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him from home. Rubbish from HR about the new online payment system. There had been a glitch with the software and IT would repair it as soon as possible. Dominic didn’t care so long as the money went in his bank every month. And an email from someone on the incident team requesting money because one of the civilian staff had delivered a bouncing baby boy. The funds would buy her a basket of baby goodies and a pamper gift for herself. He had no issue with this and put his hand in his pocket and found his wallet, fished out a twenty-pound note and put it on his desk ready to give to the collector in a minute.

The last unread email was from Jonathan Butler. Sent at one thirty-seven this morning. He was asking if they had identified the dating app that Julie had used. Dominic shook his head.

‘What is it, Sarge?’ Hayley was behind him. ‘That shake of the head doesn’t look like a good start to the day.’

‘It’s Jonathan Butler. He wants to know if we’ve tracked down the dating app his sister used. This is what his FLO is for. To provide him updates. For him to talk to about the things he’s anxious about.’ He looked back down at his email. ‘But this came in the early hours of the morning when, I imagine, he will have been brooding about the case and Lizzy isn’t due there until this morning.’

Hayley stepped closer. She was right behind his left shoulder peering at the email he was reading. She was so close he could smell the perfume she was wearing, soft and floral. It tickled his nose and he found he liked it.

‘You’re right,’ she said. ‘He’ll know you won’t respond, but it probably helps him to send it anyway. Makes him feel like he’s taking some kind of action.’

Kapoor walked into the incident room and Hayley moved back to her own desk. Dominic closed down his screen. He would reply to Jonathan as soon as the briefing was over. They hadn’t identified the app. They didn’t have her phone and the computer tech guys were still examining her laptop. It wasn’t an overnight job as often indicated on television shows.

Kapoor clapped his hands together. He was the epitome of smart preparedness. ‘Morning, team, glad to see everyone here and in good spirits still. Let’s have a look at what we have so far and where we’re going from here, shall we?’

Dominic picked up the twenty pound note off his desk and waved it at Sofie who put her thumb up and smiled. He would make sure he handed it to her straight after the briefing.

‘So,’ said Kapoor. ‘We’re at that stage in the investigation where there’s a lot of waiting around. The exhibits have been sent to forensics so we have to wait on those. As we know, different item results will come in at different times so let’s hope we can get something from them. Christie is on CCTV viewing. That’s another slow and tedious job, but one that needs to be done. Every car that passed near the woods within the timeframe we’ve set is going to be tracked down and the owner spoken to and a statement obtained. If you get anything hinky from any of those visits — which will keep many of you occupied for a good couple of weeks — then let your supervisor know straight away.

‘Tim, how’s your team going on the house-to-house around Julie’s address?’

Tim Eaton pulled a sheet of paper closer to his eyeline and peered down at it. ‘We’ve got some statements providing last sightings of Julie, but nothing of note for who she might have been seeing. We’ve still got a couple of addresses to do but they don’t seem the nosiest people I’ve come across.’

Kapoor looked at Dominic. ‘How has the dog walker fared?’

‘Everything is coming back clean for him so far. He’s a family man, seems to go to work, go home, walks his dog and returns to his family. Not much time for extracurricular activity like brutally murdering women.’

‘And anything on the dating app yet?’

Dominic scratched his head. There was so much to do but so little reward coming in at the moment. ‘Not yet, sir. We still don’t have her phone and her laptop is being examined. We’ve searched her house for paper bills for her phone provider but no luck. It appears she either shreds them or she’s paperless. Because if we know who her provider is we can put in a request for her data and see if it comes up on that. But I’m not sure app use does.’

Kapoor shook his head and let out a sigh. ‘We won’t let that slow us down, even if it is one of the biggest lines of enquiry. Fingers crossed forensics pull something out of the bag. I’m doing a press conference later today and I want you to be there, Dom, as you’re the one who has had first contact with the family. They know you and are used to you. It will be good for them to see a friendly face.’

‘Are you getting them up on the table as well?’ Dominic asked, knowing full well that if he did it was to see how they reacted to the situation. Close relatives were never ruled out of a murder enquiry and because Julie had died at night and Jonathan only had Helen as his alibi — they had been at home together — there was nothing to say they hadn’t been in this together. You only had to look at history to see couples who worked in pairs to murder strangers or even family members. It was not out of the realms of possibility.

‘Yes, I asked through Lizzy last night if both the Butlers can be present. They’re anxious about doing it