He turned his direction left, where the bulk of the wall was taken up by a large wardrobe, but around its edges were photos of young men. They were largely in their twenties, varied in look and background, save for one section that was full of young men in wheelchairs. Xavier featured in several images, including a cutting from a newspaper. It made sense. Fergus had wanted a young man – for reasons best known to him – but not one who posed any physical challenge to him.

Her mobile rang. ‘I need to take this call. Stay there,’ she told the firefighter.

‘Connie, what happened to Xavier?’ Baarda asked.

‘He was found trapped on an upper floor. Firefighters rescued him, but he’s in a bad state. He wasn’t talking when they got him out. The walls of one of the bedrooms in the house are literally lined with different images of people sorted into categories. It’s like a shrine.’

‘To what?’ Baarda asked.

‘To stereotypes. Mothers, daughters, and, I think, to …’ She looked back at the screen. The photos of young men were diverse, but they shared a common theme. Men playing football together. Men at a bar together, or collaborating over a project, building a shed together. Smiling, laughing, hugging, backslapping. ‘Friendship? Or perhaps to an idea of himself that never became a reality. A better, healthy, socially integrated version of Fergus, maybe.’

‘Was anyone else at the property?’

‘It’s empty now. Xavier had hidden himself. Neither Elspeth nor Meggy are here. I’m trying to find a clue as to where he might have taken them.’

‘Okay, I’m on my way. I’ll find out what vehicles are registered there and see if we can’t trace any recent movement on CCTV.’

‘Any luck finding Farzana?’ Connie asked.

‘Still none. The vehicle description vaguely matches the one seen at the school when Meggy was taken, but I know you don’t believe—’

‘I could have been wrong,’ Connie said. ‘Until I’ve had a chance to view absolutely all the images, we can’t discount any potential victim.’

‘All right. Do you have a name?’

‘Fergus Ariss, but he’s used other names in the past. He’s lived in this house for years. If he’s set fire to it now, he has no intention of coming back, and our chances of finding Elspeth and Meggy alive are diminishing by the minute.’

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Meggy kissed Elspeth on the cheek through the gag, wishing there was something more she could do to stop her pretend mother from groaning in agony. The car journey wasn’t helping. Every time they braked or took a corner, Elspeth would roll and then scream. Fergus had carried them out of the house one by one and dumped them in the boot of his car. At least they were still together. She had no idea what had happened to Xavier. If he was safe, then good.