Bliss felt a flutter in his chest, a spark chasing through his bloodstream. ‘Do you know this girl outside of the WhatsApp group, Sara? Have you met? Do you know where she lives?’
Disappointingly, the girl shook her head this time. ‘No. She do what I do, but we do not meet. I know from group that she is not like many of us – she is not from other country. She is called Abbi Turner. She is from here.’
‘You mean the UK?’
‘Yes. But here, also. Peterborough.’
‘So it’s your understanding that this Abbi Turner is a local girl, born and raised here in the city?’
‘Yes. This is what she tell us. Not many like her. Most like me and Yeva.’
Bliss glanced across at Chandler. Her eyes widened and she nodded. Bliss thought about his next question. ‘Sara, this is extremely important. Did Abbi mention anything about a man who recently struck her as being… not quite right? Perhaps a man who got too rough, or wanted to go too far? Maybe a man who didn’t immediately respond to the safe word?’
‘No.’ The girl seemed certain. ‘Like us all, she not happy doing this, but she say little about client. One man she quite like. She tell us he is gentleman.’
Chandler was immediately alert to this. ‘Did she happen to mention his name?’
‘No names. We use no names unless men are bad.’
Bliss understood why his partner had been interested. It fitted their limited profile for the killer to first ingratiate himself with one girl in particular, lulling them into a false sense of security before striking. He decided to push a little further. ‘Sara, I know you say you don’t use names inside the group. But it’s possible that Abbi knew one or two of the other girls better than you. Perhaps they were friends. They might know who this man is. Would you ask them for us? Ask your WhatsApp group if any of them know Abbi well. And if so, whether they have seen or heard from her in the past few days. Also, if she ever told them the name or any other details relating to this client she liked.’
For the first time since they had initially made the girl feel comfortable, she started to look uncertain and anxious once again. Bliss could imagine why, and he tried to set her mind at ease. ‘We don’t want to involve them if we can possibly help it, Sara. Just as we have no interest in what you do for a living, we have no interest in them, either. Not in any way that will get you in trouble with us. But we do care about you as people. Yeva here has already vouched for us, and you can trust us as you trust her.’
Yeva bobbed her head and turned to her friend. ‘Believe them, Sara. They do not wish to hurt any of us. Only to protect.’
Sara took a long breath. ‘I will send message. I will ask. You want I do this now?’
Bliss smiled. ‘If you don’t mind. The sooner we know, the sooner we can respond. But please do tell them this is urgent. The man we are after – the man who killed another girl earlier in the week – may be stalking Abbi. He may even already have her. Tell them the more they are honest with us, the better our chances of finding her alive and well.’
Without another word, Sara slipped her phone from her pocket and began thumbing in a message. While she did so, Bliss switched his attention. ‘Thank you for this, Yeva. It may be nothing, but if not, then your swift action might help Abbi.’
Chandler got to her feet and looked down at him. ‘How about I step into the kitchen and give Gul a bell? I’ll ask her to start a search for Abbi. Check our records, NCA’s database, the electoral roll, social media. We could get an early hit.’
‘Good,’ Bliss replied with a nod. ‘You do that. Might as well get the ball rolling while we’re waiting.’
Sara was already finished. She gave Bliss a dubious look. ‘We wait now, yes?’
‘Do they usually respond quickly?’
‘If they are not busy. Some work over weekend, others not. We get some answers soon, I think.’
Bliss regarded her more closely. What he had first taken to be a smooth complexion, he now noticed owed much to heavy makeup. Her cheeks and chin were pitted with acne scars, possibly due to having started wearing cheap makeup from an early age and sharing it with others. She looked to be around nineteen or twenty, but her eyes were much older.
‘Sara,’ he said gently. ‘You know how Yeva and I met. I understand why some girls feel as if they have no way out of what they are doing. That they must allow themselves to be used or they may find themselves on the street, or worse. Is that why you do it? Are you forced into it by those who brought you here?’
Her big eyes blinked and she shifted uneasily in her seat. ‘I not talk about them. You tell Yeva I not have to talk about them.’
‘I did. And I meant it. You don’t have to. I’m simply trying to understand. You see, if I could, I would rescue you all. I’d make sure that the men who did this to you can never hurt you again, but I know that’s impossible. I’ve been fighting it one way or another for the past thirty years or more, and it’s as bad today as it ever was. All I can do is try to help the girls who cross my path. Please know this, Sara: if you’re ever in trouble with these people, if you don’t know who to turn to in a crisis, you can always call us. Penny and I work out of Thorpe Wood police station. Ask for either of us. Okay?’
Sara’s face lit up and she became someone else altogether.
