As they were waiting for January, Jessica read through the statement Vicky Barnes had given to another officer while they had been out. It was fairly standard information, revolving around dates, but she did claim January had threatened to kill both her and her son in the past. Given the girlfriend’s record of domestic violence, it gave them another reason to keep her in overnight until they knew whether the hand belonged to Lewis.

After a few minutes there was a knock at the door and a uniformed officer led January into the room. With the chase Jessica hadn’t had much of a chance to look at her properly. As she sat in front of them, Jessica could see the woman’s long black hair wasn’t looking as straight and clean as it did in the photo she had seen of her. The heat of the day plus the run and wait around the station were clearly having an effect and it was exacerbated by the bright white fluorescent bulb overhead. January went out of her way to make herself up to look pale, with dark eyes matching her hair that contrasted sharply with her skin. It had begun to wear off, with a few spots around her chin that she had attempted to conceal. Her skin seemed blotchier now it wasn’t quite so caked in make-up.

Despite that, Jessica thought she was a very attractive young woman. Her hips and waist were thin and her arms tiny. Jessica found it hard to believe someone with a frame so small could be capable of killing someone and hacking off their hand so cleanly but she had learned not to be surprised by what some could be capable of.

January said that she and Lewis had lived together for around six months before he went missing. The timings she gave pretty much confirmed what was in Mrs Barnes’s statement.

‘Is it true you first told Lewis’s mother he was out?’ Jessica asked.

January nodded. ‘Yes but it wasn’t really like that. It wasn’t the first time he hadn’t come home for a night. Every now and then he stayed with his friends after being out drinking; sometimes he texted me, sometimes not. You don’t know what his mother’s like, always calling and messaging him. She never gave us any peace. Plus she would try to get in the middle of us because she didn’t like me. When I realised he actually had gone somewhere I did tell her.’

Jessica thought that sounded plausible. ‘You don’t seem too upset he’s gone.’

January’s eyes widened. ‘Why? Because I’m not crying my eyes out? What do you want me to say? I gave you a statement when he first went missing a month ago and you haven’t done anything since then.’

‘What about the allegations you hit and scratched him?’

The woman looked away. ‘I don’t want to talk about that. I was never taken to court.’

Jessica knew that, if the duty solicitor had done their job properly, they would have told January not to talk about previous charges that had been dropped. Jessica couldn’t push it given they hadn’t had enough evidence last time, let alone now their only witness, Lewis, was missing. If it turned out the hand did belong to him, it would be a thread they’d come back to.

‘Why did you run from us?’ Jessica asked.

‘I told you I didn’t. I often go for a jog. As soon as I saw you, I stopped.’

She fidgeted in her seat and Jessica caught a glimpse of what looked like scars from old cuts on her arms. They had largely healed but there were still a few marks that clashed with her skin. To Jessica they appeared to be self-harm scars but January must have seen the officer’s wandering eyes because she turned her arms back over so the blemishes were facing down.

Jessica didn’t push the point or mention the marks, reaching into her pocket and taking out the photo Mrs Barnes had given her. ‘Can you tell me about the cloak you’re wearing here?’

January shrugged. ‘What about it?’

‘We’re looking for someone who was wearing a cape very similar to it.’

‘What’s that got to do with me?’

‘You tell me.’

January spoke defiantly. ‘I have no idea what you’re on about. I’ve been wearing that “cloak” as you call it since I was at school. The only reason I didn’t have it on today was because it was so warm.’

‘Where were you the night before last?’

‘In bed watching TV and sleeping.’

‘Can anyone else confirm that?’

From the woman’s outraged reaction, Jessica realised the question hadn’t come out how she meant it. The girl pushed away from the table, raising her voice. ‘Do you think I’m some sort of slag? My boyfriend’s missing.’

‘I didn’t mean it like that.’

‘Oh piss off.’

For the second time that day, Jessica realised she had given someone else the wrong impression about what she actually meant. She tried to ask more questions and reengage but any cooperation had been lost and January reverted to one- and two-word answers. The only time she showed any further emotion was when Jessica said they wanted to keep her in the cells overnight. January swore, hammering the table with her fists, which gave the officers a first-hand look at how aggressive she could be. She was led back downstairs by two uniformed officers as she launched a string of swear words towards Jessica.

‘I don’t think she likes you,’ Rowlands observed dryly.

Jessica couldn’t think of anything witty to say as she knew he was right. She told him he could leave for the day and then went to tell Cole they had come up with very little. He was waiting for Jason and Louise to arrive back from George Johnson’s house but told Jessica she should go home herself.

Because she had stayed later than she had to, the roads were relatively quiet for Jessica’s journey back to her flat. The sun was still warm on her arms through the driver’s window and she listened to a talk radio station as she drove. She had been so busy, she hadn’t seen or read the news that afternoon but the story about the MP’s missing wife was getting coverage high up the national news bulletin. The report ended with the line, ‘A police spokesman said they would be making no comment at this time,’ which wasn’t exactly encouraging but couldn’t be seen as a total disaster either. As the news ended and the presenter started taking calls from listeners, Jessica changed the station to something playing music.

Her small car was over twenty years old and just about got around. It had limped through its last MOT and the work it needed doing to pass cost more than the car was worth but Jessica paid the money anyway without really knowing why. Now she had been a sergeant for a couple of years she did earn enough to upgrade to something far more reliable but there was something about her red Fiat Punto she wasn’t quite ready to part with. It was the only car she had ever owned and had some sort of sentimental hold over her, even though she didn’t feel too kindly towards it when the weather was colder and it wouldn’t start.

As she pulled off the main road onto the estate where she lived, Jessica heard her phone ringing. She reached into her pocket and took the device out, glancing quickly towards it and seeing it was Cole. She pulled the car over and pressed the answer button. ‘Sir?’

‘Jessica, hi. Sorry for disturbing you, it could have waited until tomorrow but I figured you would rather know – January Forrester has been bailed.’

‘Why, what happened?’

‘The test results came through on the hand and it’s definitely not Lewis Barnes’s.’

5

The killer wasn’t completely sure but thought the initial part of the plan had gone as well as it could have done. The first hand had been left in exactly the right place and all the scouting had really paid off. Timings were the easy bit; now it was almost the longest day of the year, the sun came up nice and early. It meant there was plenty of light in the early hours but not too many people around to actually witness anything. Most of those who were in the area were either drunk or semi-conscious so there was no real worry.