‘A woman?’ Perhaps the biggest shock of all. She didn’t know how to feel about that. At first, there was a sliver of relief, because surely a woman would be less likely to harm Josie. But she quickly lost that hope. ‘Why would she pretend to be a man?’

Miller said, ‘Apologies on that one. Unsure. But I know accents, you see. She tried to hide it, but I got a weeny hint of a place.’ She paused before adding, ‘Sunderland.’

Of course, she’d heard Nick’s terrible tale of multiple attackers, but hearing it from someone clear-headed and wise added irrefutable weight. Somehow, things had just taken a turn for the worse. ‘I don’t know anyone from Sunderland. I don’t think Nick does. What does it mean? I can’t…’

‘Oh, don’t you worry, we’re looking into it and I’ll get the recording checked out by a specialist. But it might come to nothing, dear, so, please, don’t think anything of it unless I tell you otherwise. I wouldn’t have said if you hadn’t asked. Okay with that?’

She wasn’t. ‘But what if you’re wrong? Do you know what city? What if it’s not this place you think and you look there and end up missing them? If you’re wrong, Josie won’t…’ She couldn’t say it. But she forced herself to be optimistic. Miller had been headhunted for her linguistic skill, and she’d said Sunderland.

Sunderland. Where Nick’s van, driven by another, had been clocked by ANPR yesterday.

They used the dead-end back street where Nick had parked his van, but they didn’t avoid all eyes. Anna spotted neighbours at windows, including at number 18, where the woman who’d called the police lived. Just before they’d left the hospital, Miller had told her that the home phone had received three calls from the six friends Anna had called. Jane had spun these people a story based on her own initial theory: Josie had hurt her leg falling out of bed and Nick had taken her to the hospital, but both were okay and on their way home. They’d tried Anna’s phone first, but she’d been instructed not to answer because she would fail to keep stress out of her voice. Miller had had to post a plain-clothes man on their street with the sole task of having a quiet word with any neighbours who tried to approach the house. So far, so good, but even this tactic had to remain shadowy and, alas, Anna might need to answer the door with a lie of her own if word continued to diffuse. But she wasn’t thinking that far ahead.

Miller shut off the engine and stretched.

‘You should sleep,’ Anna said. ‘I heard Mr Bennet say your team was working all night on a case. Delegate tasks or something and use my bed.’