‘What do we call you then?’ the man in the room said, his voice now slightly softer, but with the edge of someone who was used to dealing with police and not used to being ignored. His shaven head revealed old scars, a tattoo crawling up the back of his neck and around to the front. A faded, black tribal design. ‘Shouldn’t you be out there looking for our Emily anyway?’

‘Call me Mark, if you like. I can promise you there’s uniformed officers looking for her as we speak. I’m here to get as much information as possible to assist that search. And to make sure you’re all informed as much as possible.’

He gave a grunt as a reply, but the man didn’t move. Still trying to stare him down, even though Mark wasn’t even looking in his direction.

‘Is there any news at all?’

Mark turned towards Emily’s twin sister as she spoke, his mind conjuring up the name he had learned only minutes earlier. ‘You must be Stephanie.’

‘Yes, well done for remembering my name,’ she replied, rolling her eyes theatrically. ‘Can you answer my question now?’

There was a brief moment when Mark wanted to let the disarming smile he wore slip from his face. He didn’t blink, taking a seat in the only available spot, next to the mother.

‘We made a small discovery of interest this morning,’ Mark said, leaning forward and talking to the twin now. He swivelled a little to face the mother, too. ‘Now, it’s not her, but it could be the beginning of finding her, okay?’

He told them what had been found, expecting to receive more reaction than he did. He ploughed on, choosing his words carefully as he did so. As he finished into silence, he cleared his throat and gave them his final platitude. ‘We’re doing all we can to make sure Emily is found safe and well.’

‘It’s been too long for that,’ the other sibling said, quietly. Charlie, Mark thought. The younger sibling. From the look on his face, he was smack bang in the throes of adolescence and all that went with it. His face wore a well-rehearsed scowl, which Mark imagined was a permanent feature. He remembered that age well. Sometimes, it didn’t feel like all that long had passed since he was angry at the world and all it contained. Not knowing it would pass soon enough. The lad didn’t look like the popular type. He remembered being like that once, too.

He’d soon learn, Mark thought.

‘Don’t say things like that,’ Julie replied, almost spitting the words out. ‘It’s only been a couple of days.’