The island had a rudimentary courthouse and a police station staffed by a former metropolitan police sergeant on a two-year posting. He was in charge of one full-time constable and two volunteer special constables. The senior officer, Sergeant John Morrogh, made calls to several individuals in places where Petra might be—including the two bases—and asked them to keep an eye out. It seemed Morrogh was initially reluctant to take it seriously. Petra was known to stay at various friends’ houses, hence her father himself hadn’t been concerned. The thinking, it seemed, was How far can she go?

That question remained unanswered.

The following day, Fire and Sea Rescue Services searched, as did staff from the bases. Drones were sent up, RAF-trained sniffer dogs set loose, finally a helicopter with heat-seeking equipment. The search went on for five days before being slowly wound down without any sign of her. No sign of her bike, either. The investigation remained open.

Rory Bannatyne had been found dead at six a.m. the day after Petra was first reported missing. For reasons that were unclear, it took some time to name him as a suspect. In the end it was a suggestion by officers on the US base that prompted a closer look. The police had searched his accommodation and dug speculatively around it in case any bodies turned up, but, finding nothing to directly connect the two events, their investigation hit a dead-end. From what Kane could tell, it looked like they gave up. It seemed odd.

Taylor had acquired transcripts of all interviews the police had conducted, which amounted to over fifty individuals, none of whom had very much to say. Few people seemed to know Petra well, not even her parents. Did she have a boyfriend? They didn’t know. Had they had an argument with her? No, just the usual disagreements. She was approaching the end of her time at the island’s school, which meant the end of the time she was permitted on the island. The parents said she was worried about the idea of leaving, but no one asked directly if she was happy. And no one asked if she knew Rory Bannatyne.