‘It’s not an exact science, but on the face of it, no. There’re plenty of stabbings and shootings and other deaths linked to drugs and gangs in the area over the last five years. That’s how far I went back. But all of them made sense, if that makes sense. Either we know the killers, or there were witnesses, or there’s CCTV evidence, or solid forensics, or clear motives. There’s always something.’

‘We still have those other missing persons cases. Obviously we know Grace Agnew was linked to Paul Reeve. That can’t be a coincidence. Are there others?’

‘We haven’t found any other links, and we simply can’t explain what’s happened to Grace. I’ve done the rounds with friends and family, for her and for others, and I’m really not sure where we can go next. The whole point is that the Missing Persons team have no evidence of what happened.’

Dani paused, thinking.

‘What is it?’ Jason asked.

‘Someone out there wants to cause me trouble. I don’t know who they are, or why they’re targeting me, but I feel like they’re watching me, following me.’ Dani felt goose pimples rising on her arms. ‘The more I think about it, the more I think they really must have been in my apartment too.’

‘You’re safe now,’ Jason said. ‘I’m here.’

Dani said nothing to that, just sighed, and a further silence followed. There was a gnawing in her mind as she struggled to process a thought that wasn’t quite taking hold.

‘Jessica Bradford aside,’ she said, ‘what do you really make of those missing persons cases? What do you think happened to those women?’

‘Same as you. Most likely they’re all dead. Murdered, though? And by the same person? I just don’t know. And I’ve no idea how we even go about investigating them any further. Not on the information we have. I want to believe you, Dani, and I want to help, but other than Grace Agnew I still don’t see anything specific to link those cases to Reeve and Natalya or to Harland and Ethan Grant, and Jimmy Colton. Or to the notes you were sent.’

‘But maybe the answer is a simple one,’ Dani said, sounding as frustrated as she was feeling. ‘This is a killer who switches M.O. That’s the whole point. He knows that we won’t pull all of these seemingly unconnected people together. Because we can’t. The evidence just isn’t there to do so.’

‘Look, I’m not saying I don’t believe you…’ Jason said. The fact he needed to say that, Dani thought, suggested it wasn’t true. ‘…I just don’t see this as clearly as you do, and I’m really trying my hardest.’