‘Anytime. But now I have to press on, unfortunately. I have a lecture to deliver — on Capgras delusion of all things.’

‘Ah, that’s an interesting one,’ said Sam. ‘I had a case once where a woman believed her father had been replaced by an imposter. It was one of my most unusual cases, Hughie. I wish I could sit in on your lecture, but I need to get back.’

‘You’ll be missing a rare treat, Sam Page. It’s a stonker. I’m using a study of a woman who believed that her son had been replaced by an alien. It’s unsettling, to say the least. In her case they used electroconvulsive therapy, and the condition stabilised, but it took years to get to that point. It was finally traced to an old brain injury — great stuff for the students.’

Hughie was one of the most popular tutors Sam knew. He appreciated learned people who were not possessive about their knowledge, and Hughie was generous with his expertise, happy to share it with anyone who wanted to learn.

They rose to leave.

‘Ring me!’ Hughie called out as he rushed off to his next appointment.

Sam promised he would, but he was eager to get home and read those papers.

* * *

Rory Wilkinson breezed into Jackman’s office carrying an official-looking folder and a large white box that Marie hoped had come from the local bakery.

‘Well, cherubs! You certainly are keeping my SOCOs on the hop, aren’t you? They’re running from one house to another after your portrait-pinching Spiderman.’ He placed the folder and box on Jackman’s desk and flopped on to a chair. ‘My goodness. I still can’t believe he got in through those tiny windows. Though there is a rare condition called voluntary anterior dislocation, where a person is able to dislocate one or both shoulders at will. Maybe that’s how he managed it.’ He looked around. ‘Any chance of a coffee?’

‘Only if you tell me what’s in that white box,’ said Marie hopefully.

‘Get me one of your, erm, “delicious” vending machine specials and I shall reveal all. Deal?’

Marie opened the door and called to Kevin Stoner. ‘Would you be an angel and get us three coffees, please?’ She held out a handful of pound coins. ‘And get some for yourselves as well.’

She ducked back into the office, where Rory was ceremoniously lifting the lid. ‘Chocolate or salted caramel eclairs? All the way from Café des Amis in Greenborough. Enjoy!’

Marie had every intention of doing so.

‘So, what have you got for us, Rory?’ asked Jackman. ‘Apart from a load of calories.’

‘Well, from the houses where he simply scared the daylights out of various ladies and nicked a picture, pretty well nothing. The only definite finding is the make of the shoe, which we obtained from the footprints he left on the windowsill and the duvet cover. He was wearing special, lightweight rock-climbing shoes, size eleven. Pricey, but perfect for the job.’ He produced a printout from the folder and passed it across to Jackman. ‘Notice, the soles are slightly textured and slip resistant. And here—’ he pointed to a second picture — ‘is the logo. One arm of this cross has been gouged almost off, probably on something sharp.’