‘She means the world to me,’ said Jack. His face became serious for a moment. ‘She means as much to me as you do.’

Ella shuffled back into the room carrying a large wooden tray laden high with orange squash, fresh fruit, pieces of cake, sticky buns and chocolate. Sophie’s eyes lit up in delight.

‘Tuck in dear,’ she said. ‘You young people always look so skinny. I think you need to be fed properly. Would you like anything else?’

‘No, this is brilliant. Thanks.’

Ella sat in a cosy-looking armchair that had been positioned opposite the electric fire and looked on lovingly as her granddaughter began to tuck into the feast in front of her.

‘So tell me about yourself,’ said Ella. ‘What kinds of things do you like doing in your spare time? And how do you find school?’

‘School’s okay,’ replied Sophie in between mouthfuls and sips. ‘Some of the teachers are a bit annoying. I like English and drama but I’m not keen on maths. Spare time? Just the usual, hanging out with friends, going to the cinema.’ She looked across at her father for a moment. ‘You know, the usual. Nothing special.’

The pair carried on shooting the breeze for a good half an hour and it was as if they had known each other their whole lives. Sophie particularly like it when Ella fetched down a photo album stuffed full of pictures of herself as a young child along with snaps of Jack as a baby and a teenager.

Sophie roared with laughter at the pictures of young Jack in flared trousers and tank tops.

‘You have to understand,’ he said defensively once the humiliation had drawn to a close, ‘that it wasn’t just me. Everyone dressed like that those days. In fact, it was the people who didn’t follow fashion who looked silly. Trust me, thirty years from now you’ll be looking back at pictures of what you wear today with kids of your own and they’ll be splitting their sides.’

Ella sat back in her chair, enjoying the dynamic between her child and grandchild. Then her soft happy face suddenly hardened. ‘Jack, I think you should go out of the room for a few minutes.’

‘Why’s that?’

‘Don’t answer back. Just do as I say.’

‘Yes, Mum.’

Jack winked at Sophie, then made his way out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Ella moved from her armchair on to the sofa beside Sophie. Her smile had returned and was bigger than ever.

‘Now, dear, the really wonderful thing about grandmothers is that you can tell them things that you don’t want anyone else to know and still be sure that your secrets are completely safe.’

‘Okay.’

‘What we’re about to talk about, none of it goes any further than this room. Most of all, him out there will never hear about it.’

‘Sounds good.’

‘So let’s get started. Do you have a boyfriend?

Sophie giggled. ‘Not really?’

‘But there’s someone you like, am I right?’

‘Maybe.’

‘What’s his name?’

Sophie could feel herself blushing more and more deeply. ‘Simon.’

‘Go on.’

‘He’s lovely. Tall, and he’s got this gorgeous curly hair and such a sweet smile.’

‘Do you think he likes you too? What am I saying, look at you, you’re beautiful, he must like you, otherwise he’s crazy.’

‘I think so; he’s a bit shy. I don’t know. We can talk when there are lots of people around, but whenever it’s just him and me together, he clams up.’

‘Well, listen to me, dear, whenever you feel the need to talk to someone about anything like this … I know you won’t want to talk to your mother because girls never do, and there’s no point in talking to Jack because he doesn’t know anything about boys. Or girls for that matter. But if you ever need any kind of … let’s just say I’m always here for you.’

‘I don’t know what to say.’

Ella Stanley tapped the end of her nose twice with her finger. ‘Let’s just keep it all between the two of us.’

‘Sure.’

‘Do you smoke?’

‘Sorry?’

‘Do you smoke, you know, cigarettes?’

‘Oh. No. Not really.’

‘Seriously? I certainly did by the time I was your age.’

‘Well …’

‘Waste of time. They make your breath stink. And no boy will want to kiss you. That’s what I think. It’s just not worth it, no matter what anyone else says.’

‘Okay, I’ll try to remember that.’

Just then there was a knock at the door and Jack poked his head around. ‘Sorry, Mum, we’re going to have to get going soon, if I’m going to have her back home before Stacey suspects anything.’

Ella looked down at the floor for a moment. ‘It’s been so wonderful to meet you, dear. I must say, I’m not sure I’m ever going to be able to forgive your mum for keeping you away from Jack. And from me.’

Sophie shifted awkwardly in her seat. ‘She had her reasons, I guess.’

‘I should hope so. But dads and their daughters, that’s a special bond. No one should ever try to break it. The fact that you go to all this effort in order to see your dad shows just how important it is.’ She turned to Jack. ‘But honestly, all this cloak and dagger stuff, it’s so ridiculous. I want to be able to call my granddaughter up on the phone, I want to be able to give my granddaughter presents.’

‘I tried talking to Stacey,’ said Jack. ‘She won’t see sense.’

‘I never liked that girl. First time you brought her round I could tell she was … I was so happy when you stopped seeing her. Sorry, dear, I know it’s your mum I’m talking about but –’

Sophie stood up suddenly. ‘I should go. I don’t really need to hear this.’

‘Leave it, Mum … you’re upsetting Sophie.’

‘And now this. Just goes to prove it. Doesn’t think he’s good enough to be a father to his own daughter so she keeps her quiet for God knows how long.’

‘Mum, please, leave it.’

Ella let out a long sigh, then turned to her granddaughter once more. ‘I’m sorry, it’s just that I feel like I’ve missed out on so much of your life and it makes me so sad to think about how we could have been. You’re my only grandchild and I want to be a proper grandparent.’

‘That would be great. I’d love it, but right now …’

‘Don’t worry, dear.’ Ella reached across and took Sophie’s hand between both of hers. ‘I’m sure things will work out just fine.’

‘So what do you think?’ asked Jack as they drove back.

‘I think she’s quite a character. Certainly speaks her mind. But …’

‘But what?’

‘Well, it’s just interesting.’

‘What’s interesting? You’re not making any sense.’

‘Well, it’s just … you’re not quite so tough around her, are you?’

‘Listen, Sophie, my mother is a strong, bloody-minded woman,’ Jack said softly. ‘I don’t mind telling you, even now, the thought of being on the wrong side of her still scares me shitless.’ He turned and fixed his daughter with a steady gaze.

11

By the third day the routine had become well established. Collins and Woods would stop off at the incident room for morning prayers and a general catch-up with other members of the team. From there they would make their way over to the ViSOR offices to continue ploughing through the files of sex offenders and compiling a list of all those who had gone ‘missing’ in the hope that one might turn out to be their unidentified third victim.

It had taken only a few hours of sifting for Collins to become thoroughly pissed off and disillusioned with the task at hand. Soon the names and faces of countless paedophiles and rapists seemed to be swimming through her head day and night. No matter how hard she tried to put them out of her mind, they seemed to have become a permanent fixture. They even haunted her dreams, along with the gruesome details of the crimes they had committed and the terrified screams of their victims.

More than once she found herself secretly hoping that some of the men who had been listed as missing had indeed been tracked down by the killer, decapitated and emptied of all their internal organs. She knew the victims had been put through untold agony, but scum like this had caused great suffering themselves. She felt sympathy for Edward Miller’s widow, but none for the man himself. Men like him did not deserve to live. And they certainly did not deserve the undivided attention of good officers like herself and Woods.