‘The DNA test is from Dorcus’s baby?’ Zigic asked. ‘That’s your theory?’
‘Ainsworth suspected Patrick Sutherland of grooming Dorcus and getting her pregnant,’ she said. ‘Now she’s given birth – literally, a couple of months ago – and Ainsworth goes over to Uganda bearing medication and, I’m guessing, some swabs to take a sample from the baby.’
‘And what about Dorcus? Do you think she knew what he was doing?’
‘I’m going to ask her that,’ Ferreira said shortly. ‘But don’t you think the timing of the break-in at Sutherland’s place is interesting when you put it in context?’ She went over to the board and slammed her knuckles against it. ‘Wednesday, Ainsworth comes home from Kampala. Thursday, he breaks into Sutherland’s house, apparently stealing nothing and not going any further than the bathroom.’ She looked expectantly at him.
‘Where you’d probably find something with DNA on, okay.’
‘Friday, the samples go in the post and Saturday, he’s dead.’
Zigic folded his arms. It all flowed on very neatly but that didn’t mean her theory was right.
‘This would sort of make sense if Sutherland knew Ainsworth broke into his house.’
‘We only have his word for it that he didn’t know it was Ainsworth,’ she said irritably. ‘And does he strike you as a particularly honest person?’
‘We’ll put it to him.’
‘Okay, great,’ she said. ‘Let’s go.’
‘I want to speak to Nadia first,’ he told her. ‘Her solicitor is due in about half an hour. There’s no point questioning Sutherland until we find out what she’s prepared to give us.’
‘Ziggy,’ Adams called across the room and he was grateful for the momentary respite.
There was CCTV footage paused on Adams’s computer screen and he had the dry-eyed, rumpled look of someone who’d spent the better part of the morning skimming through low-quality images in search of someone who wasn’t there.
‘What’s this?’ Zigic asked. ‘You’re not still on Walton?’
‘I am, but no, this is that idiot who did a runner the other week. Got a tip-off that he’s come back into the country through Dover but nobody thought to pick him up. By the time they decided his stupid face matched the picture on their wanted list, he was gone.’ Adams stretched his neck, eliciting a small but sickening crunch that made him wince. ‘Yeah, that’s the one.’
‘What’s the problem?’ Zigic asked, already wanting out of the office, his mind halfway to the interview room.
‘Just keeping you in the loop,’ Adams said, perching on the corner of his desk. ‘Social services just visited the Waltons and were refused admission. Threats were made. Evidently, the gentleman carrying out the visit believed the threats were valid as they’re now adding little Robbie Walton to a register.’
He looked very pleased with himself about it.
‘And you did that?’ Zigic asked.
‘Well, it was Mel’s idea to have someone keep an eye on the kid.’ He crossed his arms. ‘Given how Walton’s losing his shit right now, I think a bit of backup from social’s a good thing, don’t you?’
Zigic thought it was antagonistic and part of him suspected that was the whole point of Adams’s sending someone over there, but he wanted to believe Adams was better than that.
Zigic walked out of the office, pushing away all thoughts of Walton and that ongoing fiasco.
He needed to focus on Nadia Baidoo.
CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
Ferreira rolled a cigarette and took it downstairs out onto the station steps, switching her phone back on.
There was a missed call from Dani. The sight of it sent an ache through her chest and gut, knowing it would most likely be Walton calling on Dani’s phone, wanting another chance to taunt or threaten her.
She lit up and took a deep drag before she called Dani back.
She answered immediately.
‘Why are you doing this to me?’ she asked in a furious whisper.
For a moment Ferreira was stunned into silence, wondering what Dani could possibly mean.
‘Doing what?’
‘You know what. Social services have just been round here. We’ve never had any trouble with them before. We’re good parents.’
Ferreira was surprised an underfunded and overworked social services team had gone around to the Waltons’ this quickly. Even with Billy calling in a favour. Or maybe she was doing them a disservice. The facts of the case were worrying enough to catch the attention of even the most harassed social worker.
‘Dani, you’re in danger. Your son is in danger. That’s why social services are visiting you.’
‘You did this to me.’
‘They’re not worried about what you’ll do to Robbie,’ Ferreira pointed out. ‘It’s what Lee’s going to do. And as long as you’re with him, you’ll both be vulnerable.’
There was a long pause and Ferreira hoped Dani was considering what she’d said, but she could hear how light and fast her breathing had become, could feel her waiting and listening. Could almost taste the fear coming down the line.
‘I can get you somewhere safe right now,’ she said. ‘Just say yes and I’ll come and fetch you myself. You don’t have to live like this.’
‘Lee’s furious,’ she said finally. ‘This is harassment. He’s a good dad. He’d never hurt Robbie.’
‘He’s hurting Robbie every time he sees his mum getting beat up by his father.’
In the background a door slammed and she heard Walton bellowing, calling for his mum. She thought of the four of them thrown together in the mother’s house, hoped the woman was a calming influence but guessed she wasn’t. She’d raised him. She was probably just as terrified of Lee as Dani was.
‘If he finds out you set them on us …’
‘What, Dani?’ Ferreira demanded. ‘What’s he going to do?’
‘You need to watch yourself.’ It should have been a threat but it sounded more like a genuine warning and she wondered why Dani could give that advice but not take it. ‘And you better not call me any more.’
She rang off and Ferreira swore into the air.
It was inevitable, she told herself, as she relit her dead cigarette. Sending social services around was always going to antagonise Walton. She knew
