a change of heart,” Mallory pointed out. “Or something happened to persuade her to let Katie go.”

“Well, I just thank God for answering my prayers.” She glanced upwards.

“Does her father know?” asked Rob.

Lisa nodded. “Brian’s coming over this afternoon to see her. We’re both so overjoyed she’s safe.”

“That’s good.”

Rob took the picture and studied it. A woman with wild dark hair and a dog who grew fruit and vegetables in her garden.

The strange thing was, they knew someone like that. And she was already in police custody.

31

Rob watched the interrogation with Tessa Parvin on a monitor in the viewing room.

DI Mallory and DS Jenny Bird sat opposite the accused. She’d been charged with the attempted murder of Anthony Payne. The Crown Prosecutor had had no problem approving that. She’d been caught red-handed by the police with at least five eyewitnesses.

Thankfully, Payne was recovering in hospital despite losing a lot of blood, or she’d be standing trial for murder.

Her solicitor, a petite brunette who’d mastered the art of power dressing, sat beside her. Since she’d already been charged, they’d informed her she was being questioned on another matter.

DS Bird began by identifying them all for the recording, then she asked them to say their names. Tessa’s voice was barely a whisper.

Mallory began with the basics. How did she know the Wells family? Confusion flashed across her face, and her solicitor frowned.

“Please answer the question,” Mallory pressed, when she didn’t immediately respond.

“Um, well, I met Lisa Wells when I moved to the area three years ago. We’re not good friends, but we see each other around, at garden centres and the summer fete, that sort of thing.”

Rob felt the tension rise and forced himself to relax. Mallory had this.

“You like gardening, don’t you?” Mallory asked, keeping his voice casual.

Rob nodded at the screen. He’d spotted the opening too.

“Yes, but what’s that got to do with anything?”

“You used to be a botanist, is that right?”

“I did, but that was before… before Arina disappeared.”

“What’s your favourite flower?” he asked her.

“Excuse me, detective, but what is the relevance here?” Her solicitor leaned forward, putting her hands on the table, breaking the flow.

This wasn’t a law court. Mallory was entitled to ask any question he thought fit. “If she could just answer the question,” he replied.

Rob held his breath. The solicitor could prove difficult. But Tessa just shook her head. “I don’t know. Daffodils, maybe.”

“Are you sure it isn’t a rose?” He fixed his gaze on her.

She shuffled lower in her chair as if hoping it would absorb her.

“I’m sure.” It was a mumble.

Mallory paused, then after a few reproachful seconds had passed, said, “Mrs Parvin, do you own an allotment in the area?”

Her eyes flickered towards his. “No, I have a garden at home.”

If you could call that tangled mess a garden, Rob thought.

“Yes, I’ve seen your garden,” Mallory said, offering a small smile. He was trying to throw her off guard. “But my question was, do you own an allotment?”

“My client has already stated she does not own an allotment,” the solicitor confirmed.

Mallory kept his gaze on Tessa, who scowled at the table in front of her.

“I think you do.” Mallory said. “When we searched your premises, we found several large bags of fertiliser in your attic. As far as I can recall, you weren’t growing any fruit or vegetables in your garden, were you?”

Not intentionally, she wasn’t. Rob recalled the overgrown lavender bushes, nettles and other unidentifiable plants. None of it was fertilised.

“That was in storage,” she said, without looking up.

Mallory changed tack, but he was rattling her, Rob could tell.

“Where were you the morning Katie Wells disappeared?”

“You know where I was,” she retorted. “I was helping Lisa search for her daughter.”

“That was around ten o’clock,” Mallory pointed out. “Where were you between eight thirty and nine thirty?”

“I was at home,” she said.

“Was anyone with you?” Mallory asked. “Can anyone confirm you were there?”

She shook her head.

“Mrs Parvin, do you own a dog?” He changed tack again.

She glanced up. “Yes, I do.”

“What’s its name?”

The solicitor shook her head. “Really, detective.”

Mallory held up a hand. “Your dog’s name, please Mrs Parvin.”

Tessa gnawed on her lower lip. “Asher,” she bit out.

“How often do you walk Asher?”

The solicitor gave a dramatic sigh.

Mallory raised an eyebrow. “Every day, would you say?”

Tessa nodded.

“And were you out walking Asher on the morning Katie disappeared? Say at around eight thirty?”

Tessa frowned. “No, I usually walk him later in the day.”

“So this isn’t your voice?” he said. “For the record, I’m going to play a phone message captured at eight thirty-five on the morning of Katie Wells disappearance.”

The room fell silent.

The muffled woman's voice could be heard asking if Katie was alright. Katie replied that she was waiting for her friend. Then a dog barked, and the rustling began, before the recording cut off.

Mallory looked at Tessa. “Is that your voice, Mrs Parvin?”

She shook her head.

“For the record, Mrs Parvin is indicating no,” said DS Bird.

“Is that Asher barking in the background?” he asked.

Again, she shook her head, but she wouldn’t look at him.

“For the record, Mrs Parvin is indicating no,” repeated DS Bird.

Now for the crunch.

Mallory leaned forward. “You see, Mrs Parvin, we’ve done some clever voice analysis and discovered that is indeed your dog barking in the recording.”

She didn’t respond.

“Would you like to revise your statement? Were you walking your dog the morning Katie disappeared?”

“You don’t have to answer that,” her solicitor said.

“You don’t have to answer,” Mallory confirmed. “However, the evidence proves you met Katie on her way to school. If you had nothing to do with her disappearance, it would be in your best interests to come clean. It could harm your defence if you don’t.”

The solicitor pursed her lips, then leaned over and whispered something in Tessa’s ear.

Tessa nodded.

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes, I saw Katie that morning.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” asked Mallory.

“I knew how it would look. I left her there by herself and moments later she was abducted.”

“It looks bad,” Mallory acknowledged.

“After I

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