‘Stone, get back here and bring Bryant with you,’ he barked.

‘Sir, I need to let you know ...’

‘Anything you have to say can wait until you get here.’

‘But there are bones in this ground.’

‘And I’ve already told you to get back here immediately and if that’s longer than fifteen minutes don’t bother coming back at all.’

The line went dead. She turned to Bryant. ‘I think he knows.’

Bryant rolled his eyes.

‘Go on, I’ll see you there.’

Bryant nodded and headed back to his car.

‘Listen folks, thanks for your help but if anyone asks, Bryant never touched a thing, okay?’

They all nodded.

Kim sprinted to her bike and donned her helmet and gloves. She pulled away from the site and prepared to face the music.

Twenty

There is something within her that compels me.

She is surrounded by activity; sirens, vehicles, movement, and yet my eyes never leave her. She stands out from the crowd. A three-dimensional image in a two-dimensional film.

There is unruly energy within her. Like a demon driving her on. It is dark and it intrigues me. Even amongst the crowd, she is alone. Even when she's still, she moves. A hand clench or a foot tap keeps in time with a brain that never rests.

Although I've never seen her before, I know her. I know her intelligence, her restlessness and that natural suspicion in her gaze. She has a sense that is hidden from most. It is indefinable and without name but it is attuned to everything around her. And I've seen it before.

Aaah, Caitlin. Dear sweet adorable Caitlin ...

All too soon, she is gone. A film without its star. My interest wanes but I remain where I am, lost momentarily in my thoughts.

What came first, the chicken or the egg? It is a question I have asked myself often. Did I feel nothing when my mother rejected me, or did she reject me because I felt nothing?

It is a question pored over by many a scholar. Is a psychopath born or made? They have no answer and neither do I.

There was a time when I battled against it, fought it, even tried to understand it but that was a long time ago.

My journey began with a fish. Just an ordinary anonymous goldfish won at a travelling fair by my father. I carried it home. It lived in a bowl for two days and then died.

My sister was inconsolable. I was not. She mourned its loss but I felt nothing. I wanted what she had. I wanted her pain, I wanted her grief. I wanted to feel.

Next came the kitten. Its fur was soft and warm. It was supposed to be ours but it loved her more. It didn't really struggle as I covered its mouth. And after its last breath I waited but still nothing came upon me.

The children at school all had puppies and I wanted one too. But this pet would be all mine. I fed it, I walked it and it lived in my room. This time I was hopeful but the snap of its neck did not pain me. It only fuelled my curiosity. My need to know how far I could go.

The death of three animals brought an embargo on pets. This limited my options for further research and then I realised that the ultimate test had been before me all the time.

Everyone said she was cute; adorable, angelic, perfect. So that was my goal. I knew that she would not come to the pond without tempting. There was a look in her eye. She saw things that others did not.

So I told her there were bunnies; a mummy and her babies. I pointed to the bush, right on the edge. She peered inside. Her back was towards me. I pushed her face down and straddled her neck. She coughed and she spluttered and then she lay still.

Oh, Caitlin, Caitlin, Caitlin. You gave me a gift.

As I dismounted her small body, I finally had all the answers. My condition was not a curse, but a blessing. The sacrifice of my sister finally set me free. Since that day I have been liberated to take what I want and destroy what I don't, without the restraints of guilt or remorse.

Like a missing limb, compassion is simply not there. It cannot be replaced or transplanted and nor would I wish it. It is a shackle that binds lesser mortals to morality and an ethical code. But I have no code to follow.

So, what came first, the chicken or the egg? The answer is, I couldn't care less.

As the sound of the motorbike fades, I turn and walk away.

She would be a worthy adversary.

She will make discoveries along the way which will lead her exactly where I want her to go.

She will uncover secrets of Crestwood but she will never uncover mine.

Twenty-One

Despite the head start, Kim pulled into the car park a moment before Bryant. He parked beside her.

‘Go and get cleaned up. I’ll go see Woody.’ She started walking towards the entrance.

‘I’m more than happy with my own decisions so don’t ...’

‘I’ve got seven minutes to get to his office so hurry up.’

They sprinted up the stairs together and entered the office.

Dawson’s eyes widened. ‘Jeez, looks like you two had some kind of mud fight.’ He chuckled. ‘I’d like to have seen that. My money would have been on the Guv.’

Bryant sat down. ‘Hell, Dawson, any smart money would have been on the Guv.’

‘There are bones,’ Kim said, removing her jacket. She ran her fingers through her hair. ‘Bryant will fill you in.’

She headed to the door.

‘Guv,’ Bryant said, stopping her. ‘Tell him the truth.’

‘Of course,’ she replied and headed to the stairs.

By her reckoning she had a minute and a half left by the time she knocked on his door. She waited until he called before entering. It wasn’t going to help if she infuriated her boss any further.

She took the four steps to the chair and noted that the stress ball remained on the desk. Okay, now she was in trouble.

‘What the hell do you think you’re doing, Stone?’

‘Err ... could you be more specific?’ she asked. She would hate to be apologising for the wrong thing.

‘Don’t play games with me. The antics of you and Bryant could seriously jeopardise ...’

‘Not Bryant, Sir. He just watched.’

Woody glared at her. ‘I’ve got someone who saw him in the hole.’

‘And I’ve got the four people closest to the hole who say he wasn’t.’

‘And what would Bryant say?’

Kim swallowed. They both knew the answer to that.

‘Sir, I’m sorry for what I did. I know it was wrong and I would like to sincerely ...’

‘Spare me the speech. It is nauseating and won’t do you any good.’

He was right. Kim wasn’t sorry at all. ‘How did you know?’

‘Not that it’s any of your business but Doctor Matthews—’

‘Yeah, I should have known that he ... ’

‘ ... was absolutely right to call me,’ Woody said, raising his voice over hers. ‘What the hell did you think you were doing?’

‘Sir, I had to get started. My gut said there was a body down there and the idea of waiting for the correct paperwork to come through was ridiculous.’

‘Ridiculous or not, there are reasons why we have procedures to follow, not least so that in a court of law we can defend our actions at all times. You would be well served to remember that my instructions are not optional.’