Jack parked his car next to hers as she was getting out of her vehicle in the station’s car park. “Good weekend?” he called out.

“Relaxing. Think I missed my vocation. I should have considered a nursing job instead.”

Jack smiled. “How is Dex?”

“He’ll be fine. He’s eager to burn off some energy. That’s the difficult part, restricting him. How was your weekend?”

“Surprisingly good, in spite of Donna having a hissy fit every time you called.”

She winced.

“It doesn’t matter. Anyway, at least the anger cloud that has been hovering over the house appears to have moved on. Teresa brought her boyfriend round, and we had a grown-up discussion about what they intend doing when the child is born.”

“Which is?” Sally asked as they reached the main entrance and walked into the reception area of the huge round building.

He cringed and closed one eye. “Well, we’ve said that we’re willing to let Tim move in with us, if that’s what they both want. For the child’s sake, of course.”

“Crikey! Never in a million years did I think I’d ever hear you say those words. Are you and Donna sure about that?”

“Everyone seems to be okay with the arrangements now. Whether we’ll all be happy when the child arrives is anyone’s guess.”

They reached the incident room, bought a coffee from the machine, and went through to Sally’s office.

“What’s on the agenda today?” Jack asked, taking a sip from his paper cup.

“Well, first I want you to check if any incidents have been reported overnight, the type we’d be interested in linking the case to, I mean. Then I need to again recap things as a team. We’ve got five days to complete this case. Any outstanding information we’re waiting for needs to be chased hard this morning. Got that?”

“Yep, I hear you.” He emptied his cup and left the room.

Jack reappeared in Sally’s doorway a few moments later, panting like an excited puppy. Sally recognised his expression and pulled on her jacket in readiness. “Hit me with it. Another murder?”

“Another victim, yes.”

“Where?”

“She’s in the hospital. She survived the attack, boss.”

“Jesus, really? How bad is she?”

Jack inclined his head and wrinkled his nose. “She’s in a coma. There’s every chance that she won’t make it.”

“We must think positive. There’s every chance she might. Let’s get over to the hospital and see for ourselves. You can fill me in on what happened on the way.”

They rushed through the building and jumped into Sally’s car. Sally put her foot down. “So?”

“Apparently, the girl was found in an alley. Looks like he tried to strangle her but failed.”

“Maybe she played dead just to let him think he’d succeeded.” Sally knew that’s how she would play things if she were a victim.

“Or, perhaps he was disturbed during the attack.”

“I don’t suppose there were any witnesses?” Sally asked.

“No. But an old codger who lives in the alley was the one who called it in.”

“So there was a witness?”

Jack shook his head. “The old man said he’d left the alley for an hour or so to source some food. When he returned at the other end of the alley, he heard a noise. He called out and rounded the corner, only to hear footsteps of the attacker running away.”

“So, he didn’t actually see the assailant?” Sally asked.

“Nope. Do you think we’ll ever get to arrest this guy?”

“For a start, Jack, we haven’t got any evidence linking this to the other crimes. Not unless he got around to… well, raping the girl. Do we know if that happened?”

“No. To be honest, I forgot to ask. Maybe I just assumed that this attack could be linked to the previous ones.”

“That’s fine. We’ll soon find out. Let’s hope we discover extra DNA on the girl, in the form of hairs et cetera.”

“Well, if we are talking about the same guy, he’s been super-efficient at disguising that up until now. I suppose if he was disturbed in the act, there’s every chance he might have slipped up.”

“Exactly, if we’re dealing with the same guy. I’m inclined to think we are just because of what day the attack took place. We have to keep our fingers crossed that the girl pulls through. This could be the break we need.”

Once Sally had parked, they hurried across the car park, flashed their IDs at the parking attendant, and entered the hospital. Sally asked the bespectacled woman in her fifties sitting behind the reception desk what direction they should head in for the location of the victim. The woman pointed at a large sign on the wall that listed all the major departments to the hospital. “Follow the blue line to the Intensive Care Unit,” she told them.

“Thanks.”

After getting lost a few times along the way, they finally arrived at the ICU and showed their IDs to the nurse at the station positioned outside the ward. “We’re here to see the doctor treating Amanda Collins. Can you contact him, please?”

“You’re in luck. He’s on the ward at the moment, carrying out his rounds. He shouldn’t be long, if you care to take a seat.”

“We’ll stand. Thanks.”

Sally and Jack impatiently paced the small reception area for the next ten minutes until a doctor emerged from the ward. He stopped at the hand sanitizer dispenser on the wall and rubbed his hands with the liquid. Sally approached him before the nurse could inform him of their presence.

“Ah, Inspector. Right, here’s where we stand: the patient, Amanda Collins, is still in grave danger. We’ve got her on a ventilator for now. She’s in a coma, and at present we have no idea how long that state will last or if indeed she will survive.”

“Damn, I take it her family has been contacted?”

“They have. They were on holiday in Turkey. They’re on their way back now. As you can imagine, the news came as a shock to them, and I’d appreciate you being courteous to them when they arrive. In other words, give them some breathing space before you start bombarding them with questions.”

“We’ll be sensitive, Doctor. No fear of that. What’s your honest opinion about Miss Collins?”

“I’d say realistically we’re looking at a sixty-forty split in her favour. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to complete my rounds on this floor.”

“Sorry, one last question, Doc. We’re on the trail of a serial killer. At this time, it’s subjective, but we think Miss Collins’s attack could be linked to the other crimes. I was wondering if you found any traces of semen on Miss Collins when she arrived.”

“We did. One of the nurses who usually works with rape victims in conjunction with the police, took a sample of fluid found on Miss Collins’s thigh before she cleaned her up. Wait here a moment please.”

Sally and Jack high-fived as the doctor walked away from them. “Things are certainly looking up. All we need now is for a miracle to happen and for Miss Collins to pull through,” Sally stated, with a cautious smile.

The doctor returned, carrying a sheet of paper with the nurse’s contact information attached to a Norfolk Constabulary requisite form. “There you go, Inspector. She arranged for the lab to pick up the sample already. It should be there now.”

Sally took the papers. “Thank you. I really appreciate your nurse’s timely thinking. I’ll just step out and ring the lab.”

“Of course. Her parents should be here shortly.”

Sally thanked the doctor, ordered Jack to wait in the hall to greet the parents, and stepped outside.

Simon answered her call right away. “What can I do for you, Inspector?”

“Another victim was attacked last night. She’s in a coma, but the attacker left this sample at the crime scene, just like all the others. Any chance you can get it verified for me ASAP?” Sally read off the case number from the nurse’s file.

“Hmm… I do have that sample at the lab, but the last I heard, you already had a man in custody for the other murders. Has he escaped?”