CHAPTER ONE
DS Karen Hart collected the evidence files from her desk with a sigh. The case was going nowhere and, much as it pained her, she was going to have to clear it from her active cases. Mary Clarke, a domestic abuse victim, was now refusing to give evidence against her husband. For the past few days, Karen had been trying to persuade her to move to a women’s refuge in Lincoln. It had all been for nothing. An hour earlier, Mary – purple bruises still on her arms and neck – had slammed the door in Karen’s face after threatening to have her charged with harassment.
‘What’s up, boss?’ DC Rick Cooper asked, nodding at the files in Karen’s arms.
‘I’m taking the Mary Clarke paperwork to be filed. The case is finished.’
‘Not enough evidence for the CPS to press charges?’
‘Not if Mary keeps insisting she fell down the stairs.’ Karen clutched the blue cardboard folder. ‘There’s not much we can do unless she decides to accept our help.’
Rick frowned and leaned against the desk. ‘Let’s just hope we get a chance to help her before her husband finishes her off.’
Karen shuddered.
‘Sorry, boss. That was an insensitive thing to say.’
Karen shook her head. She knew Rick was right: Mary’s life was in danger, and it was frustrating and infuriating to watch the situation unfold.
DC Sophie Jones looked up sharply from where she was sitting at her desk in the open-plan office. ‘Surely there’s something else we can do, Sarge. We can’t just give up.’
Sophie was a new member of the team and had only recently achieved the rank of detective constable. She was a hard worker, but idealistic. Karen thought she’d eventually make a good officer, though she’d only worked with Sophie for two months. The young woman was a stickler for rules and punctuality, and Karen imagined she must have been the class swot when she was at school.
With her curly brown hair, pink cheeks and angelic expression, Sophie was a stark contrast to Rick. If she looked like an angel, he resembled a mischievous imp.
Rick was a good-looking man and he knew it. He had tanned skin, evidence of his Italian ancestry on his father’s side, and wore his dark hair slicked back. His cocky smile was quick to surface, and he always wore a little too much aftershave. That aside, Karen was glad he was a member of the team. He worked hard and she trusted him.
‘No one’s giving up,’ Rick said to Sophie. ‘But we can’t prosecute if Mary doesn’t want us to.’
‘But that’s ridiculous,’ Sophie said, getting to her feet and walking around the desk. ‘There has to be a way we can make Mary Clarke see sense.’
Rick glanced at Karen and rolled his eyes as if to say, ‘See what I have to deal with?’
‘In an ideal situation, we’d push ahead with the charges, Sophie,’ Karen explained. ‘But from experience, I know it’s not going to stick.’
Sophie was about to open her mouth to protest again when DI Scott Morgan entered the office area with Superintendent Michelle Murray and the three officers looked up expectantly.
Superintendent Murray didn’t often visit the CID offices. She had a large office on the top floor of Nettleham police headquarters, and only occasionally came down to the lower floors to attend key briefings. Today she looked concerned, her dark eyes even more intense than usual.
Beside her stood DI Scott Morgan, as immaculate as always. He’d been the leader of Team Three for just over a month, and Karen hadn’t yet worked out what made him tick. Her last DI had been an open book. But Scott Morgan didn’t give much away.
Superintendent Murray spoke first. ‘We’ve had a report of two missing girls, both ten years old, from Moore Lane Primary School in Heighington.’
Karen dumped the files on her desk and checked her watch. It was only just after four p.m. ‘How long have they been gone?’
‘They were seen just before three o’clock when the class finished rehearsing for the school play. Their teacher noticed they were missing at three fifteen.’
That was unusual. Children tended to disappear on their way to and from school rather than during the school day.
Karen shifted her attention to DI Morgan. Unlike the superintendent, who looked tense, his face was impassive.
‘Is there any reason to suspect foul play?’ Rick Cooper asked.
DI Morgan replied, ‘Not yet. A uniformed unit is already on the scene, conducting a preliminary search of the woods beside the school and the surrounding streets, but it’s possible the girls decided to leave early of their own accord and will turn up at home wondering what all the fuss was about.’
‘Let’s hope so,’ Superintendent Murray said in her soft Scottish accent. Karen had never heard her raise her voice. She didn’t need to. Everyone at Nettleham HQ knew Superintendent Murray’s gentle tone was deceptive, and woe betide anyone who assumed she was a soft touch.
‘It’s Heighington again, boss,’ Rick muttered, looking at Karen.
She gave a curt nod, understanding what Rick was getting at. She turned her attention back to the superintendent, who was issuing instructions to DI Morgan.
‘You and DS Hart should get to the school straightaway. I’m sure DC Cooper and DC Jones can set up the incident room in your absence. Keep me updated.’
Superintendent Murray turned and walked away, and Karen reached for her coat.
When they were in the fleet car with DI Morgan at the wheel, Karen asked, ‘What do we know about the girls so far?’
‘Two girls. Both ten years old. Sian Gibson and Emily Dean. The head teacher of the primary school is Jackie Lyons. She’s the one who reported the girls missing. The girls’ teacher is Roz Morrison, and she says that although Emily Dean is a difficult child, it’s unlike her to sneak off during the school day, and it’s very out of character for Sian.’
Karen nodded. ‘And we haven’t spoken to the parents yet?’
‘Not yet,’ DI Morgan said. He put his foot down as they pulled away from a junction. ‘But they’ve been informed.’
Karen was about to suggest that she talked to the parents of the two girls while DI Morgan spoke to the teachers, but before she could, DI Morgan asked her about Rick’s comment.
The car came to a stop in front of traffic lights, and Karen turned to look at DI Morgan. She hadn’t realised he’d picked up on it as he’d been talking to the superintendent at the time.
Less than eighteen months ago, Karen had been seconded to DI Freeman’s team after a young woman had disappeared from Heighington. Heighington was only a small village and normally very safe and Karen couldn’t help thinking it was a pretty big coincidence to have a similar case in such a short period. Hopefully this one was a false alarm and the girls would turn up safe and well. It still ate away at Karen that they hadn’t been able to track down Amy Fisher, the nineteen-year-old who’d disappeared without a trace. Even though Karen had only been on the periphery of the case, it still stung that they hadn’t been able to get a result.
‘Did you hear about the Amy Fisher case?’
DI Morgan nodded. ‘The nineteen-year-old who went missing from a village in Lincolnshire over a year ago? Yes, if I recall correctly, there were plenty of suspects but she wasn’t found.’