‘That’s the other thing, Amber. There’s something familiar about it. It reminds me of when Tim disappeared. It’s brought back a lot of memories. Some good, some less so.’

‘That’s bound to happen, Nick. Tim was your older brother – you idolised him, and both he and his disappearance were a huge part of your early life; it shaped you.’

‘Yeah, that’s true. It hit us all so hard. I don’t have clear memories of what Mum and Dad went through – my understanding was limited – but I know it ripped us apart. I felt so much hurt, anger, resentment – I do remember not knowing how to deal with it. I was a particularly angry teenager because of it all.’

I listen as Nick continues to go over the details of his brother’s disappearance – how it affected him and his family. I know the story, of course, but allow him to talk through it again anyway. The narrative seems slightly different now – certain things he says catch me off-guard. Have a few new bits of information been dropped in – things I don’t remember him or Barb talking about? Before I can probe, Nick carries on speaking.

‘I didn’t really expect the past to be opened up again, not in this way.’

The microwave dings and I make the hot chocolates, sprinkling a layer of chocolate powder on the froth before handing one to Nick.

‘Initially, though, you did join the force because of it. Didn’t you always secretly hope you’d stumble across evidence that might finally lead you to determine what happened to Tim?’

He nodded thoughtfully. ‘Yeah, it was certainly a contributing factor. Over the years, though, once I realised it was unlikely I’d be able to miraculously solve the case, I suppose I buried it. Buried Tim’s memory. Just like Mum had to. This has reopened the wound; it’s making me want to scratch that old itch again.’

‘What makes you think this is a similar case? Is it the timing, or have you remembered something important?’

‘I don’t think it’s because of something I recalled. It’s just that this case has sparked a memory of that time. I was only seven, remember. My main memories are Mum crying a lot, Dad not being around much, but when he was there, he’d be shouting. Then, I have a recollection of Mum telling me about his heart attack. The funeral. I remember a sea of faces and the black, shiny coffin. Nothing else much.’

‘Do you think this cold case is linked to Tim’s disappearance, then?’ I probe. I thought he was only mentioning it because it reminded him of that time, not because he was considering actual links.

‘I don’t know. Probably not. It’s the timing, like you say.’

‘Probably not? What do you mean?’

‘Well, this young woman, she went missing the same year Tim did.’