‘You know where the fridge is,’ he told her.

She glared at him. ‘I’m busy.’

‘So am I.’

‘I’ve got maths homework to do!’

‘And so do I. Like counting how much your bracelet’s gonna cost me to insure in case you ever lose it.’

Her expression dropped. ‘Funny. Now, can I have a Coke, please? You can get yourself one as well, if you want.’

‘Fucking make the drink myself, while I’m at it, shall I?’ he said as he lifted himself off the sofa.

‘Swearing!’ she called.

Tomek groaned and reached into his pocket, found some loose change and dropped it into a jar. In the past couple of weeks, the two of them had introduced a swear jar. It was mostly for Tomek, who had little control over his mouth at times, but there had been a few occasions where Kasia had been forced to dip into her pockets (which were really his pockets) and contribute some money (which was really his money) to the fund. By the end of it, when it was full, they would no doubt spend it on a takeaway pizza or Chinese, which was more a reward than a punishment, and seemed to negate the point of the swear jar in the first place. But neither of them was complaining.

As Tomek opened the fridge and reached inside for the can of fizzy drink, he felt his phone vibrate. He checked the caller ID before answering.

‘To what do I owe the pleasure?’ he said.

‘You can have all the pleasure in this one, mate,’ Nick replied loudly.

‘Oh.’

‘Because I’m going to get no pleasure from what I’m about to tell you, kid.’

Tomek glanced over at Kasia, who was looking back at him expectantly. He retrieved a can of Coke from the fridge and passed it to her before moving back into the kitchen, where it was quieter and more private.

‘Go on,’ he told Nick.

‘I wanted to give you a heads-up,’ the chief inspector continued. ‘So you can hear from someone you know before it becomes common knowledge. As of tomorrow, Victoria will be taking over as SIO of Operation Butterfly. You will still have a deputy SIO role, but she will be bringing in the rest of the team to assist with the investigation. She’s raised her concerns about how long things are taking and how much of the budget’s been blown unnecessarily on overtime and forensics. She’s worried that it’s all been wasted and managed ineffectively, and on this occasion, I’ve agreed with her. Sorry, it’s a shit thing to tell you on a Sunday, but these things happen, mate. It’s nothing personal. We’re just doing what’s best for the investigation.’

Which he’d been leading. Which he’d been running from the start. It was impossible not to take it personally. He felt betrayed, stabbed in the back. The rug had been pulled from beneath his feet, and he had landed so hard on his arse that he hadn’t heard Nick finish the call. It wasn’t until he heard the tone in his ear that he eventually came to.

‘Everything all right?’ Kasia asked tentatively from the living room.

Tomek’s eyes fell on the swear jar.

‘Yeah,’ he lied. ‘Everything… everything’s fine. Now, come on, get back to your homework. But please don’t expect me to help with any of it because algebra was one of my least favourite subjects.’

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

The first thing Tomek noticed as soon as he entered the office the following morning was everyone’s eyes boring into him. For some reason, he was one of the last in, and so he had the luxury of dealing with the team’s judgemental and awkward stares pointed in his direction as he made his way to his desk. He could sense their thoughts too, pulverising his skull. Pity, a large dose of pity filled with an extra helping of guilt.

Tomek didn’t need it. He wasn’t in the mood for it. And he certainly wasn’t in the mood for a conversation with Victoria.

The conversation with Victoria.

But he had no choice; a minute later, she emerged from her office and called him over. Feeling like a child who’d just been pulled out of class by the headteacher, Tomek made his way towards her office, except this time there were no jeers from his classmates.

‘Morning, Tomek,’ Victoria said, holding the door open for him.

Tomek grunted a hello.

‘Please, take a seat.’

He did as he was told.

‘I know it’s first thing on a Monday, but there’s something I need to tell⁠—’

‘I know,’ he replied. ‘Nick told me.’

‘I see,’ she said calmly. If she was disappointed and upset with the betrayal, she didn’t let on. In fact, there was a resignation in her voice that indicated she’d known Nick would be the one to break the news first. ‘And did Nick explain why?’

Tomek pursed his lips, promised himself he wouldn’t say anything, then nodded.

‘I see. And… did he mention the part about Abigail?’

Tomek tilted his head to the side. ‘Abigail?’

Sighing, Victoria rolled her eyes and muttered, ‘Of course he didn’t, the coward.’

‘What’s Abigail got to do with any of this?’

‘She called up the other day,’ Victoria explained, ‘and spoke to Martin. She asked him for details on the case and, in what can only be described as a state of mild fucking panic, he gave her some information.’

‘Martin did?’

Victoria raised a hand to placate him. ‘Don’t worry. It’s being dealt with. I’m handling it.’

He clenched his fist on his knee, digging his nails into his thigh. ‘What did he tell her?’

‘The information about the angel wings and the location of where Angelica Whitaker’s body was found. Also that she was taken a few minutes after being dropped off at home.’

‘That much?’

‘I’m afraid so. And…’ She inhaled sharply. ‘He may have also let slip that she’s… how shall I say? That she’s had a lot of sexual partners in the past.’

‘Brilliant.’

‘A few of the comments on the Southend Echo’s social media posts have been disappointing, to say the least.’

‘Middle-aged rape sympathisers saying that she deserved it somehow?’

She lowered her gaze. ‘I’m afraid so.’

Tomek let out a long, deep breath. ‘When did this happen?’