‘How do you know she didn’t just run away?’

‘Because they found her body,’ he told her, a flash of anger crossing his face. ‘Just before I left, they pulled parts of her out of the river. She had been dumped in there and the alligators got to her.’

‘That must have been awful,’ she said, ‘but that doesn’t mean it was my father. There were forty people working in our group; it could have been one of the other men. And if she was in pieces like you say, then how do you have that picture then? Is that her? The woman covered in blood?’ She asked. She didn’t even know if anything he was saying was real. Was this another diversion tactic of his? Was he still trying to confuse her? She had found his pictures, so he might tell any lie to stop her from calling the police until he got what he wanted. If only she could figure out what that was.

‘That’s her. None of the other men matched the description that was given to me. There is no doubt in my mind that your father killed her.’

‘So where did that photograph come from if they didn’t find her body until later?’ Jasmine insisted.

‘I got this photograph from a box I found in your parents’ bedroom.’

His words had the desired impact. Jasmine felt as though a jolt of electricity had shot through her.

‘You’re lying.’

‘I swear, I’m not.’

‘This doesn’t make any sense! Who are those other girls then? Why are there so many?’

‘Those dead girls are all photos I found in that box. I don’t know who the others are yet. Maybe you can help me find out.’

‘I’m not helping you! You must be crazy if you think I’m going to listen to any of this.’ She went to walk past him, but Tim thrust the necklace into her hand.

‘Where did you get this?’ he asked.

‘It was a gift for my birthday. My eleventh birthday.’

‘When you were in Belize?’

‘That doesn’t mean anything. You’re trying to trick me.’

‘How could I know that it was from that year you stayed in Belize? It could have been any birthday, but you got it around the time my Rosa disappeared. I know because I bought it for her in the market in Ladyville.’

‘Why did you come here?’ Jasmine said, starting to cry again. ‘Why are you trying to hurt us? Did you sleep with me just so you could go through my things? Just so you could try and trick me into believing all of this nonsense?’