‘Do you have any idea who he might be referring to?’ Forest asked.

Jane gave her a withering look. ‘Do you really think we’d be standing here talking about it if I did? I would have told you straight away! And if I’d had any idea who was behind the video I would have done something about it immediately, before I was shoved out and someone was brought in to take my place. At least it seems like he’d figured it out,’ she added, grudgingly.

‘And it’s possible he was murdered for it,’ Forest replied drily, ‘so perhaps it’s better for you that you didn’t find out.’

‘Thank you for this,’ Singh added. ‘It’s definitely helpful. We’ll give it to our tech team; it might give them a better idea of where to start, see where Saul was digging around in Steve’s files and take it from there.’

The four of us left Liz Marcek’s office to find the deputy head standing just outside the door, with Samira and her brother. When the girl saw her old head teacher she rushed forwards and threw herself at Jane, hugging her tightly. Jane looked taken aback, but automatically returned the hug, at which point Samira burst into tears.

‘Whatever is wrong?’ Jane asked, pulling Samira off her so she could sign the question.

Leon’s gone! the girl wailed.

I know, he’s been missing for days now. Is that what’s upset you?

Samira shook her head. You don’t understand. He’s gone.

Gone from where?

Samira’s brother shuffled uncomfortably. ‘Leon’s been hiding at our house.’

I was gobsmacked. Samira had done such a good job of pretending she was worried about Leon last week, getting worked up when she was asking if something had happened to him, that it had never occurred to me that she could be hiding him. She was clearly a very good actress. The detectives stared at Samira’s brother, then both began to speak at once, but he held up his hands in defence.

‘I didn’t know! If I’d known she’d sneaked him in I would’ve called the police, wouldn’t I? I’ve not been home much the last couple of weeks,’ he said, looking at the ground.

Jane Villiers drew herself up to her full height and glared at Samira’s brother. ‘Where are your parents?’ she barked.

‘Pakistan. They’ve been there for three weeks.’

‘And you have been in sole charge of your teenage sister?’

He nodded.

‘But you have neglected your care of her, by not even noticing that she had a friend staying with her for over a week? A friend that half of the country are looking for?’

The young man looked suitably cowed under Jane Villiers’ onslaught, but Forest interrupted before it could continue.