at him.

‘What’s going on? He can’t die as well.’

The high-pitched voice that erupted from her mouth was one of pure panic – she was losing it. She knew that she needed to calm down and behave rationally, but right now she didn’t know how. Browning was holding Alison back so the paramedics could work on her husband.

One of the paramedics looked up at Mattie. ‘We need to get him to the hospital now but we both need to work on him – is there someone to drive the ambulance?’

He nodded. ‘Me, I’ll drive.’

The woman threw the keys to him. ‘Bring it over here, we need to get him loaded on now.’

Mattie ran to the ambulance, did the tightest three-point turn and drove as close to them as he could. Whilst one of the paramedics continued working on Tom, the other got the trolley out and then they loaded him onto it, getting him into the back of the brightly lit van.

Alison ran towards them. ‘What am I supposed to do? I can’t leave the children!’

‘Phone someone to come over – I’ll take you to the hospital as soon as they arrive.’

Lucy owed Browning big time for that offer.

The paramedics looked down at her. ‘Are you jumping in?’

Lucy shook her head, though she wanted to. She couldn’t leave – that would be all of her best detectives and her boss out of the equation. She did what Tom would have wanted her to do.

‘I can’t – I have to manage the scene.’

She slammed the doors shut and shouted at Mattie, ‘Ring me when you have news.’

He nodded, then, turning on the lights and sirens, began to blue-light it towards the hospital.