He moved past her, with the same lopsided stagger she remembered from before, and disappeared up the stairs, the greyish brown of his dense woollen trousers and a heavy shirt stark against the pristine walls.

Hawkins rotated slowly, her heels clicking loudly on the tiled floor, reassessing the high-ceilinged space. As before, the place was immaculate, brilliant white paintwork highlighting the bold artwork lining the walls, a vase of freshly cut flowers brightening the dark wood concierge desk in the corner.

She was drifting towards the desk when footsteps on the stairs made her turn, to see Joseph White arrive on the landing.

‘Hello, Detective.’ He offered a hand, descending the final few stairs. ‘We weren’t expecting to see you again this soon.’

‘Apologies for the intrusion,’ Hawkins said as they shook, watching the founder’s assistant follow him back to ground level and slide behind the concierge desk, well within earshot. ‘But I have some news regarding the case we discussed before.’

She waited for White to suggest a move to his office, but her host made no such invitation, apparently content to continue their discussion in front of his employee.

She continued, ‘We’ve managed to identify the individual who was seen outside two days ago.’

‘Identify?’ White frowned. ‘You mean he’s still at large?’

‘With your help, hopefully not for long. Have you seen him again, since our visit?’

‘No, I haven’t. Who is he?’

‘John Mardell. He’s a member of a spiritual group similar to yours, called Millennial Dawn. Does either name mean anything to you?’

A short silence. ‘I don’t think so. Should they?’

‘No.’ Hawkins hid her frustration, watching Tom from the corner of her eye. Had she imagined the tiny alteration in the angle of his head at the mention of Mardell’s name? She looked back at White. ‘But there’s a possibility he might be involved in the recent murders.’

She picked up another tremor from the younger man.

White was speaking again. ‘How is this Mardell character involved?’

‘We think the killer may be targeting people who believe themselves to have been possessed.’ Hawkins kept her voice low. ‘There’s a decent chance that Mardell is helping to set things up, even if he isn’t doing the actual killing himself. We think he contacts the intended victim and offers to eradicate the unwanted spirit, without letting on that the process will involve the host’s death.’

White stared for a second. ‘Is that what happened to Glenn?’

‘Maybe. Is it possible Glenn believed he had been affected this way?’

‘I have no idea. Like I said, I didn’t know the lad, but I can try to find out.’

‘I’d appreciate that.’

‘Although … Glenn was already dead when you saw this man outside my office. Why would he come back here?’