Gina stepped out of Jacob’s air-conditioned car into the sweltering heat with the warrant in her hand. A couple of police cars pulled up behind her. The ambulance came up the windy country road, ready for any casualties.

The house stood on a slight hill, with brown patchy fields stretching way into the horizon. The heat had made the usually lush landscape look almost post-apocalyptic. The sun was just coming over the house and Gina felt sweat begin to absorb into the waistband of her grey trousers. The house itself was quite large, five windows spanning the upstairs, three windows and a bay on the downstairs level. She tried to get a look inside. Whether it was the glare or the dirt, she had no chance of seeing much.

‘Follow me.’ She beckoned to Jacob. Two further officers followed behind, another two waited with their car. Wyre and O’Connor had gone and led the search of the farm shop.

The weed-sprouted path led the way through the dead-looking garden to the main door in the centre of the house. A gargoyle with a metal ring in its mouth stared back at Gina. She almost wanted to smile at the irony. Weren’t gargoyles meant to warn evil off? In this case, if they were right, evil had been residing in the building. Vulnerable girls had been invited in with the promise of work, food, a warm bed. She lifted the heavy ring and tapped it several times. There was no sound. She lifted the letterbox and peered in.

‘Mr Hanley? We have a warrant to search the premises. Open up.’ A thudding noise came from inside. ‘There’s someone in there.’

Wyre walked up to the farm shop and stopped to read the notice that had been pinned to the door.

Wyre banged on the door. ‘Mr Hanley, open up. We have a warrant to search the premises.’ She placed her ear by the door and listened. A shuffling noise came from behind the wooden panels. She held her hands over her eyes and peered through the small window. ‘I heard something.’ She stepped aside and an officer stepped in with an enforcer.

‘Shall I?’

She glanced towards O’Connor. ‘Do it.’

After three smashes against the door, it finally rattled as it sprang open. Wyre flinched and held a hand to her chest. The rat scurried along the floor and escaped behind the French dresser stacked with chutneys, its tail disappearing into the darkness. ‘If nothing else, I think environmental health need to come and check this place out.’

O’Connor followed her closely. They both stopped and listened, adjusting their stab vests as they approached. She led them behind the counter and through to a small staff room. At the end of the room was a small bathroom with a toilet, a shower and a washbasin. Wellies lined the walls. The side door was covered in cobwebs and insects. Spiders hung from the frame, waiting patiently for passing flies. Between the bathroom and the staffroom was a set of stairs.

‘Mr Hanley. We have a warrant to search the premises,’ O’Connor called. There was no reply.

With every step Wyre took, another creak interrupted the silence. Her heart began to pound slightly as she reached the top. She bent down and peered round the wall, nothing. She flinched as the office phone beeped with a message. With a gloved hand, she pressed the red button to listen to the message. She checked her watch against the displayed time. It had only been left ten minutes before.

The message ended. The caller had run out of time. ‘That must be Mr Hanley’s son,’ Wyre whispered. ‘Mr Hanley,’ she called out. No one answered. ‘There’s no one here.’

More officers followed and began searching the smaller rooms. She gazed out of the window as another officer entered the shed at the back of the car park. The officer exited the shed and headed towards the car. She opened the top drawer. It contained a photo of Simone and a small tea light candle in a holder that said thinking of you on the side. She pictured Mr Hanley getting the photo of Simone out and lighting a candle in her memory. She pulled her phone from her pocket and dialled Gina. ‘Hi, guv. There’s no one here but I just found a photo of Simone in one of the desk drawers. Thought I’d let you know. Mr Hanley’s son, Gareth, just left a message on the shop answerphone to say he was coming back to visit them, and Simone. He has no idea that she’s dead as yet.’ She paused. ‘If Hanley’s not here, he must be there.’