Rory and Ben, our two main suspects, are out there somewhere, probably laughing at our inability to catch them. No wonder the killer sent that text message. He was probably anticipating some high-octane game of cat and mouse and all he has been met with is a wall of silence. Perhaps that is what will drive him out into the open - his ego.

I open the internet browser and, against my better judgement, have a look at the news. Stories about The Blood Ice Killer dominate every website I click onto. I’d anticipated it, considering how many people had watched Reuben’s last moments in the cinema, but I hadn’t considered how far the news would spread. There are detailed accounts of his death on many websites. Some ballsier news outlets have even embedded a video of his swinging body on the cinema screen, captured on a mobile phone.

Actors, producers and, on one Fijian website, a soundman from Blood Ice, have used the opportunity in their favour. Little quotes about how sorry they are to hear of Reuben’s passing nestle next to information about their next project. It makes me feel sick.

A ping from my computer signifies the arrival of an email. I unlock the computer and access my inbox. It appears Ross has worked his magic and has already converted the film. It arrives in the shape of an attached file, a pretty hefty one at that. I start the download and read the accompanying email text.

Hi Erika, please find attached the file of the film. Not a great watch, is it? Poor bastard. I did a bit of a rush job on the film because I thought you might need it ASAP, it’s all there but the sound still isn’t great. I’m still trying a few things to enhance the sound, so bear with me. It’ll probably be tomorrow before you get my best efforts. Ross.

I have a strange feeling in my stomach. I don’t really want to watch the film again. I know it’s part of the job, but willingly watching a man have his life taken from him in a brutal manner requires a certain mindset. Still, it needs to be done. When the file is almost downloaded, I call out to Angela to assemble the team in the briefing room.

I give the team a little insight into what it is they are about to watch, imploring them to look out for certain clues. Having seen the film once, I know the killing took place in one of the many mills dotted around the Greater Manchester area.

I pass this information onto the team and tell them that officers are looking for the body right now but, as there are hundreds of mills, the search could drag on. Hopefully, one of them will spot something to narrow down our hunt. Presumably the body has been left there for us to find and collect, all part of the killer’s twisted game. I also refer to the snatch of speech that I couldn’t quite make out first time around, the unknown man’s voice that could be the biggest clue in the case yet. As everyone steels themselves, I press play.