‘Nadia was a sales rep for a pharmaceutical company. Not one of those multinationals that are always coming up with new miracle cures that make you constipated or increase your risk of breast cancer. A small British company that does generic versions of common drugs. The kind of stuff your GP puts you on when she’s trying to save the NHS a bob or two. She’d been working for them for eighteen months. No complaints, she was a good worker. A bright girl. Did well.’ A photo of Nadia in life, her shaggy blonde hair tousled and her smile reaching her eyes. ‘Although she was Polish she spoke exceptionally good English, her employers say. But still.’ She scanned the room. ‘Stachniewski, you’ve got the right kind of name. Talk to the Polish community, put some feelers out, see whether she was known in the pubs and clubs and grocery stores.’ A lanky ginger-haired officer nodded gloomily. ‘Oh, and Stach? Give the Polish cops a call and see if you can find out whether Mrs Wilkowa has cancer. Because, three weeks ago, an email was sent from Nadia’s account to her employers, stating that her mother had been diagnosed with cancer. She asked for a month’s compassionate leave. The company didn’t want to lose her because they thought she was a good worker so they agreed. Last week, they emailed her with a query about a client account. They got a reply, answering the query and also indicating that she would be back next week, as originally planned. Now, we don’t know at this point whether she ever went to Poland, though DS McIntyre reckons she wouldn’t have left her fridge full of perishables if she had. Black, check with Immigration and the Borders Agency to see whether there’s any record of her leaving and returning. And talk to the airlines that fly to Poland out of Manchester and Leeds/Bradford, see if she’s on any of their passenger lists. It’s probably a waste of time, but we have to cover the ground. We don’t want some defence counsel ambushing us down the line over things we left undone.’ Everyone nodded sagely, like a roomful of car parcel-shelf ornaments.