Lottie collected Boyd from Marian Russell’s house. So far nothing had been found buried beneath the timber in the shed. But the plants in the fuel tank had been taken away for testing.

‘She has a boyfriend?’ Boyd clipped in his seat belt as Lottie took off down the road, wipers swishing trying to keep up with the rain.

‘Natasha admitted it. Lorcan Brady. We need to check him out.’

‘We should have found out about this boyfriend earlier.’

‘Boyd. Don’t.’

‘Shouldn’t he be at school at this hour of the day?’

‘He’s twenty-one. Unemployed, according to Natasha. We’ll run his name through PULSE database later.’

‘Did you get his phone number?’

‘Said she didn’t have it.’

‘Isn’t this a bit far for Emma to walk?’ Boyd said, following the road with his eyes.

Taking a turn at the hospital, Lottie headed along the cemetery road. ‘She took Natasha’s bike.’

‘All the same…’

‘She might have arranged to meet him somewhere and he picked her up,’ she said. ‘Wonder if he has a car?’

Three minutes later, Lottie pulled into the drive of a two-storey house. It looked uncared for, she thought, if not abandoned.

She stepped out on mud flowing towards the road. A lazy-looking collie dog lay on the front doorstep. It didn’t move. A red 2010 Honda Civic was parked at the side of the house.

‘If that car was any lower to the ground, you’d have to tow it.’ She noted the registration number to check later. ‘Souped-up exhaust pipe too.’

‘You’d hear it before you see it,’ Boyd said.

Lottie knocked on the door. No bell. No answer, either. They walked to the rear of the house. The dog followed silently.

The yard was piled high with black rubbish bags. Some bitten through by the dog or maybe vermin; tea bags and bits of vegetable peelings were scattered around. Picking her steps carefully, Lottie peered through the window.

‘No one home?’ Boyd said.

‘Curtains are drawn. It looks deserted.’ She hammered on the door. Waited. No one appeared.

‘Emma’s not here. Hospital next?’

‘Yes. Lynch should be there now.’

When she got back into the car, her phone rang. Lynch. ‘Emma’s not here at the hospital, but you…’

‘What?’ Boyd asked.

‘Shush,’ Lottie said.

Lynch was still talking. Lottie said, ‘We’ll be there in a few minutes.’

She looked at Boyd as she hung up. ‘I think we just found Lorcan Brady.’

‘Where?’

‘He’s one of the fire victims.’

---

Huddling in the hospital corridor, Lynch updated Lottie. Boyd lounged against the wall.

‘So one of the guys is Lorcan Brady,’ Lottie clarified. ‘But you don’t know which one yet?’

Lynch nodded.

‘How were you able to get the name?’

‘I ran the registration of the car found at the cottage.’

‘But we’ve just come from Brady’s place. There’s a red Honda Civic there.’

‘Maybe it belongs to the other fellow. We still have no positive ID on either man.’

‘We’d better run the Honda plates.’ Lottie walked around in a circle, tapping her phone against her leg. ‘Is the victim still unconscious?’

‘Yes. Severe burns and fingers hacked off.’

‘So it might be Lorcan Brady and it might not.’

‘Affirmative.’

‘Brady is in the system. See if anything else matches to this guy. Is his room still guarded?’

‘Yes, and Marian’s.’

‘This is getting complicated,’ Lottie said. ‘Brady was Emma’s boyfriend and he’s possibly either a burned man or a dead man.’

‘You only have Natasha’s word, though,’ Boyd said.

‘But if it’s true, it could link Tessa’s murder to the fire. I’m going to have a look at the cottage now.’

‘What will I do?’ Lynch asked.

‘Find out who owns that Honda and get the burned victim identified. Put out an alert for Emma Russell.’

Boyd said, ‘Do you want me to go back to Marian Russell’s house? See if SOCOs have unearthed anything?’

‘Follow it up. Main priority is to find Emma. That little madam has been economical with the truth from day one. God knows what she’s into or who she’s into it with, but I want her found.’

Without waiting for a reply, Lottie pulled her bag around her chest and ran down the stairs.