‘The only two in the vicinity had been disabled prior to the attack.’

‘What about the schools, ma’am?’

‘That’s our best hope, WPC Collins. I’ve already sent a general description out to the schools in the area. We just have to wait and see.’

‘He could be a runaway, ma’am.’

‘He looked too clean, Constable, but we are running a missing persons check for that age group.’ She looked back at the board. The only information they had was a photo of the area where he was found, and a list of his injuries, and that made Nikki feel both angry and sad. It seemed all wrong. Someone must have missed their son by now. After all, he’d been missing all damned night.

‘What are his chances of recovery, ma’am?’ asked Yvonne Collins.

Nikki paused, and saw again the battered child convulsing on the hospital bed. ‘Not good, I’m afraid. We have officers there with him, and the hospital is keeping in close contact regarding his condition. Swabs have been taken from him for DNA testing, but it will be a while before we get any results. So, anything you guys can pick up off the streets regarding a missing friend, sibling or relative, check it out immediately, okay?’

There was a murmur of assent.

‘Moving on, the stabbing of Callum Lodge requires no more attention at present. He is recovering well, and his family is sending him to stay with an aunt somewhere miles from the Carborough. The incident was witnessed by myself and several other officers, and the weapon used was confiscated at the scene. Forensics will sew that up nicely and the suspect has been detained, so forget that for the time being.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Now, what we need to be working on is our other major worry: the finding of the body of Girl X at Amber Fen.’

Nikki looked in turn at each of the grave-faced officers.

‘I don’t have to tell you how important it is that we keep this girl’s identity a closely guarded secret. Last night she was positively identified by Archie Leonard, and it’s time you all knew that he has pledged his support to us in order to help facilitate the catching of his niece’s killer.’

A ripple of surprised voices echoed around the room.

‘Yeah, I know this is irregular, but Greenborough is in a shit state right now, and I’m taking help from every available source. Even the Leonard family.’

‘Does he have any leads for us, Guv?’ asked a young detective constable.

‘Not yet. The Leonards are as much in the dark as we are. But he’s not just going to support us regarding Girl X. He’s offered to make some street-level enquiries about both Kerry Anderson and the Mask Wars.’