‘I went out with him last night. He told me he’d written his own programs. He’s strong too. It all fits.’

‘Jesus. You are serious.’

‘I don’t know. I need to do some research. I need to cross-reference the times he was in the country with the times the murders took place. Can you help me?’

Woods exhaled loudly. ‘I dunno, Stacey. I don’t like the guy but putting him in the frame for this is something else. Was your night out with him that bad?’

‘He fits the profile.’

‘For God’s sake, Stacey. Even if he does, even if he’s killing paedophiles, why would he go after O’Neill?’

‘Because he would have recognized him. He told me that he knew him. You should have heard him last night. He was practically grilling me for information about the case.’

Woods snorted with laughter. ‘So let me get this right. This guy is so smart that no one can catch him, that he can operate under the radar for years, but one night out with you and he’s spilling the beans and putting himself in the frame? No way. And of course he asked you about the case. He’s a consultant. He’s supposed to do that.’

‘You said he gave you the creeps.’

‘For crying out loud, Stacey, he’s a player. It’s written all over his face. I could tell you were interested in him. I was trying to protect you.’

‘Forget it.’ She spun to face her computer and began typing frantically. ‘I’ll do it. Just let me get on with it.’

‘With pleasure,’ said Woods, getting up to leave.

Ten minutes later Collins had found nothing to dissuade her from the idea she was on to something. Far from it. The dates that Dr Bernard had been in the country matched the times of the murders, though that alone was far from conclusive. Bernard had been in the country for months or years at a time. It could easily be nothing more than coincidence. Then again, if he had been out of the country during the time of one killing, it would have been incontrovertible proof that it could not have been him.

Collins rushed up from her desk and made her way over to Anderson’s office. She burst in just as he was picking up the phone to dial a number.

‘Sir …’

‘What is it, Collins? I need to speak to Carter. Can’t this wait?’

‘Sir, how well do you know Dr Bernard?’

‘What?’

‘Dr Bernard, the psychologist – how well did you know him before you hired him for this case?’

‘Collins! Well enough. He’s done a lot of this kind of work, has done for years. Why? Look, this is no time to be thinking about your private life.’

Collins frowned. ‘He fits the profile.’

‘What on earth are you talking about?’

‘Dr Bernard fits the profile of the man we’re looking for. The killer. Not only that, he knew O’Neill, and he has a level of skill with computers. He uses the same chatroom site as shygirl351 …’

‘Are you trying to tell me that the man we’re looking for is right under our nose?’

‘I’ve got no proof, I haven’t got anything. I just want to make sure we can eliminate him from the inquiries.’

‘He’s one of the most highly respected psychologists in the world.’

‘I know it sounds crazy.’

‘No. It is crazy. I think the pressure must be getting to you. Why else would you be trying to put him in the frame?’

She thrust two sheets of paper across the desk towards Anderson. ‘Look, I’ve checked the dates. He was in the UK when the other murders occurred. It’s got to be worth following up. Just give me a day on this.’

‘No. You won’t get even a minute. It’s a waste of time. It’s the most ridiculous line of inquiry I have ever heard in my entire life.’

‘But, sir –’

‘Leave it.’

‘But, sir –’

‘Jesus, Collins, do you know where Bernard was the night that O’Neill went missing?’

Collins paused. ‘No, sir.’

‘He was having dinner with me and my wife. So unless you think the three of us were in on it together, I suggest you get out of my sight and get on with some real police work.’

By the time Collins got back to her desk Woods had also returned. She sat down sheepishly. ‘Sorry,’ she said softly. ‘It was a non-starter. Maybe I am losing it after all.’

‘Don’t be stupid,’ said Woods. ‘You’re just up against it. We all are. We all want to see this thing solved, catch the guy. He’s playing us for fools at the moment. It’s enough to drive anyone a bit gaga.’

They sat in silence for a few moments before Stacey spoke again. ‘You think the killer knew O’Neill was a policeman when he took him?’

Woods shrugged. ‘There’s no way of knowing.’

‘It’s important, though, isn’t it? It goes back to what you were saying about the killer spreading his net wider. If he knew and just didn’t care, that’s because he’s moved on beyond paedophiles to members of the wider population.’

‘For all we know,’ said Woods, ‘that might have started with Chadwick. We still have no evidence to link him to any kind of a sex crime.’

Collins held up a single finger in the air. ‘Except for the fact that the killer thought he was meeting up with Bevan. Three weeks after Chadwick, he was still targeting a paedophile, a sex offender. If it was a case of mistaken identity, there doesn’t seem to be any remorse or regret. Quite the opposite. I think we missed something with Chadwick. Not every crime gets reported, not everyone ends up on one of our databases. I think we missed something and now I think it’s too late.’

‘Why do you say that?’

‘Because the killer has clearly moved on. I truly think we’re dealing with a monster here, Tony, I really do. Up until O’Neill we at least had an idea of what sort of person was being targeted. But it’s open season now. Anyone in the world could be next. Our chances of catching this evil bastard just tumbled a good few notches.’

DC Natalie Cooper walked over from the far end of the office and greeted them both. ‘You’ve got a visitor downstairs. She arrived while you were watching the feed and said she wanted to wait.’

‘I’m not expecting anyone. Who is it?’

‘She wouldn’t say. But she told the desk sergeant that it was important and that you’d be keen to speak to her.’

Collins nodded slowly. ‘I’m guessing it will be Miller’s widow. Maybe she’s remembered something new.

‘Do you want me to come down with you?’ asked Woods.

‘I’ll be fine. No sense in intimidating her. If there’s something on her mind, I want her to feel free to tell me all about it.’

Collins opted for the stairs rather than the lift. She descended the flights swiftly, rounding the last and pushing her way through the double doors that led to the foyer. From there she made her way through another set of doors that led to the waiting room adjacent to the main entrance. But instead of Sandra Miller, she found herself face to face with a woman she had not seen for many, many years and had no desire to spend any time with.

‘What the hell are you doing here?’

Ella Stanley stood up and stepped towards Stacey. Her face was taut with anger.

‘I need to talk to you, right now.’

Stacey shook her head. ‘I’m too busy. I’m in the middle of a murder investigation, for Christ’s sake.’

Ella moved forward until she was toe to toe with Stacey. ‘Either you talk to me right now or everyone in this place is going to hear what I have to say. The choice is yours.’

Stacey looked into Ella’s eyes and knew at once that she was deadly serious.

‘All right,’ she said at last. ‘But not here. Let’s go for a walk.’

The moment they were out of earshot of the station Ella Stanley let rip. ‘You’ve got some bloody cheek.’

‘What?’

‘You heard me. I said you’ve got some cheek. What the hell do you think you’re doing, playing around with people’s lives? Who do you think you are? God? You think you have the power to give and take way. Why the hell did you tell my Jack he had a daughter, only to then say he can’t see her any more? What was the point of that?’