‘So what happens next?’ he asked, getting to his feet.
Anna stood up too. ‘You’ve given us information that we’ll follow up. But we will need to come back and ask you some more questions, especially about what Holly told you. In the meantime I’ll arrange for a Family Liaison Officer to get in touch. He or she will keep you informed of progress and answer your questions in relation to the investigation.’
Anna fished a business card from her pocket and passed it to him.
‘My mobile number is on the back,’ she said. ‘Don’t hesitate to call me at any time. And I must advise you both not to contact Mr Wolf however tempting that becomes. I’ll be interviewing him shortly.’
Rebecca re-entered the room at that point and sat back down on the sofa while attempting to stem her tears with a crumpled tissue. Anna’s heart went out to her and she repeated her condolences.
‘Your husband has my number,’ she added. ‘And I’ll be in touch as soon as I have more news.’
Rebecca looked at Anna through red, swollen eyes and gave a slow nod.
‘I know how it works, detective,’ she said. ‘Just sort it so that I can see my daughter as soon as possible. And don’t underestimate Nathan Wolf. He’s a ruthlessly ambitious bastard and he’ll do whatever it takes to save himself. That includes enlisting the help of friends in high places.’
‘I promise you that if he is the person responsible then he will be made to pay,’ Anna said as Theo ushered them out of the room.
At the front door he told them he would call Rebecca’s sister Freya and get her to come over.
Before stepping outside, Anna asked Theo for Holly’s mobile number. Then she said, ‘Just for the record, Mr Blake, where did you go for a drink after you went to Holly’s place and discovered she wasn’t there?’
Shock registered in his eyes. ‘Surely you’re not suggesting that I had anything to do with what’s happened?’
‘Absolutely not. But it’s essential that we eliminate those close to Holly from our enquiries at the outset. I’m sure you can understand that. I know that your wife will appreciate that it’s something we have to do.’
He blew air out of his mouth through pursed lips. ‘Very well. I went to the King’s Head in Chappell Road, between here and Holly’s flat. I stayed there about an hour, then came home. That’s why I didn’t get back until after midnight.’
‘Thank you, Mr Blake,’ Anna said. ‘We’ll be on our way now and let me say once again how sorry I am for your loss.’
When they were back in the car, Anna took out her phone and told Walker that she needed to alert DCS Nash to the latest developments. But the phone rang just as she was about to tap in his number.
Caller ID showed it was DS Prescott who had been tasked, along with DC Niven, to check out Holly’s Camden flat.
‘I’m listening, Doug,’ she said. ‘What have you got for me?’
‘One of Miss Blake’s neighbours is also her landlord,’ he said. ‘He let us into her flat and I really think you need to come and see what we’ve found, ma’am.’
Anna read out Holly’s address from her notes and told Walker to drive straight there.
‘This is likely to be an all-nighter,’ she said. ‘Do you need to let your wife know?’
‘I sent her a text before we left the office,’ he answered. ‘It was obvious to me then that I wouldn’t get to see my bed tonight.’
She passed on what DS Prescott had told her, then called DCS Nash, who answered on the first ring.
‘How did it go with Rebecca Blake?’ he asked her.
Anna told him how Holly’s mother had reacted, and how she had gone on to put Nathan Wolf, MP in the frame.
Nash’s reaction was predictable. ‘Jesus Christ, Anna. This is going from bad to worse.’
‘My thoughts exactly, sir,’ she said.
‘And do you think it could actually be true?’
‘It’s too early to say. We need to check with the newspaper that was about to dish the dirt on him. And then we’ll go and confront the man with the allegations. Have you got any thoughts on how it should be handled?’
‘Just don’t approach him until I get back to you,’ he said. ‘I’ll have to talk to the Commissioner, make sure he’s in the picture before the news breaks.’
‘Well, our next step is Holly Blake’s flat in Camden,’ Anna said. ‘The team have already come up with something interesting there apparently. But I don’t want to wait too long before we confront Wolf. If he is our man then he’s already had too much time to cover his tracks. And just because he’s a politician he shouldn’t be treated differently to any other suspect.’
‘I’m with you on that, but whether you like it or not Nathan Wolf is not just any other suspect. Once his name is out there it will trigger a media storm the like of which we haven’t seen in years. And the wave of panic will roll all the way up to the Prime Minister’s office.’
Having made his point, Nash hung up, leaving Anna to wonder just how tricky and frustrating things were going to get in the days ahead.
Walker could tell that she was uptight and it amused him.
‘This really is the stuff of nightmares, guv,’ he said, a slight grin playing on his lips. ‘Victim’s a beautiful model. Her mum’s a top Tory councillor and potential Mayor of London. And the prime suspect is a bloody MP. It doesn’t get more complicated than that.’
She looked at him. Shook her head.
‘And it plays right into your warped sense of humour doesn’t it, Max?’
He shrugged. ‘You’ve either got to laugh or cry, guv. I mean, we’ll either come out of it smelling of roses or else all our careers will be cut short if we fuck up.’
‘That’s why I like having you as my right-hand man, Max,’ she said. ‘Knowing you’re there at my side instils me with confidence.’
‘Seriously, though,’ he said. ‘This is a real fuckfest. But if I’m honest there’s no place I would rather be right now than working this case. I can’t wait to see what else it throws up.’
‘You won’t be surprised that I don’t share your enthusiasm, Max. I’m the one in the firing line. And even before we get started the Commissioner has seen fit to call my competence into question.’
‘Nothing new there then,’ Max said.
Not for the first time Anna wanted to slap him. Instead, she said, ‘So what does your gut tell you, Max?’
He thought about it and replied, ‘It’s clear that if Holly was doing a kiss-and-tell job on Nathan Wolf then he had a motive for wanting her silenced. But it strikes me that we also need to pay attention to the ex-boyfriend as well as the stepdad. Theo Blake would have made us believe that he went straight home after going to Holly’s flat. We only know he didn’t thanks to his wife. What we don’t know is if he told her the truth about going for a drink.’
That was one of the action points she phoned through to the office. She wanted someone to call the King’s Head to check if they had any security footage from that evening. She also asked for files to be produced on Holly Blake, her mother and stepdad, and Nathan