Julia uncrossed her legs, smoothing down her skirt. He noticed the sizable diamond on her ring finger, flanked by a thick gold band.
“Do you work?” He asked her.
“Only part-time.” She smiled. “I volunteer for the local charity shop three days a week.”
“What did you do before that?”
“I was in real estate.” She wrinkled her nose like it was something nasty, something she wanted to forget. “I found this house for Ed. That’s how we met, actually.” A secretive smile.
“How long ago was that?”
“Hmm… About fifteen years ago, now.”
“Do you have any children?”
“I don’t, but Ed has two from his previous marriage. They’re at university now. Makes one feel old.” She grinned. “I was very fond of Becca and Peter. The house felt strange after they’d gone.”
Appearances were deceiving. Here, he thought they were the perfect suburban family. Husband, wife, two kids at the local school, when in fact, she was his second wife and the kids had already flown the nest.
“Ed’s first wife died,” she told him. “He moved here because of the schools. I remember when we first met, it was pouring with rain and we hid inside this house until it had eased up. That’s how we got talking.”
Rob nodded encouragingly, willing her to go on.
“He was really torn up over his wife’s death, so were the children. They were…” She paused, searching for the right word. “Lost.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I know,” she hastened. “It’s hard to believe a man like Edward could be in that position, but he was. Newly widowed with two kids to raise.” She shook her head. “So very tragic. We always said it was fate that brought us together.”
Fate, indeed.
Edward chose that moment to walk into the room. “Hello again, Detective. I’m about to have an espresso. Would you like one?”
He hesitated.
“It’s no bother, really. I have a little machine that does it all for me.”
How could he refuse? “Thanks.”
“You know,” Edward continued. “I was thinking about this whole ghastly business and I recall something a couple of years back, something similar happening. Do you remember, Jules? One of our neighbours was talking about it.”
Rob perked up. “Really?”
Julia ‘s brow furrowed. “Yes, now that you mention it, I do recall something like that. Hang on, let me have a think.”
“I’ll be back with the coffee.” Ed walked out, but he didn’t beckon to Rob to follow, so he sat where he was and waited for Julia to remember.
Come on.
“That’s it!” She snapped her fingers. “Gosh, if Ed hadn’t mentioned it, I’m not sure I would have ever thought about that again.”
“About what?” He struggled to keep the impatience out of his voice.
“It was Sylvia – at number twenty-seven – who mentioned it during dinner one night. I was astounded because she’d never said a word.”
“Who hadn’t?” Rob said tightly.
“Tessa Parvin.”
“Who?” The name was vaguely familiar. He racked his brains. Where had he heard it before? Mallory would know.
“Tessa, she lives around the corner. Her daughter was taken.”
Rob’s heart skipped a beat. “Taken? Like kidnapped?”
“Yes, just like Katie. It was a while ago now, but I’m quite sure that’s what it was.”
Ed returned with the coffee. It smelled great, but Rob hardly noticed. His mind was flying. A woman in the immediate area had also had a child go missing.
Coincidence? Maybe.
Maybe not.
He accepted the espresso from Ed. It was in a proper glass espresso cup with just the right amount of crema on the top. “Thanks.”
He fixed his eyes on Julia. “What happened to the child? Did they ever find her?”
She shook her head. “As far as I know, she’s still missing.”
14
This was arguably the best espresso Rob had ever had, but unfortunately, he wasn’t in a position to enjoy it.
Katie. Tessa. Sylvia. A second missing child. Never found.
It must have been before his time, since he didn’t recall anything like that. It was surprising the Chief Superintendent hadn’t mentioned it. He’d been around for decades. The thoughts flew through his head, mingling and merging in a confusion array of disjointed information.
“Can you tell me anything more?” he asked. “Like when her daughter was abducted?”
Ed sat in a vacant chair. “It didn’t happen around here, I don’t think.” He looked at his wife for confirmation.
Julia shook her head. “No, Tessa only moved into the area three or four years ago. I think that’s why she relocated.”
Rob exhaled. That’s why they hadn’t heard about it. It was outside their jurisdiction.
“Wasn’t it something to do with Tessa’s ex-husband?” Ed asked.
Julia sat up straight. “Yes, that’s right. Sylvia said Tessa’s ex had taken the girl back to Syria, or wherever he was from. It’s such a male dominated society over there. The wife has no rights.”
“How did she know the father took her?” Not that he was disputing what she said, but if the father had kidnapped her, it was unlikely to be connected to the Katie Wells case.
“I’m not sure. I think that’s the conclusion the police came to.” She looked at Rob like he ought to know. She had a point.
“We’ll look into it,” he said gruffly. “Could you give me Tessa’s address?”
“Of course.” Julia got up and fished in her handbag that was lying on the living room table. She scrolled through her phone contacts. “Here it is.”
Reaching for a small notepad and pen, she wrote down the address, then handed it to him.
It was literally around the corner. Not in the road they’d just canvassed, but less than five hundred meters away. “And Sylvia was number twenty-seven?”
She nodded.
Mallory’s side of the road.
Just then his phone buzzed, and he glanced at the screen. Mallory was outside waiting for him. He finished the last sip of his coffee and passed the cup to Ed. “Thanks, I needed that.”
He grinned. “Anytime. Good luck, Detective. We’re counting on you to bring Katie home.”
“Did you speak to a Sylvia Grey?” Rob asked his partner as soon as
