Lina gradually pulled away from Rita's embrace. The girl looked around dazed, with bleary eyes, then towards the door. A sinking feeling filled Rita's gut at the fear and trauma that had so clearly overtaken Lina's life, that no kid should ever have to endure.

'Right,' Subeera said, getting up. 'Let me get the room ready. Needs a tidy up.'

'Can I -' Lina said shakily.

Subeera waved her off. 'Nah mate. You can chill.'

That would be difficult to do, Rita thought. She finished the rest of the mint tea and gazed out of the window. Outside still looked chilly and overcast. The tower block overlooked a school. The sounds of children playing drifted faintly upwards. In the distance an ambulance screamed.

'Are you going to be OK here?' she asked Lina gently.  Knowing she couldn't rely on the authorities made all the procedures she instinctively knew how to follow irrelevant. Being so outside of her comfort zone unsettled her as much as the danger itself.

Lina shrugged. 'I guess so.' She slid out her phone from her pocket and stared at it miserably. 'Rita?'

'Yeah?' Rita said.

'Does my dad know where I am?' Lina's eyes darted to the door. The look in her eyes reminded Rita of the frightened deer she'd seen being rehabilitated in Santuario Colmenar last year.

'Alfonso spoke to him last night,' Rita said. 'He knows you're not coming back today. I haven't said anything yet...I wasn't expecting Subeera to just agree to put you up.' 

'Please, don't tell my dad where I am.' Lina looked down, and the chill that went through Rita was like a knife going through her heart. 'I know what my dad's like.' Rita knew too much concern must have showed in her face because Lina then said, 'He's a good guy and I love him. But he sometimes has a lot to drink. He'll let slip something to my brother when he's not thinking. He won't mean to but he will.' Lina cupped her undrunk mug of tea in her hands.

'I'll tell Alfonso not to say anything,' Rita said tightly. 'What about your mum?'

'Maybe,' Lina gulped. 'I barely see her. I think she's...busy. She's got a new family now.'

'Would you like Alfonso to contact her?' Rita said gently. Knowing how difficult her own mother was, she didn't want to assume anything. 'I think he has her number.'

'I dunno,' Lina said plaintively. After thinking for a second, she said, 'Yeah. He could ask her to call me. I'd like that.'

'Everything's ready for you in there, Lina,' Subeera said, leaving the door open as she walked back towards them on the wooden floor. Rita stood up and followed them both into a small bedroom with a desk. There was an abstract, geometric picture on the wall that on a closer inspection turned out to be made of tessellated Arabic writing. On the desk was a framed photograph of a man with glasses and greying hair, wearing a policeman's peaked cap. Rita realised who that had to be. Her stomach dropped.

'Who is that?' Lina asked, dumping her bag on the bed and sitting down.

'That's my uncle Ghassan,' Subeera said in a fond tone. 'He's the one who inspired me to be a detective. I used to spend hours chatting with him online when I was a kid. My dad died like a year after we came to London. So, even though I couldn't see him physically Ghassan was kind of a father figure. He used to keep me updated on all the cases he was solving back home.'

'Is he...still...like...' Lina asked cautiously. 'Around?'

Subeera shook her head. 'Nah.' She exhaled deeply. 'The IDF bombed the place he was staying a couple months back and... no one inside had a chance.' Hearing the details of the story straight out like that made Rita feel sick. 'I'd only been back twice after we left, and now...'

'Oh,' Lina whispered. 'I'm so sorry.'

'Nah. Not you. You got nothing to be sorry about,' Subeera muttered, and added quickly, 'Look. D'you need anything else, lovely? Everything's here. There's a towel. WiFi code's on the desk...'

'Umm,' Lina gulped. 'Rita, is there any way you could go to my house and get some of my clothes? And my laptop? I need it for school and yesterday I didn't think to get it and I've got a ton of  homework...' The thought of trekking across London back to the nondescript suburb they had left and back again did not appeal to Rita. By now, Alfonso would be on the train up to Inverness. He was going to claim their hotel room and wait for her.  Her chest felt heavy; he'd have tried to ring her.

She now doubted she'd be going at all.

'I'm sure my brother will be out. He'll be doing things with...the church.' Lina didn't sound sure at all.

'I'll do it,' she said, taking a deep breath. 'No te preocupes en absoluto.'

*

'She's terrified of her brother, poor girl,' Subeera said in a hushed voice once they had left Lina's room. 'This cult. What can I say? I knew that lot were dangerous but...who would have thought...'

'You said that the cult leader being a police officer explained some things,' Rita said as she walked towards the kitchen table to get her bag. 'What does it explain? Tell me.'

Subeera jabbed a thumb towards Lina's room. 'Why they let her brother out so quick after Erica Scott's murder for a start. He'd stalked the victim. He'd been given a restraining order. He had a history of inappropriate behaviour. I swear down he was in there what? Two or three hours, then they get told to let him out? He's not some Jon Phillips who can go running to the media. He's a nobody.' She lowered her voice. 'The boss was livid at Alex and Greg. I heard some of it as I was clearing my desk...'

'Livid? What a strange reaction,' Rita said.

'I can't believe what I put up with for so long, I just took it as part of the job,' Subeera sighed. The stress showed in her voice. 'I mean, you do, don't you? All those terrorist jokes when there's a real one in front of their nose...and I told myself that's just how it is, you gotta deal...'

'Find yourself a lawyer,' Rita said. 'That's my advice.'

'It's good advice. I'm gonna take it.'

'Good,' Rita said. 'I'll be back in an hour or two with Lina's things. Thank you for this.' 

'Honestly. It's not even a hassle.' Suddenly, Subeera gave her an odd, concerned look. 'But hang on. What about you? Where are you staying tonight, Rita?'

Rita opened her mouth but then closed it again. Her only concern had been to find somewhere for Lina and make sure she was safe. Beyond changing her ticket she hadn't given her own situation any thought at all. Her suitcase was stored at the hotel they'd checked out of and before Lina had mentioned her house she'd almost forgotten about it. Last minute, nowhere would be cheap. The thought made her mind freeze and her head hurt.

'If it comes to it, you can crash here,' Subeera said anxiously. 'Not having you stuck in London with nowhere to stay.'

'Let me speak to Alfonso and figure out whatever I'm doing,' Rita stammered.

'Offer's there. Think about it, yeah?'

Later, Subeera would be having dinner with her family; by the looks of the pots bubbling away on the stove, quite a few of them. As kind and good hearted as she knew they'd be, Rita didn't know if she could face having to make the effort of sitting through a massive dinner, making conversation in a language not her native one with people she barely knew; her mind fixated on a murdered woman and a violent sect.

Subeera wouldn't make her socialise.

But staying miserably out the way of her family wouldn't be right either.

She knew she needed to be alone.

*

Steeling herself, Rita unlocked her phone as she exited the tower block. The sky had brightened up. More excited shouts of kids floated from the primary school opposite. She stared at her messages. She had nothing from Alfonso except a text an hour ago saying he was on the train and could she call him with an update. The distance gave her a pang. Every second he was further away from her.

With a slight shake in her finger, she called him and waited.

'Hola,' he said after a few seconds. 'Is Lina OK? Are you?'

'I...don't know.' Her mouth felt dry. 'She's safer at Subeera's than she was at home.' As Rita spoke, a young mum walked by with a pushchair. The woman gave her a nod. A silver Mercedes with tinted windows parked up near the tower block. Rita tried to ignore it but it bothered her, especially when nobody got out.

'Are you OK?' Alfonso repeated, concern in his voice.

'Hanging in there. I miss you.'

'What's happening? Are you coming up?' Alfonso said. The line broke up slightly. 'Talk to me.'

'I don't know.' She heard his silence on the other end and her heart sank. 'I can't just leave Subeera and her family to look after your niece, can I? You and I both know if I came up I'd just go straight back down.' She sighed. 'I want to come up. There's nothing I want more. But right now...'

'I love that about you. You're so determined and you don't let anything go,' Alfonso laughed, the frustration in his voice subsiding a little, to Rita's relief. 'Even though you drive me fucking crazy with it.'

'I drive myself crazy,' she muttered. She took a deep breath. 'In the interests of honesty, I have to go to your brother's house to pick up Lina's laptop and some other bits. Apparently, Matteo won't be there.' She heard his sharp intake of breath on the other line. 'I'm a cop, remember. I'm going in without backup, which makes me nervous.' Saying it aloud made her feel dizzy and queasy, like she was on the top of a tall building or a boat going up and down. 'I'll send you a text when I'm outside, I'd like you to reply. If I don't respond within one hour, call 112.'

'Rita,' Alfonso sighed. 'It's hard to believe any of this. This entire thing is...'

'Insane. Yes, I know.'

'Thank you for helping Lina.' His voice cracked. She wished she could hold him tight. 'She's had too much stress in her life, that kid.'

'I couldn't not,' Rita said, feeling her face flush and her eyes water at the emotion in his voice. 'She's very strong. I think she's going to be OK.' She took a deep breath and stepped towards the bus stop at the corner of Subeera's road, perched herself on the hard, narrow plastic bench. 'I should go. I'll keep you updated. Remember what I said.' Then she added, 'Love you.'

Infuriatingly the bus was only coming in 22 minutes. She didn't know how long she had before Matteo came back. Rita paced around in the cold and meaninglessly scrolled through her emails to pass the time. She had one from somewhere called Tulip House. For a second her mind went blank until it came back to her.

The care home Jon Phillips had thought Sandra's mother was living. He'd almost got the name right.

'Dear Rita, thank you for your inquiry. We are unable to provide any information on our residents for safeguarding reasons. Sorry for any inconvenience caused,' the message said. Underneath was the email signature of someone called Cassie Oliver and a contact number.

Rita stared at it, remembering the incongruous bag of young women's clothes and Sandra's blind fury.

Everything led back to Erica's murder. Jon. Matteo. The cult. All of it.

If she couldn't find out who killed her, maybe nobody would.

Rita breathed out, took out her work-issue phone from her bag. She hadn't turned it on in several days. The screen took an eternity to load. When it finally did the phone buzzed with swarms of notifications. She selected 'do not disturb' and then dialled the number, selecting the option to disguise the call.

'Good morning. Tulip House reception, Cassie speaking. How may I help you?' said a young woman.

Rita took a breath, her hands sweating with anxiety and guilt about what she was about to say.  This wasn't her jurisdiction. It wasn't even her country. If Sanchez found out she had used her position to unofficially try and solve a case while abroad, by lying, she'd get it in the neck.

But she was in too deep to stop. What had the point been, of any of it, if she gave up?

'Good morning. My name is Inspectora Rita Silvera. I'm calling from the Policia Nacional in Valladolid, Spain. I apologise for not properly introducing myself in the email I sent you; I was working late and you can imagine the pressure I am under. I'm assisting the British police on a murder investigation. I would like to trace Sandra Horsforth, who I believe has some information that may be of assistance. I am told her mother is a resident. Is that correct?' 

'Gosh. Did - did you say murder?' Cassie said, sounding stunned. 'Umm...is it regarding her sister?'

'I cannot provide that information. I'm sure you appreciate the need for discretion yourself,' Rita said in a grim tone which she hoped masked her turmoil. 'If you can't pass her details on, I would appreciate you asking her to give me a call back. I have a UK number.'

'I don't think that is possible, I'm afraid,' Cassie said. Rita's breath caught.

'We don't have much time,' she begged. 'We believe the suspect is still out there.'

'I couldn't normally, but since you're police...let me just check with my manager. One sec.' Upbeat classical music blared through the phone. Somewhere, a baby cried. Several hundred metres up the road, a bus inched along. The silver Mercedes drove past and her skin prickled.

'Hello?' Cassie said uneasily. 'I've checked. That's all fine. Have you got a pen handy?'