Nikki swung the car into a tight parking space and killed the engine. ‘My heart bleeds for you.’ She slammed the door. ‘Didn’t quite get that sort of education myself. Had to work for a living.’ She marched on ahead of him, but couldn’t help but wonder how many squaddies had ever gone to Uni. ‘We’ll split up. You take the students to the right of her pod, I’ll take the left, and anything you think may be useful, call me. With luck, they’ll still be half asleep and easier to interview.’ The door to the Hub swung soundlessly open. ‘See you back here in half an hour, Sergeant, and we’ll reassess.’

‘Nothing much, ma’am.’ Joseph perched on a high stool and looked across the Hub. ‘They all know Kris Brown by sight, and one or two have seen his astrophotographs, which I’m told are “Awesome!”. But no one believes that Kerry and Kris were an item. In fact, most of them laughed at the notion.’

‘Same damn thing with the ones I spoke to,’ grumbled Nikki.

‘One point, though,’ said Joseph, ‘a guy called Lewis, who was organizing this field trip with Kerry, mentioned that Kris had been mugged recently.’ He rubbed his chin with his forefinger. ‘Probably not connected, but worth asking Mr Brown about it, don’t you think?’

‘As good a reason as any for taking another trip out to Mr Weirdo’s place.’ Nikki stared around at the small clusters of students gathered in the meeting place. ‘He’s still my number one, even if his mother believes he’s a modern-day saint.’ She looked back at Joseph. ‘Anything else?’

Joseph pulled a face. ‘Nothing specific. I just get the feeling that no one here really knows Kerry.’ He paused, then said, ‘And how many girls do you know who have no close girly mates to gossip with?’

Nikki nodded. She understood exactly what her sergeant meant. The kids were shocked by Kerry’s disappearance, but their reaction had been more detached than she would have expected. If Hannah had disappeared, Nikki was pretty sure that her girlfriends would have been distraught, throwing every kind of teenage histrionic known to man. ‘If she’s a Top Swat, perhaps her contemporaries don’t like her? Maybe they’re jealous of her good grades, or the attention she gets from the tutors?’

‘Could be, but it didn’t seem that way. There was no animosity there. I just didn’t get the reaction I was expecting.’ Joseph shrugged. ‘Maybe I’m just out of touch with youngsters these days.’

There was a strange wistfulness to his voice that was not lost on Nikki, but now was not the time to wonder on the enigma that was Joseph Easter.

‘Right, then it’s back to the station.’

As they reached the car, Nikki’s phone rang. After a few curt words she hung up.