‘Annie, you here?’ Her head twitched in Anna’s direction as she heard the beep of dialled numbers. ‘Where’s Nick going, Annie?’

This time Anna wasn’t trying to reach Nick. She just wanted to hear Josie’s recorded voice again.

Nabi was sent in pursuit, but Nick had gone east, and within ten seconds of the house by car was an X-junction. It took him ten more to pull his phone and dial a number, so within a minute, all told, Miller knew that Nick had vanished. Then she got a radio call from base: Lowth and Adams, the officers who’d responded to the 999 call that started everything, had just called in to say they’d seen the Carters’ car leaving the area and were wondering if it had been authorised. No got bounced from base to patrol car and soon Nick had a tail. But only a tail, Miller ordered. ‘Don’t stop him. No arrest. Keep me updated on your location.’ Her father questioned this, and it was Jane who had the answer: they wanted to see if Nick led the police to Josie. Anna leaned against a wall in the living room, far from the mass crowding Miller and her radio, and dared to hope this nightmare could be winding down.

‘Junction of Meadow Street,’ the responders finally announced. ‘Corsa’s pulled on to the kerb outside the Early Language Teaching Centre.’

‘Who does he know at that place?’ Miller asked. She looked at all three family members in turn, and three heads shook.

‘He’s waiting outside.’

Numerous eyes bored into the radio in Miller’s hand.

‘IC1 male just exited. Both men in the car now. Heading northeast on Meadow again.’

Nick had just met someone? Someone he’d planned to meet, using Josie’s phone? What did that mean?

Bennet was on his phone and he reported to Miller: ‘You can order those responders away now. Second unit, plain clothes. Got him in sight.’

Miller told the responders to back off. ‘Who’s the new guy?’

Bennet told the room that an off-duty constable had been giving a lift home to a female mugging victim after his shift when he heard the radio call to base. Nearby, he swung in for a nosey, clocked the Corsa, started following. He was in contact with base by mobile.

‘Get him to call me.’

Bennet relayed that order and Miller’s mobile rang a minute later. She introduced herself, asked the caller’s name and location. She put her phone on speaker and laid it on the coffee table.

‘Just tailed the Corsa east off the roundabout, four hundred metres along the A61. He’s… yeah, just taken a left.’

‘The driver isn’t to be stopped. And don’t get spotted. Keep reporting.’

‘He’s at Kelham Island, approaching the Fat Cat pub.’

Bennet announced that he’d contacted another two teams of responders, now en route, moments away. Two cars, four officers.