Who she spoke to – fuck. The powerlessness – sitting here at her parents’ dining-room table talking when Lennie was out there, god knows where, alone, scared out of her mind. She should be out driving, combing the streets … No, stop. Concentrate.

‘Kath was first,’ she said. ‘The morning after I saw you at the hospital. When you told me about the factory and you seemed to believe Josh had done it.’ She looked at him, looked away. ‘Ana the same day – that afternoon – then Kevin Young.’

‘Kev?’

‘When I thought it was about a dodgy loan – in case he could find anything out on the vine. That’s why I thought it was Josh who was involved with Staverton – debts. Then Marta, Ana’s housemate, when I went back there to try and find her the second time. The people at the Serbian church – there were seven or eight of them.’ And the young couple, too. ‘No, ten. And Tarryn.’ So many people. It could be any of them. ‘And then there was the girl yesterday morning, Shannon Harris’s friend.’

‘Which of them did you give your card to?’ said Thomas.

‘What?’

‘He called you on the pay-as-you-go Maggie Hammond gave you, didn’t he, not your own phone. Did you ever give out that number to anyone other than via the card?’

Robin saw Samir glance at her, Good work.

‘No,’ she said. ‘I gave Ana a card – it was on their corkboard when I went back there. And the girl yesterday morning – Shannon’s friend. Tarryn’s friend. It has to be her, doesn’t it? Yes. It couldn’t be anyone else – I didn’t know that it was Corinna until then, I hadn’t made the connection …’

‘Right, so we need to get someone to The Spot straight away,’ said Samir. ‘Talk to Tarryn, get hold of her now, get her to help us find this woman.’ He nodded to Thomas who got up and walked into the kitchen, scrolling as she went. ‘Hi,’ they heard her say. ‘The Spot, Hurst Street.’ The sound of the conservatory door.

‘She was terrified,’ Robin said. ‘Shannon’s friend, I mean. Scared senseless. She kept looking around all the time as if someone was watching her. I thought it was paranoia, I didn’t see anyone, but there could have been – it was nine o’clock, the place was packed. I gave her the card for when this was over, when Staverton was caught. It has Maggie’s office number on it; I thought she could contact her if she didn’t want me.’

‘Assuming that’s right – which seems likely – it tells us how he found out about you,’ Samir said, standing again, ‘but not Lennie. How would he know you had a daughter? Did you tell her, this woman?’

Robin shook her head.

‘Who, then, of the people you spoke to?’

‘Kath and Kevin Young know anyway,’ said Christine.