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but they’ve agreed. They said that if it has any possibility of bringing Julie’s killer closer to justice then they’ll do anything to help.’

Dominic rolled his eyes but made sure he had turned away from Kapoor. He felt for the Butlers, he did, but his copper’s instinct told him not to rule them out. So any mention of catching the killer made him that little bit twitchy. The team had an open mind. They couldn’t have anything else. If they closed up and made a mental decision about something then any evidence they found would be forced to fit the narrative they had decided upon. It had been seen to happen time and again. So for this reason, they didn’t rule anything out or rule any set decision in until all avenues had been checked and double checked.

‘You’ve all got a lot to be getting on with. We’ll gather again later towards the end of the day and debrief the press conference, see what has come out of it. If someone can set up a tip line and get it manned sufficiently, please, that would be a real help.’ And with that he strode out of the room.

The phone on Dominic’s desk rang. He picked it up.

It was the front counter — there was someone here to see him. Said he wanted to talk about the investigation.

Dominic probed a little more — you didn’t engage with anyone who just wandered in off the street and decided they wanted to talk to one of the team members involved in the investigation. It could be press wanting an exclusive, or a member of the public wanting to insert themselves into the investigation. But this guy wanted to talk to the officer who had dealt with Julie Carver’s family at the start of the investigation. He was adamant.

This specific request needled Dominic’s curiosity and he wandered through the station to the front desk and met the man, who introduced himself as Samuel Tyler.

Samuel shook Dominic’s hand, his grasp firm and strong, his eyes bright and piercing. His face shielded by a pepper pot, dark-grey beard. He looked to be about thirty-four, but the beard was off-putting, as it was for many people who chose to go that route nowadays. It made aging a person more difficult.

‘How can I help?’ asked Dominic.

‘I’m sorry, did the receptionist not explain?’ Samuel looked back towards the front counter confused. ‘I’m a victim support officer and I’ve been assigned to the Butler family.’

While the FLO was the family’s main point of contact during the investigation, the victim support officer was an extra resource for them. The FLO was there for the investigation team, whereas he would be there for the Butlers.

‘I’d like to get some information on the family before I make the approach so I don’t go putting my foot in any sensitive areas.’

That made sense. Dominic checked his ID and led him through the secure double doors, pressing the pin code that allowed access, to an interview room. ‘Grab a seat, let’s see what we can do for you.’

Dominic pulled out one of the chairs and sat. He had a lot of time for the civilian staff of Victim Support. They gave their time to victims of crime when they needed someone to talk to, to lean on.

Samuel pulled out the opposite chair and fished out a notepad from a satchel he was carrying. He laid it out with a pen on the table in front of him, burn scars covering the entirety of his left hand, bright and livid.

‘An accident when I was a child.’

‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to stare.’ Dominic shook his head, ashamed of himself for looking and for being caught so obviously staring.

Samuel laughed. ‘I was expecting it. When you live with disfigurement as long as I have you learn to get used to people and their reactions. I tried to fry bacon in a lot of oil as a child and ended up tipping it all over myself. My mum had left me alone and this was the result.’ He lifted his hand up and showed the pink rippled skin that stretched over the skeleton of his left hand.

‘Must have been painful.’ Dominic winced.

‘I’ll admit that it’s the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced. I wouldn’t like to go through it again in a hurry.’ He laughed again. ‘I soon learned how not to cook bacon.’

Dominic leaned back in his chair. ‘I’m sorry you had to go through that. Let me know how I can help you today.’

Samuel opened his notepad, pressed down onto the middle creasing and clicked his pen on. ‘Like I said, I don’t want to put my foot in it with the family. Anything you can tell me that isn’t on the crime report that I should take note of, or should avoid, would be a real help.’

Dominic thought of Jonathan and Helen Butler. ‘I’m not sure what to tell you, to be honest. They are, as you’d expect, devastated by Julie’s murder. Julie had a son and they’ve taken him in as there’s no dad in the picture.’

‘They’re a good family for him?’ Samuel asked as he scribbled in his pad.

‘Yes. Yes, they seem to be. They offer him stability and comfort and love at a difficult time.’

Samuel gave a small smile. ‘They’re the basics a child needs. It’s good to hear he’s in good hands.’

Dominic rubbed his forehead. ‘He should be getting the love he needs from his mother though, not from other members of his family.’

‘Of course he should. But in the circumstances he finds himself in, is what I was talking about, DS Harrison. It would be awful to lose one’s mother and then be left out in the cold. I’m glad he has the support he has.’ Samuel made another note. ‘They’ve engaged