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She reached into her bag and handed him an apple.

‘I’ll have it later.’

‘Now.’

He shrugged and bit into it.

‘I think you’re putting too much faith in the restorative power of fruit, Tilly. “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” isn’t supposed to be taken literally.’

‘Just eat it, Poe.’

‘Will you two behave?’ Flynn hissed.

Nightingale finished by updating them on how the surveillance of the kite was going. So far no one, not even a farmer, had been anywhere near the wood. The teams were rotating but it was becoming a less popular gig. Surveillance was exciting when things were happening, but when they weren’t, cops could moan with the best of them.

Nightingale spotted Poe and waved him to the front. She asked if there was anything relevant from Howard Teasdale’s post-mortem, and when he confirmed there was she gave him the floor.

For fifteen minutes he talked about what Estelle Doyle had found. He saved what he considered to be the most significant findings until last.

‘Howard had an untreated stage-four lymphoma. It was in his lungs, liver and lymph nodes. According to Professor Doyle, he would have been dead within the year, and although Teasdale’s registered sex offender status probably rules out a mercy killer, I don’t think we should discount it just yet.’

Nightingale said, ‘Pam, can you get warrants to view the medical records of Rebecca Pridmore and Amanda Simpson, please?’

A stern-looking woman seated near the front nodded. ‘Will do, ma’am.’

Poe continued, ‘The other thing you all need to be aware of is that the garrotte used to kill Howard Teasdale was impregnated with industrial diamond dust. That’s an assassin’s weapon. Easily hidden in plain sight, assembled in seconds and as deadly as anything you’ll have come across. If you are the one who has to arrest him, take my advice and keep him at arm’s length. PAVA spray is good, Tasers would be better.’ He gestured towards the armed response team. ‘Ideally, though, he needs two shots to the torso.’

Nightingale frowned. ‘Sergeant Poe means after you’ve correctly identified yourself and tried to effect a peaceful arrest.’

She looked at him for confirmation.

Poe shrugged. ‘I suppose, if someone’s watching.’

The room laughed.

A uniformed cop on the front row wearing sergeant’s stripes raised his hand. It was Nightingale’s briefing and Poe let her call on him.

‘Jim?’

‘Have you ever seen anything like this before, Sergeant Poe?’

‘DI Flynn and I have been involved in virtually all serial murderer investigations in this country for the last six years. They are all different but, up until now, they’ve also been a bit samey. This does seem different. He kills but, with Howard Teasdale at least, he does it quickly. He mutilates but he’s also used anaesthetic. He selects his victims at random but he doesn’t have a type. And he’s a—’

A coughing fit stopped him in his tracks. When it was finished he grabbed the nearest cup and swigged it down. He grimaced at the taste and looked to see what he’d just drunk.

‘Fruit tea,’ he muttered. ‘What’s wrong with you all …?’

More laughter.

‘And he’s bold,’ Poe continued. ‘Best guess is that he deposited the body parts in full sight of everyone. He’s calm too. If something didn’t go to plan he either improvised or his contingencies were so well practised that despite operating in busy environments no one saw him, and the only cameras he’s on are the ones he knew about. The kite in the tree is the only mistake he seems to have made.’

Poe paused. The room was silent, each face glued to his.

Another cop raised her hand. ‘Is he finished?’

‘Serial killers very rarely stop. They either get caught or they die. But this man … this man is dancing to a tune only he can hear. My answer is we don’t know – he might be finished; he might just be getting started. We’re in uncharted waters here so we’re having to learn as we go.’

A palpable sense of fear and unease filled the room.