‘Good afternoon. My name is Dr Augusta Bloom. I’m part of the team investigating the disappearance of one of your students, Grayson Taylor. He’s a second-year political science student. Can I please have the contact details for his personal tutor?’

‘I’m not sure I—’

Bloom interrupted, choosing her words carefully. ‘My team provide specialist support to police forces across the UK, including the South Yorkshire Force.’ She wasn’t lying. She waited for a moment.

‘OK,’ said the woman. ‘Let me just …’

Bloom wrote down the name and number. ‘Thank you for your efficiency, Margaret. Much appreciated.’ She hung up and dialled the number she’d been given, turning the loudspeaker on.

‘Hello?’ said a male voice.

‘I’m looking for Grayson Taylor’s personal tutor,’ said Bloom. ‘Have I come through to the right person?’

‘You have,’ he replied. ‘How can I help?’

Bloom introduced herself and explained the situation. Grayson’s tutor ummed and aahed politely.

‘You see,’ he said eventually, ‘I’m not sure he was having a fantastic time. He failed his first year after missing three exams and was in the process of retaking them when he went missing. But he hadn’t attended any lectures or tutorials since October. I challenged him about that just before Christmas, and, well …’

‘Go on,’ said Bloom. ‘This is all very helpful.’

‘He said that if I pushed him to attend he would make an official complaint to the Vice-Chancellor.’

‘About what?’ asked Bloom.

The tutor took a moment to respond. ‘My competence. Grayson said I was incompetent.’

Jameson shook his head. ‘Charming,’ he muttered.

Bloom thanked the tutor for his time and hung up.

‘Just as I thought,’ said Bloom. ‘So what does this tell us? Two of them are lying. Lana about where she’s been going and what she’s been doing all these years, and Grayson about how well he’s doing on his course. Faye Graham’s husband said she’d been unhappy, so maybe we do have a group of people who all want to run away.’

‘Libby may be lying about Stuart being happy.’

‘Possibly. But I don’t think Geoff was lying to me. He believes his son is doing great, because that’s what Grayson is telling him. You don’t think Jane is lying, do you? She can’t know that her mother has been faking this Army job.’

‘God, no,’ said Jameson.

‘And I didn’t get the impression that Faye Graham had told her husband she hated being a mum. It was his best guess based on her behaviour.’

‘So the families are in the dark?’ Jameson said.

Bloom smiled at her colleague until he nodded and said, ‘The families are always in the dark. Do you know who I’d like to hear from?’ she added. ‘The person who sacked Stuart Rose-Butler from Leeds Bradford Airport two years ago.’