On the third whiteboard were two association charts, one showing Eden Paternoster’s family tree, the other her and her husband’s friends and colleagues. These were a work-in-progress, with more names and details yet to be filled in.

‘All routine procedures regarding a misper have been followed, with photographs of the missing lady circulated,’ Roy Grace said, addressing his team seated around the long, oval table in the Major Crime suite conference room. ‘However, we have reason to suspect we may be looking at something more than a standard missing person enquiry. The purpose of this briefing is to update you on our enquiries so far, and to establish lines of command and duties, together with roles and responsibilities. I will be acting as Senior Investigating Officer, with Glenn Branson as my Deputy.’ He nodded at the DI, to his left, who held his pen poised above his Policy Book. ‘Jack Alexander will run the enquiry as Action Manager and Allocator, linking into the HOLMES team, and will also manage the Outside Enquiry teams.’ HOLMES – or correctly HOLMES 2 – was the acronym for the Home Office Large Major Enquiry System.

The tall young DS beside Glenn Branson acknowledged this. ‘Yes, sir.’

‘The Intelligence Analyst will be Luke Stanstead.’ Grace smiled at the young man, who was in a wheelchair pulled up to the table, sitting lower down than the rest of the team. The popular officer had been paralysed in a swimming pool accident a few years earlier. Grace admired the man for his resilience. Away from work, Stanstead had become a front runner and leading light in wheelchair rugby. The HOLMES Supervisor would be joining the team tomorrow, back from her day off. The other HOLMES roles would also be filled during the next few hours.

Grace went on to name his Exhibits and Disclosure Officers, his go-to Financial Investigations Officer, Emily Denyer, the almost impossibly young-looking Crime Scene Manager, Chris Gee, and Sergeant Lorna Dennison-Wilkins as POLSA – Police Search Adviser – as and when needed, to manage any searches.

Checking his notes, he continued. ‘Our Outside Enquiry Team will consist of DS Potting and DC Wilde, DCs Soper and Hall, and the third pair of DS Exton and Polly.’ Investigating Officer Pauline Sweeney, known to everyone as Polly, had just retired as a police officer but immediately rejoined the team as a civilian in an identical role. ‘I’ve appointed Emma-Jane Boutwood as FLO – she has attended at the Paternosters’ home but Eden’s husband told her, at present, he wants to be alone. I will keep this situation under review.’

FLOs – Family Liaison Officers – were allocated to the immediate family members of any Major Crime victim. Their role was twofold, the first being to provide a dedicated officer to act as a conduit between the family and the investigation, obtaining any information and evidence from them and also passing information from the SIO back to the family. A secondary role was to provide a presence and emotional support, from conversation to preparing meals and doing essential shopping. Emma-Jane’s rejection by Niall Paternoster might be further grounds for suspicion, Grace felt.