Jake stared at her, narrowing his eyes. ‘And you know this because?’

‘Because I do, that’s all. Look, if we start where I said, at least half of those are camp sites that won’t need checking. We just need to focus on the caravan sites. Trust me. I know what I’m doing.’

He shrugged. ‘Come on then, actions speak louder than words. Let’s get cracking. I’ll park outside the coffee shop and you run in and get us two coffees from your favourite manager.’

Jake dangled the keys in front of her face. Annie shook her head. She hated his driving and he knew it, but she wouldn’t be able to concentrate. Her head was spinning. The consequences of them not finding Henry first were too scary to contemplate.

‘Hang on, have you printed off pictures of the gruesome twosome?’

Annie nodded. She would never forget Henry but she didn’t know Megan except for the photo that had been circulated on an email when they’d first escaped. And there was no way she would still have that pink in her hair. It made her stand out too much. What was a young girl like her doing mixed up with Henry?

They went to the side door, which Jake opened and stepped through first, not letting her out until he’d looked around. He walked forward and she followed him, keeping close. They both climbed into the unmarked car and he locked them in. She didn’t say anything as he drove off but he kept glancing into the rear-view mirror and she knew he was making sure they weren’t being followed. It gave her the creeps. At least Henry didn’t know where she lived now. Are you sure about that, Annie? If he knows that you work up here, what’s to say he didn’t follow you home one night when you were tired and weren’t even thinking about him?

Jake stopped the car and she looked around. The street was busy outside the café. People were everywhere. She didn’t think that he would go for a quick kill in a public place. That wasn’t Henry Smith’s style. He much preferred an intimate setting, in a deserted place where he could spend some quality time with his victims. Jake was obviously thinking the same thing or he wouldn’t have expected her to go into the coffee shop. She got out of the car, keeping her head down. Jake wound the window down. ‘I’ll have the biggest piece of cake they have and don’t forget the sugar.’ She nodded then opened the door and sighed. The queue was huge. Luckily for her, Gustav’s sixth sense kicked in and he came rushing over to her.

‘You know I’m worried about you, Officer Annie. You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.’ He peered over her shoulder and waved at Jake, who waved back.

‘Come to the front. You don’t have to wait in this line. You know that.’

‘I don’t like to be cheeky.’

‘Nonsense, it’s my privilege to serve the brave officers of the constabulary.’

He walked her to the front of the queue.

‘Meg, two large lattes and two slices of lemon sponge to go, please.’

The girl smiled at them and turned away. Annie looked at her but she didn’t look anything like the girl in the picture. This one was far thinner with dark brown hair. She wouldn’t be working in one of the busiest shops in Bowness either. Annie scolded herself for being stupid. The girl handed her a bag with the cakes in it, her hand brushing Annie’s.

‘Sorry.’

Annie laughed. ‘No, sorry, it’s me. I promise I wasn’t trying to hold your hand.’

The girl smiled back, put the lids on the coffees and passed them over as well. Gustav began to chatter to Annie once more and she nodded her head, thanking both him and the girl who was now busy serving the next customer.

‘My offer still stands. You would make a fine barista, Officer Annie.’

‘I’ll think about it. Thank you so much.’ She winked at him and turned to leave, grabbing a couple of sachets of sugar and a wooden stirrer before walking back out into the cold. Jake leant over, opening the passenger door for her.

‘Bloody hell, those coffees better be good. How long does it take?’

‘You’re so ungrateful at times, Jake.’

‘I’m starving. Did you get any decent cake?’

‘Yes, but not for you – he only gave me one slice.’

Jake looked at her in disbelief and she thought he might actually start to cry. His bottom lip had stuck out like a small child’s.

‘I’m only kidding. You can have them both if you’re that upset. Jesus, it’s like working with a four-year-old.’

***

Jake drove away from the café but not before Megan had managed to get a good look at him. She nodded her head in approval. Lucky Annie. She wouldn’t mind working with him. He was gorgeous. That made her dislike the woman even more. Not only did she have a good job, rich husband and a nice car, she also got to work with a hottie like that copper. She couldn’t wait to tell Henry she’d actually touched her. He would totally freak but she didn’t care. She knew it would drive him mad. She had no doubt that when he was fucking her he was thinking about Annie Graham – only he’d never admit that and she knew full well that he wasn’t a rapist. He might be a sick, cold-blooded, murdering bastard but he wouldn’t do that.

She looked at her watch. She only had a couple of hours to go before the end of her shift, and judging by the queue it would be home time before she knew it. There had been a flurry of activity in the village. She had never seen so many yellow jackets walking up and down the main street. Normally it was only a passing police van a couple of times a day. Two officers had been in earlier handing out flyers and speaking to the staff, asking if they had seen anything suspicious. Of course none of them had because she knew Henry was meticulous. In fact he was so slow at everything he did, sometimes she wanted to tell him to get on with it, but she was grateful to him because if it had been up to her they would probably have been caught by now. Another PCSO came through the door and Megan smiled at her. ‘Sorry, we’ve already been spoken to.’

The woman rolled her eyes. ‘Cheers, I think we’re going around in circles now to tell you the truth. Thanks.’ She left and once again Megan wondered how come none of them had realised who she was. Of course it was so blatantly obvious, they would never expect it. They would be expecting her to be hiding away somewhere with Henry. Well, it was a shame they were so stupid that they couldn’t see what was right in front of their faces, because it was all going to come back and bite them on the arse big time. She went back behind the counter and began smiling and serving the customers once more, excited to go home and see Henry.

Henry was lying on his bed thinking about Annie. She looked different from the last time he had seen her and he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. She looked a little slimmer and a little older but then again didn’t they all. He thought that she looked… He was fumbling for the right word to describe her. It was very important. And then it came to him. Annie Graham looked haunted. Yes, that was exactly how she looked. He wondered if it was because of him. Of course it’s your fault, you idiot, he scolded himself.

Another time and place, things might have worked out differently. If he hadn’t started killing maybe he could have met her in a different way – even asked her out for a drink. A voice in his head began to laugh. If you hadn’t started killing you wouldn’t have even known she existed. Everything happens for a reason, Henry, remember that. And your reason is to hold her in your arms, stroke her hair and whisper words of comfort to her as she takes her last breath. A shudder ran down his back so hard he made the bed shake. He forced himself to get up and do something, anything, to take his mind off her before he couldn’t think about anything else, and the desire to kill her became too strong for him to control.

He wondered how Megan was getting on. She had texted him in her break to tell him the village was crawling with police and to keep away. She would let him know if it was safe to come and pick her up. He went into the living room and turned the small digital radio on then switched it straight off. It wasn’t even the end of November and they were playing Christmas songs.