Kelly walked backwards into the briefing room, pushing the door open with her bottom and trying not to drop the tray, which was bent and wobbled ominously with every step she took. ‘We’re low on teabags, Lucinda, so I’ve done one of your herbal things, is that all right?’ There was no reaction from the analyst; in fact, no one looked up at all. ‘Something’s happened, hasn’t it?’ Kelly said.
‘Cyber Crime have just received notification of a new profile,’ Nick said. He shifted his chair to make space for her, and Andrew Robinson gestured towards the laptop in front of him.
‘After Nick’s membership was rescinded we set up a new account, as per his instructions,’ Andrew said. ‘Fifteen minutes ago I received this.’
The email was brief; a line of text at the top, beside a thumbnail photograph of a blonde woman.
Brand-new download: FREE today only.
‘Have any of the others been free?’ Kelly asked.
‘Only to Platinum members. None of the profiles have ever been priced at less than ￡200, and this is the first time we’ve been notified of a new listing. As far as we knew, the only notification came from the adverts in the Gazette.’
Kelly read the profile.
White.
18 years old. Long blonde hair, blue eyes.
Blue jeans, grey ankle boots, black V-neck T-shirt with oversized belted grey cardigan. White knee-length puffa coat, also belted. Black handbag with gilt chain.
Size 8–10.
1530: Enters Crystal Palace Tube station. Takes Overground train to Canada Water, choosing the first carriage and sitting by the doors. Changes to the Jubilee line, walking down the platform to stand next to the Tube map, where the doors to carriage #6 will open. Sits and reads a magazine. Changes at Waterloo, turning right and going down the steps to Platform 1; northbound Northern line. Walks down the platform to stand in the middle, near a worn section of the yellow line. The central carriage opens directly opposite this. Stands by the doors until Leicester Square. Takes the escalators, then leaves via exit three on to Charing Cross Road.
Availability: TODAY ONLY.
Duration: 45 minutes
Difficulty level: extremely challenging
‘It’s gone out to all members,’ Andrew said, moving his cursor to the address box, where the ‘to’ box said exactly that. There was a pause, as everyone considered the significance of findtheone’s entire membership list – however large that might be – clicking on this woman’s profile and downloading her commute. How many men would already be sitting in front of their computers, or looking at their phones, reading exactly what Kelly had just read? And on reading it, knowing she would be making her way through London, unaware she was being watched, how many would take that a step further?
‘Can you make that photo any bigger?’ Kelly asked. Andrew obliged, filling the screen with an enlarged version of the thumbnail they had just seen. The photo was a selfie, the teenager pouting at the camera; masses of streaked blonde hair half over her eyes. The soft-focus filter suggested it had been taken from Instagram, or been doctored for some other social media site.
The photo was new to Kelly, but the girl wasn’t. A different photo, given to Kelly as the example from which a smaller image had been cropped. Kelly had read every inch of the Operation FURNISS file. She knew she’d seen this girl before. The same blonde hair, the same pouty expression.
She turned to look at Nick. ‘I recognise her. This is Zoe Walker’s daughter.’
35
‘What sort of game?’ I say. Melissa smiles. She is still sitting at her desk, spinning the chair so she can face us. She looks at the computer screen.
‘More than a hundred hits already.’ She looks at Katie. ‘You’re a popular girl.’
My stomach lurches. ‘You’re not putting her on that website.’
‘She’s already on there.’ Melissa clicks again, and I see Katie’s photo on the screen, pouting at us with a careless confidence in stark contrast to our current situation. Katie cries out and I put my arm around her, pulling her towards me so fiercely her chair scrapes across the floor.
‘So here’s how it will work.’ Melissa is using her business voice; the one she adopts when she’s on the phone to suppliers, or cajoling the bank manager into yet another loan. I’ve never heard her use it with me before, and it makes my blood run cold. ‘I’ve made Katie’s profile free to download for a limited period, and I’ve sent the link to all members.’
There’s another ping from the computer; a notification box appears, then another and another.
Downloaded.
Downloaded.
Downloaded.
‘As you can tell, they’re quick off the mark. Hardly surprising, when you think they’re usually paying up to five hundred quid for someone far less …’ she takes time choosing the right word, finally settling on one that makes me sick to my stomach, ‘enticing.’
‘She’s not going anywhere.’
‘Oh, come on, now. Where’s your sense of adventure? Not all my clients have nefarious aims, you know. Some of them are really rather romantic.’
‘She’s not going.’
‘Then I’m afraid it’s going to end very badly for both of you.’