“Not yet, guv,” said Gerry. “It’s starting to look more and more as if he’s entered the country illegally, or simply slipped through the cracks. No useful CCTV so far, and only traces of grass and soil and May blossom in the bin and on his clothing.”

“There are no trees or grass on the East Side Estate,” said Banks.

“Oh, come on, guv,” said Gerry. “It’s not as bad as all that. There are a few gardens and a little grass square with swings and roundabouts for the kiddies.”

“And dealers.”

“There’s even a tree,” said Annie. “I’m sure I saw it once.”

Gerry rolled her eyes and went on. “We do, however, have a couple of sightings that came in from the media appeal. One woman thought she saw the boy on Sunday evening coming out of the McDonald’s near the bus station. He was carrying a backpack and wearing a dark zip-up jacket.”

“Dr. Galway said that the victim had eaten a burger an hour or two before he died,” Banks said.

Gerry nodded. “One of the girls there remembers serving him. There weren’t a lot of customers around that time. And there was another sighting by the Leaview Estate a bit later. Neither witness is sure of the timings, and the second one couldn’t even be sure it was our boy, but it was either around or just after dark on Sunday. We also managed to track down a bus driver who remembered a Middle Eastern lad getting on in Leeds, at the central bus station there, and getting off in Eastvale. The bus arrived at nine forty-five p.m., just as it was getting dark.”

“It’s hardly surprising so few people saw him then. Eastvale’s pretty dead at that time on a Sunday night. The Leaview Estate?” Banks mused. “It’s not the quickest way from the bus station to Hollyfield Lane, if we’re still working on the theory that he was involved in a county line there.”

“It might be for someone who doesn’t know Eastvale,” suggested Annie.

“Good point. Did this second witness have anything to add?”

Gerry scanned the witness statement. “Nothing, sir, except this man also says the lad he saw was carrying a backpack. Wearing it, I suppose.”

“At least the missing items explain why he had nothing but the coke on him. He must have kept his money and stuff in the jacket or the backpack. I wonder what happened to them.”

“Maybe he dropped them off somewhere on the way, guv?” Gerry suggested. “Somewhere on the Leaview Estate. It was a warm evening, the day before the storm, so maybe he took his jacket off and left it somewhere.”