He didn t. Henry took a sip of coffee. The mug trembled in his hand. I know for certain there was a victim five years ago, but the parents didn t come forward.
She stared at him, head on one side. How do you know they
The father told me. He gazed off into the mist.
They don t want to be involved.
That makes Katie number thirteen, she s the one he s been building up to.
Fuck I sat on the bonnet of Henry s car. Cold leached through my trousers.
He smiled at Dr McDonald. You look frozen, Alice. Why don t you nip in and get yourself a mug of tea? Maybe see if they ve got a detailed map of the area while you re there?
She backed up a step. Looked from Henry, to me, and back again. Then nodded. OK. Her red Hi-tops squeaked through the damp grass as she disappeared into the SOC tent.
The only sound was the diesel generators powering the spotlights inside.
Thanks for coming, Henry.
You have to tell her.
I don t want
Ash, she needs to know. She s not playing with a full deck and you won t let her see all the cards.
No.
He put a hand on my shoulder. I spoke to Dickie they put you on compassionate leave. It doesn t matter any more.
It matters to me!
Why? For God s sake, Ash, you re
Because it s mine. OK? That s why. I pushed away from the car, hands curled into aching fists. It s been mine for four years. Rebecca s not public property, she s my daughter. I m not having bastards picking her life apart and telling me she s dead
Henry s voice was barely audible. I m sorry, Ash, but Rebecca
She s not dead. Not until I get that card
A glow spread through the mist, peach and gold and blood red. The sun must have made it up over the hills.
I stared down at my fists. And yes: I know what that sounds like. I ve never Deep breath. It s mine.
Dr McDonald emerged from the SOC tent, something tucked under her arm and a steaming mug in both hands. Ash, did you want coffee, because I ve got you a coffee and there s doughnuts but they look a bit stale so I didn t bother, unless you want me to go back? She handed me a mug. Got the map too.
Henry spread it out on the Volvo s bonnet. It was fairly high detail, big enough to take in the park and the surrounding streets. Someone had marked the burial sites a red X for each girl recovered. Right: if he cared about the bodies he d keep them close.
Off in the distance, the sound of a car engine and crunching gravel came through the mist. Getting louder.
She leaned on the bonnet. But he doesn t. Given the deposition sites, it looks as if he s simply throwing them away.
Exactly. So he s not going to want to carry them too far Henry produced a pencil. Have you done any geographical profiling? These days it s all computers and statistical analysis, but we used to do it with brainpower.
A battered Astra pulled up on the other side of the SEB Transit. Dickie clambered out of the driver s seat, a smile putting extra wrinkles in his cheeks. Henry! Henry Forrester, you old sod, they said you were here, but I didn t He stared at me. Ash.
I stared back. Dickie.
Dr McDonald smiled. Isn t it great: Henry s agreed to assist the investigation.
Dickie didn t even look at her. Yeah, that s great. Ash, you can t be here.
She s my daughter.
I know she s Look, you re on compassionate leave: I promise we ll keep you up to date, but you can t be here.
I took a step towards him. Her birthday s tomorrow, do you really think I m
Don t make me get someone to escort you home, Ash. He closed his eyes, rubbed at his forehead. Please.
Sun sliced through the clouds, sparkling back from the wet streets as I creaked the Renault onto Rowan Drive. Weber must ve pulled a few strings, because there was a police cordon cutting off the road a good hundred feet from the house, keeping the journalist scumbags at a reasonable distance. Giving Michelle some privacy.
I pulled into the kerb, behind a BBC outside broadcast van.
Should really drive down there and see how she s coping. Give her some support. Lie to her and pretend this isn t what happened to Rebecca
Maybe Henry was right: maybe it didn t matter any more. They d booted me off the investigation anyway, who cared if everyone found out?
The steering wheel was cold in my hands, the plastic coating creaking as I squeezed.
I cared.
Blink.
Why couldn t it have been Steven Wallace?
Blink.
I screwed my eyes closed and squeezed the steering wheel till my arms trembled.
My phone rang, the noise too loud in the quiet car. I pulled it out NUMBER WITHHELD.
Who is this?
Ash, you old bastardo Andy Inglis, Mrs Kerrigan s boss. He cleared his throat, then dropped his voice to something less cheery. I heard about your daughter, I m really sorry.
The driver s window was cool against my forehead. So am I.
Look, I was gonnae give you a call, give you the usual
If there s anything I can do, bollocks, then I thought: why not lend a hand instead? Put out some feelers for you. I could almost hear him grinning. So I did. And guess what: man I know says another girl went missing a couple of months ago: got a card and everything. Her parents said fuck all about it, cos her boyfriend s connected, you know?
A couple of months ago: the twelfth victim. The one before Megan Taylor.
Nothing that would help me find Katie before tomorrow. I appreciate the effort, but it s
The boyfriend said he saw the bastard.
I sat up straight. He what?
Said he was there when she was lifted. Wasn t meant to be, but he was. Saw everything.
And he didn t tell anyone? How could he not
His dad s allergic to police officers. Now: you got a pen for the address?
I pulled out my notebook. What s it going to cost?
Fuck all. Public-spirited citizen, that s me. Make sure the bastard gets what s comin to him.
Chapter 42
and that was that was Coldplay and
Fix You. A cough rattled out of the car radio. Sorry folks, had a bit of a rough one last night. A shuddering sigh. Right, OK: you re listening to Sensational Steve s Sunday Morning Lie-In Lovefest and and now here s another of Megan Taylor s favourite songs
The fields and little towns raced by as I hammered down the M74 accelerator flat to the Renault s filthy carpet, phone to my ear, swearing as the other end rang and rang and rang. Then put me through to voicemail again.
