‘Look, Fran, Dominic, I need your co-operation here, OK?’ Wright says, her voice firm. ‘We need to carry out a search of the property, and it would make things a hell of a lot easier all round if you could . . . well, be co-operative.’

‘What?’ Dominic raises his voice, and his cheeks flush an even darker red. I recognise the look on his face as anger, the same dark, stormy look I saw when he grabbed Fran by the arms in the kitchen. ‘What the hell are you talking about? You’ve already searched the house once and you didn’t find anything! You’re supposed to be out there looking for my daughter, not buggering around in here.’

I watch in silence, as Wright glances towards the waiting officers, who I now realise are only here to search through the house, to turn over everything that the Jessops own. To find out if there are secrets hidden in this home. Fran’s eyes are huge in her face, and dark circles stand out starkly against her white skin. Her hands shake as she pulls her flimsy dressing gown tightly around her.

‘Dominic, please . . .’ she says, with difficulty.

‘Please? Please, what?’ Dominic stands in front of Wright as though he is about to deny her access to the rest of the house. ‘Let them ransack our house again? They didn’t find anything last time, they won’t this time. They should be out there looking for her.’

‘Mr Jessop,’ DS Wright raises her hands, trying to make peace, ‘if you would please just let us do our job. We are doing everything we can to find Laurel, and this search is part of that. We have to make sure we haven’t missed a single thing that might lead us to where she is.’

‘Dom, please,’ Fran says again, resting her small white hand against his chest. He looks down at her absently, before shaking his head, but stepping to one side to let Wright and her officers in.

‘Fine. Do what you need to. I don’t need to be here for it, do I?’ Without waiting for a reply Dominic turns and starts back up the stairs. As I shrink back against the wall to let him past, DS Wright pushes past after him, telling him he’ll have to wait downstairs. I catch Fran’s eye and flick my head in the direction of the kitchen. It’s going to be a long day.