‘Several times the word “reputation” has come up, with the exception of Pauline O’Hara, who was, we believe, in an abusive relationship. She was kidnapped in 2006 and then there was a gap until 2008. Had she not been buried in the same place, I’d have been inclined to think that somebody else had murdered her. But perhaps, after his first victim, the killer changed his M.O.

‘We know for certain two of the victims had boyfriends. This is where I want us to look closely, keeping those charm bracelets in mind. We need to check up on Treasa’s bloke – Eric. And Pauline O’Hara was living with a Steve Moore. He’s an interesting character. Violent, an attention seeker, and the sister said he worked in a wholesalers delivering to regional supermarkets, which gives him mobility. We need to track him down and get his work records. Let’s see where he was when the other women went missing.

‘On top of that, Fiona Holland’s family believe she was seeing somebody who was hitting her. They don’t know who it was but we’d better make sure it’s not Stevie-boy from Waterford. Pauline O’Hara’s sister told us she thought Steve Moore was twenty-six in 2006, making him approximately thirty-two now. She didn’t know his exact age, but apparently he and Pauline used to joke about her having a toy boy because he was a few years younger. Perhaps he moved to Meath and maybe Fiona’s into older men.’

Tom paused to cap the marker.

‘What we haven’t got,’ he said, turning to the room, ‘is anything that links all these women. Their killer is the common denominator, but how did he target them? There are too many likenesses, bar with Pauline, for them to have been picked at random. It can’t have been through their jobs. Fiona doesn’t work. Pauline worked part-time in a doctor’s clinic as a receptionist, Mary Ellen on her family farm. Treasa worked for a computer manufacturer. Eimear had no job. Una worked part-time in a clothes shop. They weren’t all members of the same club, nor do there seem to be any shared interests outside of drinking and partying, again, Pauline being the notable exception. So how did he choose them? Did he move from town to town – is that how he got to know them? Yet, Linda thinks he probably lives closer to where he buries his victims. So does he have a family home up this end of the country and rentals in the southern region?’

Tom perched on the edge of a desk and waited for his team to make suggestions.

‘He lives near them for a while,’ Laura suggested. ‘That’s how he gets to know their backgrounds. Most of them come from villages or small towns and neighbours talk. As we’ve already discovered.’