‘Enough to live in a big house along the coast with its own tennis court and swimming pool, and to go to an expensive private school. And for his parents to provide him with a trust fund. But they died when he was in his early twenties and Simon divested himself of his inheritance. He gave all his money away to good causes, or to relatives. A lot of people came out of the woodwork back then, but he didn’t care, he just wanted rid of it. He now lives off the charity of those same people, the ones who continued to hang around, at least. He has quite a little network of people who let him sleep on their sofas. He’s stayed with me once or twice, but never for long. He’ll stay a few nights and then disappear again, for weeks or months, and that’s the way he likes it.’

‘Where does he go when he disappears, what does he do?’

‘He travels about the country, always walking or hitch-hiking somewhere, wherever his fancy takes him. He’ll get a job labouring or picking crops. Then he pops up here again, I guess because it’s where he grew up – he’s like one of those fish who always return to where they were spawned. And when the wanderlust hits him he’ll disappear again.’

‘So my problem is this. A girl goes missing.’ Sasha popped the last piece of the pastry into her mouth and chewed. ‘She’s abducted in front of Lydia and then it turns out that not only is the girl Michelle’s daughter, but she in turn is being blackmailed by another of your… group. That’s a lot of coincidences.’

Karin nodded thoughtfully. ‘Yes.’

‘I spoke to one of our profilers about the kind of person who would abduct a child. They tend to be men with few friends, and who have trouble forming relationships with adults. They’re outcasts with a lack of social skills. People like Jerry Swann. And that’s also how Simon defines himself, Karin, as a loner. He’s a man who goes off on his own for weeks, for months on end, he encourages his own isolation from people.’ She dabbed at the last crumbs of cake with a forefinger. ‘Simon’s never married, has he?’

‘I’ve never married, Lydia’s never married, Paul married for the first time four years ago.’ Karin frowned. ‘Simon couldn’t do something like that.’

‘You didn’t think he was capable of blackmail.’ When Karin turned away to watch the traffic flashing past, Sasha tried a change of tack. ‘You know, we met, you and I. On the night you escaped. I spoke to you briefly, but… you were in shock.’

You’re safe now.

Karin met her gaze for a long moment. ‘What was I like?’