‘I think he’s very familiar with this city. He’s stalked his victims, so he’ll have staked out the places he planned to abduct them from. He’ll be taking a route he’s already checked out. Side roads, residential areas, even if it takes four or five times as long. We shouldn’t mistake desperation for stupidity.’

‘So what can I do? If he’s a step ahead of us every time, how do we catch him?’

‘Look for him in the places he’ll have to go when he’s not committing crimes. We have a photofit from Meggy’s kidnapping. Can you get it out to supermarkets – have it put up in staffrooms? Job centres and pharmacies as maybe he’s living on benefits – I doubt he’s working at the moment and the description of him sure makes him sound unwell.’

‘Good work,’ Baarda said. ‘I’m heading out to speak with Elspeth Dunwoody’s husband. He confirmed that in spite of their home address, he plays rugby out at the Liberton Club. Elspeth and the kids regularly went to watch him play at weekends.’

‘Relevance?’ Connie asked.

‘It’s a short walk from Inch Park. Just over Gilmerton Road, in fact. I may owe you an apology. Can you get a ride back to the station?’

‘I sure can, and fuck the apology,’ Connie said. ‘Go speak with Elspeth’s husband.’

Chapter Twenty-Four

Fergus had changed vehicles in a small private car park where he paid a monthly fee. There was no one on the gate in the city suburbs. He knew the combination to the lock and let himself in and out as needed. Cash payments up front. No formal paperwork. Having two cars gave him some flexibilty. Shopping centre car parks were his other great love. They offered access to large areas where he could get from one major road to another, breaking the CCTV chain. Internet road maps were amazing these days. You could complete whole journeys without leaving home, refining your route, finding shortcuts, avoiding major junctions. Traffic lights were the bane of his existence. Far too many cameras these days.

He’d heard the sirens this time. Local radio stations were reporting long delays on certain roads. The roadblocks had gone up faster than he’d liked, but he hadn’t had to be so careful this time. Xavier was, after all, the last piece of the puzzle.

Fergus checked the hallway through the peepholes, upper then lower. Neither woman nor girl was anywhere to be seen. He banged the door hard and waited for them to appear as he’d taught Elspeth, far enough away that they couldn’t be planning anything nasty. They appeared slowly, heads hanging low, went to the far end of the flat, facing the wall, and put their hands on their heads. He unlocked and kicked open the door.