Gina arrived at the station as the sun was breaking. Silence echoed through the corridor leading to the incident room. After waking every hour during the night and lying awake, overthinking everything that had occurred with Hannah and then with Briggs, she needed work and it needed her.

‘Morning, guv,’ Smith said as he walked through, heading in the direction of the main desk.

‘Morning.’ Gina began to pin one of the photos that Bernard had emailed through on the board. She gazed at the girl’s face still remembering her shocking state. She stuck the photo of her burned off fingerprints underneath and continued sticking the others around it, showing the marks on her body, the wound on her side.

‘You dashed off quickly last night,’ Wyre said as she placed her bag on a desk.

‘As I said, I forgot to feed my cat.’

‘I thought you said you forgot to lock your door.’ Wyre pulled a few longer strands of her fringe aside and tucked them behind her ears. She leaned forward, almost holding her hand in Gina’s direction.

‘Ooh, did I say that?’ Gina turned back to the board.

Wyre nodded. ‘It’s okay. You don’t have to explain yourself.’

‘I feel rotten now. I’m really sorry, with it being your birthday and all. I’d had a bit of an argument with my daughter.’ Last time Gina had really let her hair down with the team she’d ended up drinking too much and sleeping with Briggs. That wasn’t going to happen again, ever. Not that it would have happened last night with Annie sniffing around him.

Wyre removed her jacket and placed it over the back of the chair. ‘Don’t worry about it. I know how these things can play on the mind. One row with my dad and I’m fit for sod all for the rest of the day. We left soon after and popped to the Nag’s Head for one. Briggs and Annie stayed on. I think she has a bit of a thing for him, it’s quite sweet really.’ Gina scratched her brow, hoping to hide her expression. ‘Jacob had to meet Amber, so I called it a night. It wasn’t going to be a long one anyway as I had to get home. George had a surprise waiting for me.’ Wyre placed her hand on the table face down as Gina turned again, continuing to make brief notes on the board. Wyre sighed. ‘For a senior detective, you do miss a lot.’

Gina turned, gave Wyre a puzzled look and then stared back at the board. ‘Can you see something I can’t?’

Wyre held her left hand up and Gina smiled. How had she missed the shiny diamond that fit her slim finger so perfectly? ‘You and George?’

‘No, me and the dog.’

‘You’ve got a dog?’

‘No, I was just… It doesn’t matter. George asked me to marry him and I said yes! I know it hasn’t been too long but we’re having a really long engagement. I really love him and that’s not something I thought I’d ever say about anyone.’

‘I’m so happy for you both.’ Gina smiled as her phone buzzed. It was a message from Briggs.

‘If anyone wants me, I’m in Briggs’s office. You can tell me all about it in a bit.’

Wyre took the rest of the photos and continued where Gina had left off.

She hurried along the corridor until she reached Briggs’s office. The door was closed. After gently tapping, she stepped back and waited.

‘Come in.’ As she opened the door, he finished typing. ‘Right, that’s that done. Any updates on the new appeal?’ he asked.

‘Not as yet. There has been a high volume of calls, mostly everyone and anyone who knows someone with a large white van.’ She felt the familiar prickling climbing across her chest. It wouldn’t be long before Briggs would catch her reddening.

‘The call team have emailed me the first list. Just printing it now.’ She heard his printer chugging into action. ‘It’s a shame you didn’t come for that drink last night. Annie and I headed off to Stratford to get some food. How are you holding up, with things?’

‘Good… really, everything’s fine. I just had to get back. I thought I’d left my back door unlocked.’ That lie again. Was he going to catch her out this time?

‘I thought you had that all dancing and singing security system installed since the last incident?’

He was correct. She could have just looked on her phone to see the camera images of her house at any time that evening, but she had chosen to leave. Then again, it was a lie.

‘I’m worried about you, Harte. You seem a bit distant.’

‘I’m fine, sir. Really.’

‘It’s not what happened with us, I mean, it’s all in the past. I get that, totally. We’re friends, have been for years and I’m moving on. You’d tell me if something was bothering you? We’re still friends.’

Nothing was bothering her. She had a past like everyone else. Why could everyone see a version of her that she could not herself see? She was fine. It had been a bad few months. She’d had counselling. She’d opened up about her fears and her past. ‘I’m sorry if I gave you that impression, I really am fine, and I wish you’d stop asking.’

‘Sorry. I’m always here, remember that,’ he said as he stood and walked over to her. She took a step back, placing some distance between them. She knew his game, getting close to Annie, flaunting it, all to make her jealous.

‘I can look after myself.’

He reached over, grabbed the reports and passed them to her. ‘Here you go. I hope you find the answer in there.’ He returned to his chair and scrolled on his computer mouse. ‘Any news back from the lab yet?’

‘No, sir. Nothing. As it stands, this is all we have. This and any potential CCTV. O’Connor is following up on all the van leads and Wyre will continue looking for any CCTV showing a white van in the area.’

He began typing again. ‘I best let you get on with it then.’

She closed his door as she left, thinking about what Briggs had just said. She’d gripped the reports so hard they were screwed up in her hands. She flinched. O’Connor’s voice bellowed through the corridor as she entered the incident room. ‘Wow, congratulations,’ he said to Wyre.

Gina flattened out the reports as well as she could and passed him the huge list of white vans to follow up on. She then pulled her own list from her bag. She’d written down as many details as she could of anyone commenting on the Facebook post about the van. Dropping them on a desk, she looked up and smiled. ‘Sorry. I know this isn’t exciting but you’re so good at it. Wyre, keep looking for CCTV within the area. Someone must have something. Maybe some of the residents along Laurel Lane have CCTV.’ Wyre nodded. Gina pulled out her phone and called Bernard. She needed to buck up and get on with all her tasks. ‘Any news?’