Gina entered the incident room. ‘The press statement has just gone out. Let’s watch it back so we’re all familiar with it, then we can talk about how we are going to handle the volume of calls that will follow. Our experience tells us this is going to be massive. Volume calls, mostly irrelevant as always. Then we’ll get the confessors, we have a list of our regulars on file. They call every time, claiming it’s them, whatever the crime.’

‘It’s started, guv,’ Jacob replied as he straightened his tie.

Wyre grabbed the remote control. ‘Here goes.’

‘Go for it,’ Gina replied.

Wyre fast forwarded to the local news and paused. Briggs came on, with Annie standing in the corner, her shiny locks flowing over her shoulders. Shame washed through Gina. She needed to never call him again, unless it was to do with work. Although he’d offered to be there, it wasn’t right. He was clearly with Annie now. They’d been in a relationship, but crossing the work and friendship lines just confused things.

Briggs began to speak on screen. ‘I’m issuing a brief statement today, any questions will be answered during the detailed press conference at a later date. An investigation is underway after a member of the public found human remains in the woodland, just off Senton Lane in Cleevesford. At present we are conducting enquiries and making an appeal for witnesses. Anyone who has any information is urged to contact us on the number that is on your screen now.’ Wyre paused the news.

‘Short but to the point.’ Gina shielded her eyes from the sun.

Briggs almost made her jump as he stepped behind her. ‘All it needed to be. I didn’t want to reveal any information about the way our victim was found. As usual, this separates the crank callers from the genuine ones. Without the pathologist’s report we don’t have an accurate timeframe, telling us when the body was buried.’

‘Right, back to it. Thanks for that, Paula. Monitor all incoming calls and just send the good ones through.’ Gina turned and felt Briggs’s warmth radiating from his torso in the hot room. ‘I think we need a couple of fans in here. It’s becoming unworkable.’

He beckoned her over to the corner of the room. A hum of voices began to fill the room, getting louder and louder. ‘Did you try and call me in the night? I wondered if something had happened.’

She could feel her cheeks beginning to burn. ‘It was an accident. I fell asleep with my phone and leaned on it. Sorry, sir.’

‘No worries, Harte.’ His gaze lingered on hers. ‘If you need to talk, you know where I am. The welfare of this department is important to me and I know you’ve been through a lot this year—’

‘I’m okay, sir, honestly. I really just rolled over onto my phone. Sorry to have disturbed you.’

‘You don’t look okay. When did you last eat a proper meal? I’ve never known weight drop off someone so quickly.’

‘I’ve been working out.’ He stared at her. ‘Okay, you know me better than that. I’ve just been busy that’s all. My clothes were getting too tight so I’ve cut down a bit.’

His serious expression broke into a smile. ‘Well, don’t lose too much more. Don’t want you getting ill on us. Maybe you can have some of mine,’ he said, laughing as he patted his belly. He wasn’t too overweight. He’s what she’d describe as just cuddly with a slight belly.

‘If I need any, I know where to come.’ Please go now, she kept thinking. Her weight, her health and her private life were none of his business. If she couldn’t be bothered to cook and mostly ate crisps, then so what? Soon, she’d be back to normal. The counsellor said it would take a while. Almost being murdered in your own home wasn’t a small thing, even to a police detective. It would take time that was all. ‘Right, I’ll leave you to it.’

‘Thanks, sir. Please do.’ She exhaled as he left and felt the prickling in her neck and cheeks subsiding.

‘Guv?’ Wyre came running over. ‘Forensics have just called. They have all the results back from van girl’s clothing.’ Van girl. That’s what she was being called.

‘I’m on it. Pass the call through to my office.’