Cole placed the rest of the unviewed images down on the desk.

‘There aren’t any hits for two men or one man on his own making a getaway from Grassendale Park,’ said Stone. ‘The men who did show up on camera are either with elderly people, kids or their wives or girlfriends. I couldn’t see anyone who looks like they have the opportunity or desire to keep young women hostage and then strangle and skin them. I’ll put them on the noticeboard and see if anyone has any different ideas to mine.’

Cole looked at his map of Grassendale Park and pointed to a turning off Grassendale Road, the way out of the grid. ‘Shit idea or what?’

‘I think you’ve got a strong idea, Barney. It’s a relatively small area but there are a lot of houses in there, and a lot of places to hide.’

Stone stood next to Cole, watching the images of the people in vehicles leaving Grassendale Park mount up as he pinned them on the noticeboard. As he put up the picture of the single woman in the red Vauxhall Combo WAV, Stone asked, ‘Do you know this woman at all, Barney?’

‘No. Who is she?’

‘Her name’s Norma Maguire.’ Stone pointed to the portraits of the staff from Maguire Holdings. ‘Did you put those pictures up?’

‘Eve sent them to me, told me to cherry-pick the best and get them on the board.’

‘Norma Maguire’s staff, past and present.’

Stone went back to looking at the group portraits of Norma Maguire’s employees, focused on Francesca Christie and said, ‘Little did she know the truth around the corner when that picture was taken.’

He looked at the previous picture to the left. There was no sign of Francesca Christie. Before your time, thought Stone. He looked at the next picture down the chronological line and examined each face, lingering on each employee and wondering, who are you?

He looked at the centre of the display board and took down one picture in particular, which he carried back to the third group portrait.

‘Have you noticed the way Norma Maguire conceals her face on the Maguire Holdings group portraits?’ asked Stone. ‘Tinted glasses, scarves that are knotted so high they obscure the bottom half of her face. Bill Hendricks met her on the door to door of the Grassendale Park grid. He said she’s super shy. Did you know she’s in a wheelchair?’

Cole looked at Stone and said, ‘Yes, I’ve heard that.’

Stone looked at the photograph in his hand and at the third group portrait, picking out a man standing next to Norma Maguire and smiling broadly into the eye of the camera.

‘Are you all right, Karl?’

‘Come here, Barney. Double-check this for me, please.’

Stone showed the photograph he had taken down from the board and pointed at the man in the third group portrait.