FORTY-ONE

8.20 P.M.

‘Okay, as we were,’ Kim said, turning to Stacey. ‘Anything on the sexual assault?’

‘It happened in April, according to Mumsnet.’

‘Is that the source of our information?’ Kim asked.

‘There’s virtually no press on it, and let me tell you, that community is not to be messed with.’

‘Isn’t it just a chat room for swapping parenting tips?’ Bryant asked. ‘I mean the name says?—’

‘Oh, Bryant,’ Stacey said, shaking her head. ‘I do worry about you in this modern world. You’re right that it is the country’s most popular meeting point for parents, but it’s much more than that. There are eight million unique users every month and upwards of twenty thousand posts every day. There are baby product reviews, advice on getting pregnant, discussions about babies and toddlers. Some just use it as a shoulder to cry on. They pool knowledge on activities, cheap meals, supermarket offers, behaviour problems. Pretty much anything.’

‘Go on,’ Kim said.

‘I’ve confirmed what Joanne told you. Mumsnet does post links to treasure hunts, and many of the members used Little Trekkers for activities. Within a couple of hours, this particular trail disappeared from the site though.’

‘Okay,’ Kim said as the gnawing feeling in her stomach gained appetite. Why would the trail have been taken down so soon?

‘And I also know who our victim is. Her name is Melissa Keene.’

‘Bloody hell, Stace, how’d you find that out?’ Bryant asked.

‘Like every other community, Mumsnet is pretty cliquey. I found the group of people talking about the incident the most, who were referring to the victim as MK. Scroll back long enough and there was a Melissa Keene interacting with this same group right up until the date of the rape. Nothing since.’

‘Bloody good work, Stace,’ Kim said.

‘Want me to speak to West Mercia in the morning?’

Kim glanced at Bryant, who wasn’t looking as convinced as he’d been earlier about this being a waste of time.

‘Yeah, give them a call. It’s a lead we can’t ignore. But for now let’s focus on the information we have,’ she said, looking towards the wall.

Even though Stacey had written the clue on the board, Kim couldn’t help reading it aloud in the hope it would make some kind of sense.

‘“This might be a folly. Ramble high b4 you see the blackened hill.”’

‘The whole thing would be a folly if it weren’t for the fact we’re receiving body parts,’ Bryant said.

‘Is that what he means, that this clue is a folly?’ Kim asked.

‘Part of it might be,’ Stacey said. ‘But he has to give us something, a chance to figure it out.’

‘Blackened hill in the Black Country where we’re practically built on coal. Jesus, it could be anywhere.’

‘Hang on,’ Stacey said, ‘let’s focus on the key words one at a time. Folly, joke.’

‘Lack of good sense, foolishness,’ Frost read from her screen.

‘Thanks for?—’

‘Or a costly ornamental building with no practical purpose, especially a tower or mock-Gothic ruin built in a large garden or park.’

‘What follies are there in the Black Country?’ Kim said, turning to Stacey.

‘Broadway Tower,’ she answered.

‘Alice’s Folly at the Black Country Metal Works,’ Bryant said.

‘Lots of follies at Hawkstone Park and other country homes open to the public,’ Stacey bounced back.

‘Ramble high,’ Kim said. ‘So strike any that are in the gardens of stately homes. Now what the hell is b4? Are we dealing with a teenager who doesn’t use complete words?’

‘He hasn’t done that in any other clue,’ Bryant observed.

‘Hang on,’ Kim said as a sudden thought struck her. ‘There are four stones at the top of Clent, but they’re not a f?—’

‘Oh yes they are,’ Stacey said, reading excitedly from the screen. ‘The mystical site was erected around 1763 by workers for the eccentric Lord Lyttleton of Hagley Hall.’ Stacey paused before continuing. ‘And on a clear day you can see Black Mountain in the?—’

Kim didn’t wait for Stacey to finish before she grabbed her coat and ran.