‘But it’s not.’ Naomi’s voice faded to a whisper as she picked up an old photograph. ‘It’ll always be theirs. Coming here was a mistake. I can see that now.’ A lump rose to her throat as the admission left her lips. The longer she had spent investigating the case, the more drawn she was to the past. But she was an intruder. A voyeur of something so awful she could feel it in the walls. From the indentations of nails in the window frames to the numerous locks on the doors – Ivy Cottage carried its own battle scars. Now, more than ever, this missing family needed to be brought home.

‘Found anything out?’ Morgan said, seemingly in no hurry to leave. Her voice was devoid of all the sharp edges that had once accompanied it.

‘I have, as it happens . . .’ Naomi switched on the old-fashioned video player and portable TV that had been left behind in the room. ‘Watch this.’ As the shaky home video played, Lloyd came into view standing in the doorway of their home, younger-looking but stern-faced. She pressed the pause button as his gaze rested on Susan and her daughter Grace. ‘Look at the way he’s watching them. It’s weird.’

‘What’s wrong with her teeth?’ Morgan bent towards the screen. The little girl’s front teeth were missing.

‘Could be a side-effect of her illness, or maybe her medication,’ Naomi replied. Her heart went out to the little girl whose life had been a tragedy from beginning to end. It was all the more reason why she could not let this lie.

‘Watch . . .’ Naomi unpaused the tape. As the camera panned around the room, she quickly paused it again. She knew the exact moment. She had watched this clip a hundred times. ‘See?’ she said, pointing to a woman in the corner. ‘It’s Joanne.’ The woman was slimmer and her hair was long, but she had the same pointed nose, the same dimple on her chin. Rather than watching Grace blow out her candles, her eyes were fixed firmly on her husband. ‘She’s watching Lloyd. With everything going on, why is she watching her husband and not Grace? It’s a big moment for Grace. Her first and, by the look of her, possibly last birthday party. Look at her face. She’s beaming. Who would want to miss that?’ With her pallid skin and bony frame, she appeared years younger than her age. Even her excited laughter sounded like that of a younger child. Naomi pressed play for a second before pausing it again. The expression on Joanne’s face changed as her husband met her gaze. But not before Naomi had the chance to freeze it. A split second in time that told her more than enough. ‘She was upset with Lloyd. Disgusted, in fact. Does this look like she’s disgusted to you?’