“No,” Emma said quickly, “I don’t want any part of this. Look, why don’t I come over? I can be there soon. We’ll just talk this through together.”

“You can’t come over,” Robin said bluntly.

There was a long silence. “Why?” Emma said, in their mother’s voice.

Robin opened his mouth, but at that moment an announcement came over the loudspeaker saying that a train was boarding. King’s Cross was the busiest he had ever seen it. The fast-food places, the restaurants, the bars—they were all overflowing with commuters. Robin was amid the sea of people looking up at the departure boards. At the announcement, about twenty people headed toward the platforms. Robin didn’t have to say anything—he knew Emma had heard.

“You’re going today? You’re going now?”

“Yes,” Robin said.

“What about your meeting with your publisher?”

“I canceled.”

“Robin, what are you doing? Really?”

“I’m doing what I feel I need to do. Can you just support me in this?”

Emma sighed. And was quiet for about a minute. He knew what she was thinking—that he was crazy, and that this was a fool’s errand. “Of course,” she said, “but please be careful, Robin. If what you said—if what you found—is really true, this guy could be dangerous.”

“I know how to handle myself,” Robin said with a smile. “I’ll see you soon.”

He hung up, wondering if Emma was right—if he was making a terrible mistake.

But the wondering wasn’t enough to stop him going through the ticket barrier, finding his train and getting on.

Chapter Five

Samantha had been due to call him when she got into Huddersfield. And she did. But Robin didn’t pick up. He was still so absorbed with his stupid article, about planning permission for a new multistory in Camden right next to residential land, which had somehow escalated into the political battle of the century. At least it had seemed at the time. That multistory never got built, and was never talked of again.

He should have picked up the phone.

When a thirty-three-year-old woman, perfectly capable, mobile and mature, goes missing, it takes a lot to get someone to listen. But the moment he called back and she didn’t answer—in fact, the phone didn’t even ring and went straight to voice mail—Robin knew, somehow, that she was in trouble. And having to wait seventy-two hours to report her missing killed him.