‘Grab your coat,’ Kate demanded, as she burst through the door of the soft interview room, ‘we need to get out of here.’

Finn stood unsteadily. ‘What’s going on? What about the identity parade?’

‘Isbitt’s not here. They’ve released him.’

He crossed his arms. ‘What do you mean they’ve released him? What about Amy? What about the other women he killed?’

Kate’s cheeks were still flushed from her encounter with the supe. ‘I’ll explain everything when we’re out of here. But we need to go, now.’

He remained still, waiting for more of an explanation.

‘I’ve been suspended,’ she finally confessed.

His eyes widened with shock.

She stared straight ahead. ‘It doesn’t change anything. We know who we’re after, and now it’s only a matter of time before we find what we need. Come on.’

Finn draped his jacket over his arm, and followed her out of the room, back along the corridor and out through the front door. Kate kept her head down; news of her suspension would spread through the station like wildfire, and she didn’t want to still be around when it did.

‘Where now?’ he asked as they stepped out into a cool breeze. The grey clouds overhead threatened rain, but were holding. For now.

Kate was about to reply, when she heard her name being called.

Turning, she saw Laura bursting out through the same door, and rushing down the stairs to where they were standing. ‘Ma’am, tell me it isn’t true.’

‘Who told you?’

‘Underhill just briefed those of us in MIR-1. Should I speak to the supe? After all, I was the one who got you involved in Helen Jackson’s case.’

Kate smiled, grateful for her support. ‘It wouldn’t do any good. This isn’t your fault, and you’d be best served steering clear of me. I don’t want to be the reason you throw your career away too.’

But Laura stood firm. ‘If I had any doubt that Isbitt killed Helen and Mary, I’d be back inside at my desk. What can I do to help?’

---

Kate, Laura and Finn bundled into the back of Trish’s car as the rain began to fall, and relocated to Laura’s favourite café. They huddled around their drinks in a vacant corner where their hushed conversation wouldn’t be overheard.

‘Under the regulations, you have the right to appeal, ma’am.’

Kate stirred her coffee. ‘In writing, I know, but it won’t do any good. The supe has valid grounds for suspending me and referring my actions to Professional Standards. The day will come for me to justify my behaviour and clear this whole thing up, but nothing will justify it more than if we solve this thing. We don’t have long. He’s killed twice in a week, and it’s only a matter of time before he does it again.’

Finn had been sitting quietly, obviously trying to wrap his head around what was going on and to pick a side. Eventually, he leaned in. ‘What can we do? If what Amy told me about you is true, then you must have a plan.’

Kate looked away. ‘Not exactly, but if we go at this thing from opposite ends, then maybe there’s a chance we can meet somewhere in the middle. Laura, I don’t want you doing anything that will see you suspended or booted out of the trainee detective programme. You’ve worked hard this last year and I’m not going to be responsible for holding you back.’

‘I’ll be careful, ma’am. I won’t do anything to draw attention to what I’m doing, but I wouldn’t be any kind of detective if I sat idly by and allowed Isbitt to go free.’

Kate forced a thin smile. ‘Okay, then do your job. Do everything Underhill asks you to, but keep digging on Isbitt. Speak to his wife. When I saw her yesterday, I got the impression that there was more she wanted to tell us, but that she was afraid to speak. I promised we would keep Gavin away from her, but now he’s back at home so you’re going to have to rebuild her trust, and let her know we’ll keep her safe. She’ll have access to his email and diary and you need to convince her to share that information with us. She told me she took a sleeping pill on Tuesday night, so push to find out what she takes and whether it’s possible he slipped her an extra dose to ensure she didn’t wake and wonder where he was. Also, try and track the allegedly stolen car’s movements back from its arrival at the train station. He must have grabbed and attacked Helen somewhere. Find that footage and we tie him to the crime.’

Laura busily scribbled notes in her pad.

‘Also,’ Kate continued, ‘you need to visit Isbitt’s girlfriend in Portsmouth. Find out if he’s threatened or paid her off in some way to give him an alibi for Saturday night. It’s possible he left his phone with her in Portsmouth so he could travel back to Southampton and strike undetected. Remember, he’s remained off the radar for more than a year; he’s smart. We need to be smarter.

‘Finn, you and I need to tackle it from the London end. I can’t go anywhere near Armitage’s investigation, and after your involvement earlier today, he’s unlikely to trust you with updates. However, he will keep Erin and your dad informed. Stay close to them and ask them to keep you posted with any updates, however small. When are you due to go back to Devon?’

‘I can’t go back to Devon until we catch him. We – I need this closure.’

She watched him carefully. ‘Are you sure you can afford to be away this long?’

He nodded, but Kate could see from his eyes he was lying. She decided not to press him now with Laura around.

‘Speaking of which,’ he said, holding up his phone to show he had an incoming call. He moved away from the table to answer it.

‘What are you going to do?’ Laura asked.

‘I need to go back over every witness interview we took during the original investigation. If I’m going to place Isbitt in London, I need to identify exactly how and where he went. If he found the four initial victims via dating sites, how did he find out where they lived? And where did he stay while he was in the capital? We’re creatures of habit, so there will be patterns, we just need to know where to look. That’s where your work with Nicola Isbitt will help.’

‘It’s going to be hard to keep this all under wraps,’ Laura admitted, the first traces of doubt creeping into her voice.

‘But it’s essential that we do. I’m going to return to London with Finn later, so I can speak to the family and friends of the victims again. If Isbitt was watching those girls and waiting to strike, someone must have seen him. It may be that he used his computer business to get into the homes of the other girls, like he may have done with Amy. Can you get me a photograph of him?’

‘Leave that to me, ma’am.’

‘It’s Kate, remember? Besides, if we fail, I won’t be your superior for much longer.’

Laura nodded her understanding, but Kate could see the look of pity in her eyes. She didn’t need pity, she needed support.

‘I’d better head back before Underhill wonders where I am,’ Laura said, checking the time.

‘Understood. Keep me posted. Call any time, day or night.’

Laura put on her coat and ducked out into the rain, hurrying along the pavement and over the footbridge above the railway tracks.

At the other side of the café Finn’s voice was rising, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying. She tried not to listen, and stared out of the window until he returned to the table.

‘Sorry about that,’ he offered. ‘What happened to your friend?’

‘She had to go back to the office. Finish your drink, we have a long journey ahead of us.’