Ryan was staring at his house which was no longer there. ‘Are you okay?’ Jessica asked.

‘What’s it to you?’ he replied, not meeting her eyes.

‘I know this must be quite a shock to you . . .’

‘What are you going to do about it?’ Ryan turned to face Jessica. His face was half in shadow but she could see him shaking.

‘We’ll do what we always do. We will investigate what happened and hopefully, at the end of it, we will find out who did it and prosecute them.’

Jessica spoke as calmly as she could, deliberately slowing her words. On the previous occasion they had met she had wanted to see how Ryan might react to a gentle bit of winding up but this time she needed him to stay composed.

Ryan turned back to the house and replied, barely moving his lips with his teeth clenched tight. ‘You know who did it.’

‘No we don’t.’

‘It was in the paper. He said he was going to do this.’

Jessica stifled a sigh. ‘He didn’t, Ryan. I promise we will go talk to Anthony but you’ll have to be patient.’

The man said nothing for a while and Jessica watched the plume of air from his nose evaporating into the cold evening air. He was still staring at the destroyed property. ‘He could have killed my dad.’

‘There’s something else I’ve got to ask you about.’

‘I wasn’t here. I was out with friends.’

Jessica spoke firmly. ‘That’s not what I was going to ask. Can you come for a walk to my car?’ Ryan looked over his shoulder. ‘Your dad will be fine. He’s being well looked after.’

He seemed reluctant but silently followed Jessica as she headed along the road towards where she had parked. Jessica heard Rowlands jogging behind them to catch them up before appearing at her side.

‘Where are you going?’ he muttered quietly so only Jessica could hear.

‘Stay close.’

As they walked, she could see that even more people were outside the houses than when she had first arrived. Some were taking photographs on their phones as others chattered away. She smiled as she saw a burly fireman sipping from a small teacup, thinking he could crush it with one hand if he so chose. The older lady from before was standing next to him gossiping as if it was a coffee morning at a local church, instead of a major residential fire.

Jessica unlocked her car and reached into the passenger seat, picking out a cardboard document wallet. She put it on her bonnet, separating out the contents, the overhead street lamp offering enough light for what she needed.

‘What’s going on here?’ she asked.

Ryan picked up the piece of paper with a puzzled look on his face. ‘Where did you get it?’

‘I’m asking the questions, Ryan. What’s going on?’ Jessica kept a firm but steady tone.

He didn’t answer for a moment and she wondered if he was thinking of what the best answer to give might be, rather than simply telling the truth.

‘I’m feeding one of my friends a chip by the look of it,’ Ryan said.

Jessica couldn’t detect any emotion in his voice. ‘Do you know she’s dead?’

‘Sienna?’

‘She killed herself last night some time after this was taken.’ Jessica knew this hadn’t been confirmed but was watching Ryan to see if he would react. They hadn’t tracked down all of Sienna’s friends from the previous evening, largely because they didn’t know the names. At least initially, they hadn’t had Andrew’s photographs to work with. Jessica wondered if Ryan knew. With mobile phones, news travelled quickly among friends.

Ryan didn’t react to the news that the young woman he apparently seemed very friendly with had died, continuing to stare at the photo, apparently transfixed.

‘It wasn’t anything to do with me.’

‘I never said it was. In fact, I said she killed herself.’

‘I know what you were thinking though. Why aren’t you out arresting Anthony Thompson instead of harassing me?’ Ryan’s tone had risen again and he thrust the picture towards Jessica.

‘Were you in a relationship with Sienna Todd?’

‘No.’

‘Then why is she sucking your fingers?’

Ryan shrugged dismissively. ‘I dunno.’

Jessica passed him the next photo, the one that had a male squeezing Sienna’s backside. ‘Who’s this?’ she asked. They already had a name because one of the witnesses they had spoken to that morning passed it on. At the time, they hadn’t known he might be romantically involved with Sienna, given that Andrew had seen them kissing, but Jessica wanted to know if Ryan would tell her who it was.

He glanced at the picture, before quickly looking up. ‘I can’t tell from that photo.’

‘Are you sure? I’ve been told you turned up in a car with whoever this is. You must have a pretty good idea who it is?’

‘Have you got someone watching me?’

Jessica didn’t want to spell out explicitly that she didn’t. ‘Who says they were watching you? I just happen to know a keen birdwatcher who was taking pictures of the creatures perched on the roof of the building you were in. Unfortunately their aim wasn’t too good.’

‘Is he in trouble?’

‘I don’t know. I just want to know who he is.’

Ryan bit his bottom lip before finally relenting. ‘It’s Finn. Finlay Pierce. We went to college together but he finished last year.’

Jessica knew that matched the name they already had. ‘Was he Sienna’s boyfriend?’

‘Not really.’

‘Were you?’

‘No.’ Ryan handed the photo back to Jessica. ‘Can I go see my dad now?’

He went to step away but Jessica held out an arm, although she didn’t touch him. Rowlands, who had been standing silently, stepped sideways to block Ryan from moving.

‘Why do you think she killed herself, Ryan?’

‘What?’

‘Sienna. Why do you think she killed herself? You seem pretty close in these pictures.’

Ryan laughed, a snort that sounded genuinely menacing. Until that moment, Jessica had seen him as something of a troubled teenager but the way he dismissively cackled was unnerving.

‘Close? Sienna was close to everyone.’

Jessica wasn’t sure she wanted to hear any more but couldn’t stop herself. ‘How do you mean?’

The man raised his eyebrows mockingly. ‘You need me to spell it out? She fuckin’ loved it. Finn might have been her boyfriend yesterday but he was one of many. She was absolutely filthy.’

Jessica didn’t know if any of what Ryan had said was true but she was disgusted with the spite with which he had spoken.

The teenager seemed to sense that he had got to Jessica as he broke into a smile. ‘Can I go now?’

When she didn’t respond, Ryan took a step forward but Jessica acted without thinking. She grabbed his arm, yanking his thin frame around so she was forcing him up against the side of her car. She could still feel pain in her shoulder from where he had barged her but ignored it, digging her elbow into his chest. Almost involuntarily, he let out an ‘ow’ before correcting himself and pushing back. Jessica felt Rowlands’s hand on her shoulder.

She leant in so Ryan had no choice other than to look at her and spoke firmly but ruthlessly, letting him know she was serious. ‘I’ll let you off the way you spoke to us the other day and I’ll forget the fact that you shoved Constable Rowlands and barged me with your shoulder. But this is your final warning. If I come across you being a shit once more, there will be trouble. And not just, “We’ll come knocking at your door and ask you a few questions” trouble but big, bad, “I will kick your arse in front of all your mates” trouble.’

Jessica stepped back, allowing Ryan to straighten his clothing. She kept her eyes on him. ‘I’ve taken on much bigger, much meaner people than you in the past and I’m still here,’ she added, spreading her arms as if to prove the point. ‘Now go look after your dad and stop acting like a dick.’