‘So what’s the word from on high?’ Nicky said. ‘The brass must have seen the news. They surely can’t believe this is just about a missing kid any more, whether Callum Richardson is caught up in things or not. Is there any chance they’ll lend us some extra bodies?’

At the moment, not counting Randy and his team, it was still exclusively Fleet and Nicky’s show. They had scope to rope in a few uniforms here and there, but nothing like the numbers they really needed.

‘I’ll raise it with Burton when I see him,’ said Fleet. ‘Irrespective of how he reacts, though, we’re still going to be up against it. Which is why we need to keep this focused. How are we getting on with rounding up Ben’s friends?’

Nicky made a face. ‘Mixed,’ she said. ‘I managed to get hold of Lance Wheeler. No full-time employment, so I had a bit of trouble tracking him down, but it turns out he’s local. From what I’ve gathered he graduated from Beaconsfield and basically took the first job he found, as a painter and decorator. He was here on a scholarship, meaning he had the brains for university – for Oxbridge, probably – but for some reason never applied.’

‘Money, perhaps? If he was here on a scholarship, he might not have been able to afford it. And maybe, after Beaconsfield, he’d had his fill of education.’

‘Maybe. Probably. Anyway, he’s due into the station first thing tomorrow morning.’

‘You don’t think he’ll turn up?’ said Fleet, reading Nicky’s tone.

‘He said all the right things, insisted he was eager to help, but I had a sense he was playing for time. Let’s just say I’ll believe him when I see him.’

With the exception of Holly, perhaps, Nicky was a better judge of people than anyone Fleet had ever known. If she had her doubts that Lance would show, Fleet knew better than to get his hopes up.

‘What about Melissa?’ he asked.

Nicky’s frown set deeper. ‘The honest answer? I’m having trouble believing Melissa Haynes even exists any more. The trail after Beaconsfield just seems to vanish. Again, she graduated, though not with the grades she was predicted to get. From what I can make out based on her academic records, she started struggling the term after Ben vanished. Which tells us something, perhaps, though I’m not sure what. And so far I can’t find her to allow us to ask.’

Fleet mirrored Nicky’s expression. ‘Keep on it. We’ve still got a couple of days before our audience with Callum Richardson. And given how little time we’re likely to have with him, we need to go in there knowing at least as much as he does.’

Ben – February 1997

(Three months before his death)