According to Google, Smith & Rivers was a legal firm in Hammersmith, near Ben’s office. They specialised in family law. To establish the full details of your wife’s unreasonable behaviour as grounds to proceed in this matter. So Ben was happy to destroy the reputation of his child’s mother, just to win. To get what he wanted. Scorched earth: that was the way he operated. Beth should be told what was coming down the tracks at her – it was only fair.

I texted her, asking if she could meet this afternoon.

Think. Perhaps the previous email, the one about the Blaisdale murder, had not been from Ben. Maybe it wasn’t a taunt.

You next.

Maybe it was a warning.

There was no reply from bret911, so I rang Larssen.

‘It’s important that you don’t do anything else that could be construed in a negative light by the police, Joe. Do you understand?’

‘Such as?’

‘Such as rushing around hither and thither trying to find Ben, asking people about him, trying to solve the police’s case all on your own. You need to keep a low profile, don’t give them any more sticks to beat you with.’

‘But if we find him, then there’s no case left to solve.’

‘Well, yes. I suppose.’ He didn’t sound convinced.

‘Have you thought any more about the email I got with that link to the court case in Lincolnshire?’

‘The Blaisdale murder? That could have come from anyone who has your email address, Joe. Somebody mischief-making.’

‘Today’s message wasn’t. Have you looked at your emails just now? Ben was taking legal advice from a family law firm.’

Larssen said he would take a closer look at the letter, and rang off. There was a notification for me on Facebook. Another user had accepted me into his electronic circle of friends, although he’d never met me. Mark Ruddington was Mel’s school friend, who had posted the ‘twenty years ago’ gallery of pictures of their school play. He had also been her boyfriend – one of the first, I assumed – and had posted a cryptic message in the conversation below that gallery. I wondered if he knew more about my wife than I did.

I opened up Messenger and typed a quick message to him.

Hi Mark, nice to *meet* you. I know this sounds weird, but could you give me a call? It’s about Mel, I think you two were friends at school. Thanks – hope you can help, Joe Lynch.

I added my mobile number and pressed send.