“We can try to get the phone cleared for tracing, to see where he’s been in the last few weeks at least. We might even be able to get more from phone company data.”

Joanna addressed the assembled officers. “Okay. Until then it’s the old-fashioned way. We need to look at his post, knock on doors, question all the neighbors, and try to find some family or associates using local knowledge. Someone will be missing this person, and they will want to know what’s happened to him.”

She pinned another photograph to the board. In this one, Gregor Franks was shown face up, eyes shut, tubes bisecting his face, with attachments entering his nose. Harper put her fists on her hips and frowned at it. “Don’t we have a better image than this? Steve?”

“Sorry, boss, yes, we do. We have his driver’s license. I’ll get the headshot blown up.”

“What about profile pictures? He must have something up on Facebook even if he doesn’t use it much.”

“The profile picture he uses for everything isn’t actually of his face. It’s there on the desk. I printed it.”

Harper found the printout and pinned it to the board. It was a picture of crossed feet on a poolside lounger, a bottle of beer gently condensing on a side table.

“Did you mine the data on this photo?”

Clive said, “Yes, it was taken five years ago in the south of France, but I don’t think those are our victim’s feet: I also did an image search. It pops up everywhere, almost like a stock photo. Been used for various things—holiday websites, blogs.”

“What does he do for a living? Something to do with finance?”

“Property development and investments. He works alone on a laptop. Doesn’t even have an office.”

“If he’s buying property, he must know people. He’s a landlord, so what about tenants?”

“He uses an agency. Never met any of his tenants, as far as I can tell.”

“He has to have a solicitor. And an accountant, probably. Find out who it is, would you? And we’ve got his bank details, so can someone get the data from the bank, please? At the scene we have Forensics working on DNA and fingerprint evidence, with a report expected today on the print profiles and later this week for DNA. We are currently looking with priority urgency for a female who was seen leaving the area with a child on the day the neighbor reported a leak through the ceiling that turned out to be from the bathroom above. That was Friday.”

One of the officers put a hand up.

“Yes?”

“Do we know when the victim was last seen alive?”

“He’s not dead, Louise. Keep up.”