‘And never heard of again – until yesterday. We need to find out everything we can about him. And look into that “care of” address the car was registered to in north London.’ He should have checked when Strover first mentioned it, been less scratchy.

‘I’ll run his name through every database I’m allowed to,’ Strover says.

And some that she’s not. Silas has learnt not to ask. He likes it when Strover’s got the bit between her teeth.

He peers more closely at the image, comparing it with the one of Rob. ‘Can you find a photo of Rob when he was younger?’ he asks.

He watches, impressed by his colleague’s digital dexterity as she finds a picture of Rob from an old cover of Wired, taken in his early days when he was a buccaneering young techpreneur. Silas wishes he could reverse his own ageing so easily. There must be an app out there. It’s the sagging jowls that upset him the most.

Strover positions the image side by side with the Thai mugshot of Gilmour Martin. The likeness now is even more striking.

‘Have you told Kate yet?’ he asks. ‘About the matches we’ve found? We should let her know about Gilmour Martin.’

‘I can’t get through to her,’ Strover says. ‘Left a message on her mobile.’

He’s not sure how Kate will react to the news that Rob’s not only got an identikit double but one who’s been driving around the lanes of Cornwall in a matching Tesla.

68

Kate

Kate stumbles back down the stairs from the roof terrace in the darkness, the buzzing of the drone fading with each step. The machine was like a demented insect, menacing. She knows where she needs to go. Before her bath, she prepared a few scented candles in the bedroom, ready for Rob’s return. All part of her plan to combat Capgras.

She feels her way through the door and finds them on the bedside table. A moment later, she’s holding a match and trying to strike it. The match snaps. She tries another and then another, her hands trembling. Finally, she manages to strike one and the room lights up with the faint glow of the candle. It’s not how she imagined it would be tonight. She thought they’d be in bed together, drinking wine, making love. Like a normal couple. But it’s turning into a nightmare.