Gone in the Night. Mary-Jane Riley

is he?’ Cora sounded impatient.

      ‘No, not now maybe, though it’s always worth checking. He could be like one of those stupid people who post pictures of money and goods they’ve stolen. Now let’s see …’ She turned the phone round to Cora. ‘Look, there are a couple of Nigel Bennets in images. But I can’t tell if any of them are him. Especially without the—’ she gestured at her face.

      Cora smiled. ‘You mean the piercings, the long lobes and the sharp teeth?’ She squinted at the screen. ‘Nor me. Too fuzzy. You’re not going to find him there. I wouldn’t bother, if I were you.’

      Alex put her phone away. ‘You’re probably right.’

      ‘What do we do now?’

      ‘Now,’ said Alex, smearing some Colman’s mustard over her sausage roll before popping a piece into her mouth and deciding not to pursue the Nigel angle for the moment, ‘we report Rick missing – yes we will,’ she emphasized as she saw Cora about to interrupt. ‘He’s a vulnerable person and if he’s on the police radar then they’ll look out for him.’