‘I wasn’t happy about it,’ Chris said, trying to keep his voice level and calm, but it was painfully obvious he was still angry. Hurt. Embarrassed. All wrapped up in one combustible ball. ‘You can’t just mess with someone like that. It’s not right. She made me think she was some fit girl in Toronto – a cheerleader and everything – and it turned out to be some fat bird from round the corner. That’s not right.’

‘How did you find out you weren’t talking to who you thought you were?’

‘I got a message from someone else she had been messing with,’ Chris said, finally laying the paper to the side. ‘It was out of the blue. I knew something wasn’t right when she wouldn’t FaceTime me, she would only speak on the phone. And a few times the accent would slip, like. Then I got a message from someone who told me her real name. I didn’t remember her at all, but a couple of lads from school did. She’s a proper nutcase, man.’

‘And how did you take the news?’

Chris smiled without showing his teeth, shrugged and then sighed. ‘I think you can tell not that well. I was angry. You would be too if you’d been strung along like I was.’

‘What do you think of those messages you sent now?’

‘I don’t know. She kinda deserved it, don’t you think? She made me look like a complete idiot. I couldn’t just let that go, you know. It wasn’t right, what she did. I know other people probably got it worse.’

‘And the person who told you who she really was?’

Chris shook his head. ‘No idea who it was. Anonymous. I didn’t believe them at first, but you know, I put it together and couldn’t believe how stupid I’d been.’

‘You know others who this happened to?’

‘Has to be others, right? It wasn’t just me. There were probably loads of people she had on.’

‘There was more, though, wasn’t there?’ Mark said, trusting his instincts. Something had been bugging him since he’d started going through all the communication Emily had with all these people… these victims. There was something he wasn’t seeing. Something that happened outside of the social media circle he’d been allowed a glimpse into, something that would trigger the rage that was directed back at her. ‘She did more,’ he probed.

Chris breathed deeply, looking towards the floor as if it contained the answer. ‘She had pictures. Stuff I didn’t want people to see, you know? She threatened me. Said she would share them with everyone I knew. Family, friends, the lot. Unless I kept talking to her. But I couldn’t. I didn’t think she’d go through with it.’

‘She didn’t share yours, did she?’