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Back Gone Save as PDF
Chapters (77)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. Acknowledgements
  75. Reading Group Questions
  76. Read More
  77. I

‘Yes,’ replied DC Logan. ‘I’ll send over a list of who did what, but in short, all four completed at least one of these quizzes.’

‘Are you on the dark web, Craig?’ asked Jameson.

‘Yes,’ said DC Logan. ‘No references to the Birthday Card Game there, as far as I can tell. And if there was a website or forum, I’d have found something by now.’

‘On that note,’ said DC Kaye Willis, ‘I have an update on Faye Graham’s phone usage. Not much to find there either. Just after she went missing, she accessed 315 megabytes of data, but there’s been no activity since then.’

‘They probably dump their own phone and get an unregistered one,’ said DC Logan. ‘They could use it to access whatever they need to play.’

‘Can we find out what the 315 megabytes were used for?’ asked Jameson.

‘I’ve requested details from the phone company. We should have that today or tomorrow,’ said Willis.

‘Good work,’ said Barker. ‘Let’s speak again tomorrow.’

‘So they’ve given it a name,’ said Jameson, after hanging up. ‘The Birthday Card Game. Catchy.’

‘Or not.’

‘Forty players.’

‘And rising,’ said Bloom.

They spent the next few hours analysing the questionnaires from DC Logan. Those identifying as psychopath tests were too obvious and therefore too easy for respondents to manipulate. The profiler would need potential players to answer questions honestly, so they couldn’t know the motive behind the questions. The social media quizzes were more promising. They included ‘How Persuasive Are You?’, ‘The Five-Minute Personality Test’, and Bloom’s personal favourite, ‘Which Greek God Would You Be?’ The latter included clever questions to determine vengefulness and ruthlessness. The four players Bloom and Jameson had been investigating had each completed several similar quizzes and posted their results online. Bloom flagged the quizzes and sent them back to DC Logan with a note to find more like these. An accurate profile would require numerous questionnaires.

26

Jameson had struck up a rapport with Alina the Latvian barista over the last few days, but there’d been no sign of Dr Sarah Something. He was sitting flicking through the Metro, hoping she might appear, but he needed to get to the office to carry out telephone interviews with the witnesses to Stuart’s car accident along with DC Akhtar. With luck, they might have a description of their games master by the end of the day.

‘Thanks, Alina,’ he called as he headed outside.

At the end of the block, walking towards him, was Dr Sarah Something.

‘Hello,’ she said. Her tone sounded polite but her eyes screamed stalker.

‘You were right about the coffee,’ said Jameson. ‘Shame about the name.’ He smiled up at the cafe’s sign.

Sarah looked at it and frowned.

‘The owners aren’t English,’ he said. ‘They don’t realize how easily Fork can sound like – well, you know.’

‘I see,’ said Sarah, looking up at the sign again.