When Eliza regained a little composure, Agatha slid one of the pieces of paper across the table – it was a typed confession. Agatha, with Con’s input, had included everything. ‘You’ll sign this, confessing that Tom was the perpetrator,’ said Agatha.

Eliza picked up the pen and signed.

An hour later, Con and Agatha sat across from Tom North and his lawyer, a Mrs Barrow.

‘Whatever that bitch said about me, it’s all lies,’ Tom shouted.

Commander Normandy took a long sip from her cup of tea, never taking her eyes off him.

‘Shall we discuss the ludicrous charge against my client?’ said Mrs Barrow finally.

‘Yes,’ said Agatha, ‘we shall. We have a statement here, from Eliza Ellis.’

‘You’re basing this on the word of a woman trying to save her own bacon?’ said Mrs Barrow. ‘Surely you’re smarter than that?’

‘It won’t be long before we have a forensic report showing Mr North’s DNA matches that found on the weed and condom wrappers from Cierra’s room. Curiously, did you know your client tried to refuse a DNA sample? It had to be taken from him by force.’

‘Be that as it may —’

‘Be that as it is, Mrs Barrow. Mr North, are you going to be honest with us, or will I need to make another cup of tea while you continue playing games?’ Her voice was hard. ‘There are three missing girls, and a family mourning the loss of another. I would like to put my energy into investigating that. The more you delay me here, the more I suspect you have something to do with it.’ She leaned forward. ‘Word has already started to spread about you. Our custody may well be the safest place for you right now. If you continue to waste our time, imagine what will happen if that time is the difference between life and death for Cierra?’

‘Tom, be careful,’ warned Mrs Barrow. ‘Once you’ve said it, you can’t take it back.’

Tom grimaced.

And then he confessed everything.

Yes, it had been him in Cierra’s room. Yes, they’d been having an affair. Yes, Eliza had been in the room that night, she had helped him out the window and then to the hospital. Yes, they could check the hospital’s records. Yes, he knew he was in real trouble. No, no, no, he had nothing to do with their disappearance. No, no, no, there was nothing he wasn’t telling them.

Later, when Con was outside to get a break from fluorescent light and some fresh air, he caught sight of Eliza across the car park. Constable Cavanagh was going to drive Eliza back to Monica North’s house – likely an awkward place for her to be, considering her testimony against Tom.

When she caught Con’s eyes, the look of utter betrayal on her face made him stop. Obviously, she now knew Cierra still hadn’t been found.