On the Thursday, Jessica finally got confirmation the hand they’d found belonged to Steven Povey. She’d thought all along that it did but actually getting the test results had her wondering what might happen next. With the final finger also identified, Jessica debated if things really were now over in terms of finding body parts. It was an odd feeling, thinking a killing spree had started and ended on her watch.

Also playing on her mind was the fact it was Caroline’s wedding in two days. Jessica had done her best to stay in touch over the past week and gone to the final dress fitting but things had been so busy it was proving almost impossible to be involved. Caroline seemed to be calm but Jessica felt she was neglecting her friend by not having the time to visit her with the day so close. Jessica was due to sleep at the bride’s house on the Friday night but hadn’t packed anything to take. She was frequently disorganised but had wanted to get everything ready a day or two ahead of time.

Jessica was sitting in her office thinking about marriage when her desk phone rang. The noise surprised her and it was almost as if she didn’t know what to do. When she answered, the man on the other end sounded nervous. He introduced himself as an officer from a force somewhere around Nottingham. He waffled for a little bit but, when he finally got to the point, Jessica was left worrying whether or not she would be back in time for Caroline’s wedding as there was no doubt she was going to have to travel to see him the next day. A woman named Sam Kellett had handed herself into her local police station, identifying herself as the person in the holiday photo.

32

Jessica made an awkward phone call to tell Caroline she was going to be spending the day before her wedding in Nottingham. Jessica assured her friend she would be back to stay at hers that evening but wasn’t actually certain herself. Caroline took it well – they had known each other for long enough for her friend to realise sometimes the police work took over. The final thing Caroline said was, ‘Please don’t miss it’.

Because she didn’t want to rely on trains to get her back to Manchester on time, Jessica called Rowlands to ask if he would drive them down to the Midlands the next day. He was still roaring around in a boy racer-style car but it did at least seem reliable, something her vehicle most certainly was not. Jessica updated Cole with what was happening and was surprised at how much attention he gave her given the break in the Johnson case. He even offered to go to Nottingham with her but she knew he should probably be at their station with the clock ticking on the garage owner.

It was after eleven at night when Jessica finally got around to packing the things she needed to stay at Caroline’s.

Rowlands picked her up from her house the next morning. Jessica found the journey relatively stressful, largely because of the motorway traffic jams and the fact she hadn’t slept much. Her colleague kept fishing to ask who she was taking to the wedding but she ignored him. Jessica wouldn’t have admitted it to him but Rowlands was a pretty good driver. He weaved them in and out of the slow-moving traffic, getting them off at the correct junction without too much hassle before finding the police station as if he had memorised the route.

As they pulled up, Jessica hurried out of the car, leaving her colleague to offer a sarcastic ‘You’re welcome’.

‘You’ll get your thanks when you get me back to Manchester in time,’ Jessica called, not looking backwards.

The police station was a lot smaller than the one they were used to back at Longsight. It was on the outskirts of Nottingham in a little community of its own. It had just one storey and an unmanned front desk where Jessica had to ring a bell to summon someone to meet them. Sam Kellett had been let go the previous evening and asked to return to be interviewed the next day. According to the officer Jessica had spoken to, the woman was fine with that but was worried about her husband finding out she had visited the police.

Jessica’s instinct told her those were the actions of someone shocked to see their own face on the news, not a person who had spent the last few weeks chopping off hands and leaving them in public.

After ringing the bell, nobody came to the reception. Jessica shared a sideways look with Rowlands but wasn’t in the mood to be messed around. She started banging the bell with the palm of her hand repeatedly until eventually a red-faced overweight woman bundled into the area behind the glass counter.

‘Oi, what do you think . . .’ the woman started to say angrily but Jessica took her identification out of her pocket.

‘We’re down from Manchester to interview Samantha Kellett. I was assured you’d have a room ready for us.’

The woman glanced up at a clock behind her on the wall. ‘You’re a bit early like.’

Jessica nodded. ‘Yep, we’re an efficient bunch up north.’ She wasn’t annoyed with the woman as such and knew the over-zealous ringing of the bell was a little childish given the station was most likely very understaffed. Ultimately, she wanted things sorted one way or the other so she could get back to Manchester.

The officer behind the counter unlocked a nearby door, ushering Jessica and Rowlands through. ‘Sorry, there are just three of us in today. We’d love to be as efficient as you but we have budgets to stick to and so on.’

Jessica said nothing, knowing she deserved the little dig. The woman led them down a short corridor through a locked door and into an interview room that wasn’t too dissimilar to the one Jessica was used to at Longsight. Neither looked as if they had been updated in the past fifteen years with peeling dreary cream paint on the walls and a sweaty musty smell.

The other officer stood in the doorway as Jessica and Rowlands stepped into the room. She gave a big sigh before speaking. ‘In our notes it says Samantha Kellett is due to be back here by ten o’clock so you’ve got half an hour. You can hang around here and make sure everything’s up to your standards or there’s a coffee machine just down the hall. We’ll make sure she’s brought through when she gets here. Is there anything else I can help you with?’

Jessica was definitely feeling a little silly for her earlier outburst and the other officer was clearly annoyed.

‘Does your tea machine spit out drinks that taste vaguely of washing-up liquid the way ours does?’ Jessica asked.

The woman stared at them for a moment then laughed. ‘I guess that’s the standard nationwide. Don’t risk the hot chocolate either, that tastes worse.’

‘Thanks for the tip.’

When they were alone, Jessica checked the recording equipment over and everything seemed in a better condition than theirs, which wasn’t a surprise. It didn’t take long before there was a knock at the door and a nervous-looking young male officer showed Sam into the room.

Jessica could see a lot of herself in the woman. They were roughly the same age and had the same figure. The woman’s hair was black, Jessica’s was a dark blonde, but they both had it in loose ponytails and were even dressed similarly. Jessica was wearing a light grey work suit, Sam’s was slightly darker.

The woman sat across the table from them and, when the door was shut, Jessica introduced herself and Rowlands and checked Sam’s name. ‘You do know you’re allowed a legal representative with you,’ she added.

‘I don’t need one,’ Sam said confidently.

‘Are you sure? We can arrange for someone to talk to you for free.’

‘It’s fine, I haven’t done anything.’

‘As long as you’re absolutely positive.’

Sam looked determinedly at Jessica. ‘Why did you put my picture on the news?’