Anna looked at Josie’s painting table. It reminded her that the last time she’d seen her laughing had been right there, just moments before she sent the little lady to bed. Josie had gone with a long face because Anna had yelled at her for drawing on a wall. Anna couldn’t get that sorrowful look out of her mind. Dabbing at what seemed like an endless flow of fluid from her eyes, she said, ‘Yes. My husband is Nick. Have you got people out looking?’

‘Well, we have to take this slowly and gather more information, but we’re taking your claim very seriously. Local policing teams across Yorkshire have been informed of a possible abduction, but we need more information before we do anything like issue public alerts. And I am trained in hostage crisis negotiation. So, please, accept we’re not downplaying anything here. I know you’ve told this before, dear, but I need you to run through for me exactly why you think they’ve been kidnapped.’

She didn’t like the sense of doubt she got from the woman’s body language. The uniformed police officers had expressed the same emotion once they’d been in the house a minute or so. She knew kidnapping was a rare offence, but surely it wasn’t alien to these people, even in urban Sheffield. ‘Don’t you believe me?’

Miller didn’t directly answer that. ‘I can list Josie as missing on the Police National Computer. And the Missing Persons Unit, they can build a profile based on data from previous cases. Those are important first steps, dear.’

‘Can? You mean you haven’t done that yet? Why not?’

‘Apologies. This is very confusing for you, I completely understand. I’ll explain, dear, I will. A couple of things first, though.’ She waved Nick’s passport, which Adams must have handed to her. ‘Your man, does he have friends or family abroad?’

‘No. Why?’

‘Just a moment, dear. Let me ask a few things first. Number two, and I apologise in advance for this, but I do have to ask it – does he ever hurt Josie?’

‘What? Of course not. What makes you think that?’

‘I’m sorry. I don’t think that at all, dear, but it’s a question that’s got to be asked. Lastly, he drives a Vauxhall Combo van, doesn’t he? Usually parked out the back, I hear? Can you show me it?’

She couldn’t now avoid suspecting that the police weren’t taking her claims seriously, and she was starting to get impatient and angry. ‘Is any of this relevant? I’d like to know what steps you’re taking to find my daughter. My husband.’

‘It’s relevant, I promise. Please? Show me his van?’

‘The van is out back, yes. Why do you need to see it?’