“That you?” Maplin asked.
Rob nodded, then addressed the group. “Please could everyone here give their names to my DI.” Mallory raised his hand. “If we need any additional assistance, we’ll let you know. In the meantime, if everyone could keep their eyes peeled for sightings of Katie in and around the neighbourhood while they go about their normal business, that would be great. Thank you.”
Maplin hesitated. He wasn’t used to being upstaged or taking orders.
Rob lowered his voice so only Maplin could hear. “You understand the importance of not contaminating a potential crime scene.”
He gave a grunt. Thankfully, he was a sensible man.
“Guys, we’re going to postpone the search and let the police do their thing. Can I ask that you all stay vigilant? If you see anything suspicious, let the police know.”
Rob gave a curt nod. “Thank you for your assistance.”
Mallory took down everyone’s name.
The yellow and black National Police Air Service helicopter circled above, preparing to do another flyby over the area.
He beckoned to a uniformed officer standing nearby. The man came over.
“Can you take a video of this gathering before it breaks up?” he asked. “I want a frontal shot of everyone here. Don’t make it obvious.”
The policeman nodded and pulled out his phone as he walked across the street. He positioned himself behind a police vehicle and began filming.
Rob turned back to Maplin who was talking to a leathery, grey-haired woman in oversized jeans and a loose T-shirt with a vintage-style Kew Gardens logo on the front. She had dirt under her fingernails and stains on her knees.
“Are you sure there’s nothing we can do?” she was saying.
Rob cleared his throat.
“This is Tessa Parvin,” Maplin said. “She’s a local resident and a member of the neighbourhood watch.”
“I can’t believe what’s happened,” she said to Rob. “And right here, in Barnes. It’s unthinkable. This is supposed to be a safe area.”
“We’re doing all we can to find her,” Rob stated.
Up close, Tessa Parvin was much younger than she looked. Probably mid-forties. It was the grey hair and ruddy complexion that made her appear older.
“Did you know Katie?” he asked.
“Yes. I mean, I’ve seen her around. Her mother, Lisa, was friendly to me when I first moved into the neighbourhood.”
“When was that?”
“Three years ago. I came here because it was so safe. I never imagined…” Her voice faded out.
It’s not the area, he wanted to say. It’s the actions of one delusional kidnapper. Abducting a child wasn’t done on a whim. It was planned. The perpetrator would have been waiting for the opportunity to get Katie alone. They’d probably been watching the house for some time, knew her routine. When she was late for school, unattended, they’d pounced.
His throat constricted. God only knew what they were doing to her now. He blinked and squeezed the thought from his mind. He had to stay focused. There was still time.
His phone buzzed and he glanced down. It was an urgent alert from the team searching Barnes nature reserve. He called the number given.
“DCI Miller. Any update?”
“This is PC Winters, sir. We’re in the nature reserve near Leg O’ Mutton reservoir. We’ve found a child’s rucksack partially submerged in the water.”
A shiver shot down his spine. He wanted it to be hers, but at the same time, he didn’t. Because he knew what it meant.
“Colour?”
“Pink, sir. It’s got Katie Wells written down the side.”
Shit.
“Okay, cordon off the entire area and call SOCO. I’m on my way.”
He beckoned to Mallory. “Let’s go. We’ve got our crime scene.”
6
The crime scene investigators were already there when Rob ramped the pavement in front of the Swedish School on Lonsdale Road and cut the engine. The forensic van was open at the back and two crime scene officers were getting kitted up.
“Morning.” Rob climbed out of the car.
They nodded back at him. There was no pathologist present as they didn’t have a body. Yet.
Rob prayed it stayed that way.
Etched through the nature reserve from road to river was a dirt track. On the right was the school and, on the left, hidden in thick woodland, the disused reservoir, which in reality was more of a large pond. He remembered coming here years ago and being surprised at the sudden reveal. One moment you’re on a nature hike, and the next, the woods open up and you’re staring at a glittering lake flanked by magnificent beech and poplar trees, many over a hundred years old. It was completely invisible from the road and the river path, and only the locals and a few avid map-readers knew it was there.
Rob nudged Mallory and pointed towards the right.
Mallory glanced up. Positioned on top of a stark metal pole in the school yard was the dark, bulbous eye of a private security camera. Being late July, the school was shut for the summer holidays, but that didn’t mean the camera wasn’t operational. Most of the private schools in the area had constant security to prevent vagrants and troublemakers breaking in when the school was unoccupied.
“I’ll get on it as soon as we get back,” his DI said. “If she came this way, it had to have picked her up.”
They veered to the left, through a rickety gate overgrown with prickly hawthorn bushes. Up ahead, a narrow dirt path wound through the tall trees into obscurity. A pair of pastel blue butterflies flickered past, chasing each other in a haphazard air-dance.
Already, the sound of traffic from the road had dwindled to nothing and the warm air rustled as branches protested and creatures scurried in the undergrowth.
“Beautiful spot,” Mallory murmured.
“Wait till you see the reservoir.”
They trudged along, past a dog walker and a fit elderly couple with trekking poles hurrying the other way. They’d obviously been told to evacuate the area, judging by the concerned expressions on their faces.
Suddenly, the trees parted, and the secluded lake shimmered in front of them. It really did
