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Four women dead and no leads. You’re right, this is just a minor blip. Otherwise, we’re gold.’ I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, sighing.
    ‘Headache?’
    ‘Like you wouldn’t believe.’
    ‘I’ll see if Nursey can give me an aspirin or two.’ Rob patted me on the arm. ‘It’s the least I can do.’
    ‘Don’t get me started on what you can do.’
    ‘Oh, I know what you’d like me to do.’
    ‘Never in a million years, Langton.’
    ‘Nothing to be ashamed of, Kerrigan. You wouldn’t be the first to fall for me. It’s probably best if you don’t fight it.’
    ‘Fight what? The urge to throw up?’
    We retraced our steps along the corridor, bickering all the way. It was a relief, somehow. It took my mind off what I was about to say to Superintendent Godley. The chorus of bad language at the back of my mind had cranked up a notch, adding a little variety at least . Shit bugger piss damn fuck …
    We rounded a corner, and in spite of myself I was laughing at something Rob had said, looking at him rather than where we were going, so it was only when his face slipped to neutral, uncertainly, then snapped into straight lines that I stopped grinning and turned my head. Godley and Judd were waiting for us, jackets on, grim expressions on their faces and I felt my own face mirror theirs. I was ready to let them know the worst.
    ‘It’s not him.’
    I stared at Judd, wrong-footed. ‘That’s what I was going to say. How did you—’
    ‘There’s another body. Another young woman. He’s done it again.’ Godley sounded drained. ‘Vic Blackstaff couldn’t have done it. Best guess is that it happened in the last three hours. While Blackstaff was here, being operated on.’
    I nodded. ‘From Kelly Staples’ statement, there was nothing to suggest that he was the killer, even if it does sound as if he was up to something he shouldn’t have been. Unluckily for Victor, she got spooked and lashed out. She just got it wrong.’
    ‘She wasn’t the only one,’ Godley said tersely.
    DI Judd took over. ‘She’ll need to be charged. We’re not going to waste time dealing with it. I’ll call the borough CID office and get the on-call DC to take over. You’ll have to fill me in, Kerrigan.’
    I should have been grateful that he hadn’t stuck me with letting borough CID know about their new case, but I managed to control my gratitude. It meant I had to talk to him, for one thing. I smiled brightly. ‘No problem.’
    ‘Then get going,’ Godley said. ‘I’ll see you at the new crime scene.’
    And just like that, we were done with Kelly Staples; her fate was for someone else to decide. I couldn’t help but think she was one more victim of the Burning Man, one more bit of fallout from his crimes.
    We needed to catch him, and soon. But the fact that we were on our way to see another body proved that we weren’t even close.

 
     
    L OUISE
    ‘Hi. This is Rebecca. You’ve got through to my voicemail, not to me, but leave me a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Don’t just hang up! Speak! After the beep! That would be … now!’

    The voice filled my office, warm and lively, conjuring its owner so vividly for me that I could close my eyes and smell the faintest breath of her perfume over the sterile air-conditioning that kept my workplace at a steady 20 degrees, regardless of the weather in the streets. Outside, it was a cold and damp Friday morning in late November, dark and grey. Inside, my home-from-home was cosily lined with colourful files and folders and gently lit, as recommended by the ergonomic advisers whom my employers, Preyhard Gunther, had consulted when fitting out the London office. There are people who advise on the best conditions for keeping chickens to ensure maximum laying; at PG, if the associates were the chickens, billable hours were eggs and I was a champion layer who qualified for that unwanted status symbol, a foldaway bed under my desk. In a