‘Antonia’s right,’ Hunter cut in. ‘If the killer agrees that these individuals have become possessed, he could see himself as some kind of guardian, stopping supernatural forces from gaining a foothold in the real world. He may be making contact with, and offering help to people who believe themselves to be in this predicament. What he probably isn’t telling them until it’s too late is that he sees their demise as part of eradicating the spirit. He has no argument with the victims themselves; their deaths are simply a side effect of his work.’

‘Then maybe the ritualistic symbols he’s using at the scenes are supposed to ward off the unwanted visitors,’ Chris said. ‘If he thinks the spirits vary in nature, that explains why his use of symbols changes, too. And the defibrillator is just an efficient method for killing the host.’

Amala nodded. ‘It explains the lack of damage to the corpses.’

Frank wasn’t finished. ‘All right, feasibly the perpetrator’s as gullible as the rest of these idiots, I can see that. But how’s he contacting them? If it’s through social media or on the phone, we’d have found evidence of it; emails or text messages, asking for help. We’ve seen nothing like that.’

‘You’re right,’ Hawkins told him. ‘But maybe they aren’t going directly to him; maybe he’s finding them. We know Lewis Rudd was broadcasting his fears via the internet. If the others were doing something similar, or even just asking around, an ear close to the ground would pick that up. Then the offer of assistance could be made face-to-face.’

‘Why would they trust him?’ Aaron asked.

Hunter shrugged. ‘They were desperate. Thinking your days are numbered is a great incentive to lower your natural defences and trust a stranger. He could be inviting them to go and meet him.’

Chris said, ‘Which is why they’re going to these abandoned locations of their own accord.’

‘Exactly.’ Hawkins took over again. ‘And if that’s the case, our priority has to be working out how the killer is contacting his victims. That will give us vital insight into not just his methods, but also whether he’s acting on behalf of an organization like Millennial Dawn. Plus, if we can do it before we have to release the people arrested last night at the factory, all the better. Amala and I will go back to the victims’ families, and the spiritual communities they were involved with, to find out whether they had been asking around for help with paranormal subjugation, and try to establish if anyone offered assistance.’

She blinked in mild disbelief that she had just used the words paranormal subjugation without irony. But of the five colleagues around her, only Frank’s expression said she was ridiculous for doing so.

Had her hesitation in accepting the true parameters of this case held them back?