How was Sean? How could anybody be when he’d just lost his soul mate, the love of his life, in such horrific circumstances?

Willie had returned last night at Tom’s request to bring their former chief home. Usually so stoic and wise, he’d turned up at the Reynolds’ door blubbing like a baby and had only pulled himself together when it looked like Sean was actually going to have to do the driving.

‘What can I do?’ Tom had asked his friend, before he left. ‘What can I do to make this easier for you?’

Sean had just shrugged. ‘There’s nothing,’ he replied. ‘Nothing that you won’t do anyway. I just needed to tell you in person. I had to … I had to get out of the house. But you know what you must do now? Go into work tomorrow and get that bastard to talk. Find your missing girl. Then we’ll bury June and the world will keep turning.’

Louise had made her husband go to bed for a few hours, but sleep had felt like an impossibility as he raged at the cruelty of the world. He must have dozed at some point. He remembered snatches of vivid dreams, June clutching his arm on the couch that day, an image that morphed into Laura, her mouth gagged as she mumbled incoherently and desperately.

‘He’s coping,’ Tom answered Laura’s question.

‘When’s the funeral?’ Ray asked.

‘Not for a little while. There has to be a post-mortem to establish for certain what happened.’ The inspector swallowed. ‘Anyhow, that’s for another day. Laura, how are you holding up?’

He could see her stiffen at the question. She wrapped her arms around herself defensively.

‘I’m fine. How many times do I have to say it?’

‘I don’t mean the head. After what happened – how do you feel?’

She shrugged.

‘Like an idiot. What was I thinking going out there alone? I tried to ring him, but he didn’t answer. I said in the voicemail I just wanted to chat about his time in Britain. I thought I was reaching – it seemed so far-fetched, but we’d nothing else to go on. No leads. But I guess I didn’t think he was an actual suspect or I wouldn’t have called out, certainly not alone.’

‘Of course you wouldn’t have,’ Ray said. ‘You were clutching at straws, like the rest of us.’

Laura looked up and met Tom’s eye. She knew what he wanted to ask.

‘He didn’t hurt me,’ she said. ‘Not in that way. I don’t think he sexually assaulted any of the women.’

‘Did he speak to you? Say anything that could help?’