She nodded. ‘That really scares me, DI Jackman. Why did he want a picture of my Jason?’ Her eyes were wide, frightened.

I wish I knew. ‘We can’t say, not yet. But I promise we’ll keep you up to date on every new development, Mrs Harper. Now, I’m afraid we’ll need to bring some specialist officers in here to see if we can find any trace evidence. I hate to cause a mess in your lovely home, but it’s absolutely essential. I’ll make sure they aren’t too disruptive.’

‘Do what you have to. Just catch him.’

‘Thank you. Is there anyone you can ring to come and be with you while I arrange a support officer?’

‘Yes, I’ll phone Helen. She’ll come over.’ She pulled a face. ‘That’s Bob’s wife. Sounds weird, doesn’t it? But in the past year we’ve become friends. Initially it was for Jason’s sake, so he still had some continuity, then we really did become friends.’

‘Why not ring her now?’ said Marie. ‘And while you’re doing that, perhaps we could have a look around?’

‘Of course. Please, go ahead. I’ll just get my phone.’ She stood up.

Jackman and Marie did a walk-through of the whole house.

‘Intense, isn’t she?’ murmured Marie. They were standing in the main bedroom.

‘Very. I find her quite overwhelming,’ Jackman said. ‘I can still smell that fragrance, can’t you?’

‘I can, though I’m not very well up on men’s colognes.’

‘I don’t think it’s a cologne.’ Jackman vaguely recognised it. ‘More like deodorant. I kept something similar in my gym bag when I used to play badminton. I had a shower gel and deodorant in the same fragrance. I’ll check it out.’

They continued their inspection.

‘I bet he got in through the boy’s bedroom window. It’s at the back, and not particularly overlooked,’ said Marie.

‘Agreed. We’ll get Forensics to concentrate on that area, then the back door and the main bedroom. Now, let’s go see where that photo used to hang.’

‘I saw the gap when I made the tea,’ said Marie. ‘It was a good size, and according to Mrs Harper, in a black resin frame to match the other pictures.’

‘Let’s ask her about it, then I’ll get an FLO in to chat to her — and I’m also thinking of Laura. I’d like her to assess her mental state, just in case this situation pushes her over the edge.’

‘I’m with you there, boss. I get the feeling she could do with a lot of support right now.’

Downstairs they found Fleur in the kitchen, staring at the space where the photograph had hung.

‘Would you describe the picture for us, Mrs Harper?’ Jackman asked.

‘I can do better than that.’ She picked up her handbag, removed her purse and took out a small passport-sized photo. ‘It’s my favourite. I’ve got several of them.’

Jackman took it from her and saw a studio portrait of a smiling youngster wearing a smart white shirt and a striped tie. He saw at once why she loved it so much. The boy looked happy. ‘Mind if I take a picture of it?’ he asked.