Cold as Ice (Willis/Carter #2)(44)

Carter tried to reassure her.

‘There is still hope that you will get your life back, Tracy, and Danielle will come back to Jackson, but we have to get it right. Let’s not scare this man off. He contacted you for a reason. We need to leave the door open for him to contact you again.’

‘Why is he phoning?’

Carter shook his head. ‘Could be a number of reasons.’

Tracy looked at Jeanie’s face. So far Jeanie had read Tracy as a no-nonsense, tell-it-straight type. That was the way she’d deliver news to her, she’d decided. Of course, as the days and sleepless nights passed Jeanie might have to change her tactics.

‘We are doing our best to put together a profile on him, Tracy,’ she said.

‘Yes.’ Carter kept his eyes firmly on Tracy.

Tracy held on to the sides of the sofa. ‘Is he going to kill her?’ she repeated.

‘I’m not going to lie to you, Tracy – we don’t know.’ Jeanie put her arm around Tracy’s shoulders. ‘The last call you had with Danielle, did she mention that it was Emily’s body that was pulled out of Regent’s Canal?’

Tracy shook her head.

‘She told me that someone on her course had gone missing when I first went round to her flat for tea. She said that was really why she contacted me. She wanted a Plan B just in case anything happened to her. She wanted some assurance from me that I would look after Jackson. Oh God . . .’ Tracy hid her face in hands. ‘How terrible. Did she know then? Did she know that she would be taken like this?’

‘She phoned you on Thursday, on the day that the news about Emily Styles’ identity was released?’

‘Yes that’s right, in the evening. I was standing here watching the news with Steve. The identity of that young woman from the canal hadn’t come on the news at that time. It came on after I talked to her when I went back into the lounge – Danielle didn’t mention it at all. If she’d have known that it was her friend she would have told me.’

‘She must have seen the same news bulletin as you then, Tracy. Then the records show she phoned you back.’

Tracy shook her head. ‘I didn’t hear anything from her. I need to get my phone sorted. It hasn’t been working right since that thug threw it across the floor.’

‘We checked Danielle’s phone records. She phoned you here on your landline about twenty minutes after she’d spoken to you on your mobile. Did you check your messages on your landline?’

Tracy shook her head. ‘Steve told me the other day that the landline wasn’t working. I need to ring the company. She couldn’t get through, I suppose. Oh God, maybe I could have prevented this somehow?’

‘Tracy, don’t for one minute think anything like that. We are just piecing together everything we know about Danielle’s last known movements, that’s all.’ Jeanie gave Carter a look that told him to mind how he put things.

Tracy turned and watched Jackson playing with his toys on the floor by the telly. ‘Do you think he can help?’

‘I think so, but we need to do our best to keep things calm here. I will stay here with you,’ said Jeanie. ‘I’m going to be here for you and Jackson and I’ll continue our interviews with him and try to find out what he saw.’

‘It will be good for you to have you husband back here to help in the evenings,’ said Carter. ‘We’ll talk things through with him when he gets here. Tell him what he can do to help.’

‘I’d better phone him now.’

Tracy went into the kitchen, picked up her phone, and dialled Steve’s number. He answered at once.

‘What is it?’ She could hear the irritation in his voice already.

‘Sorry, love. Something’s happened. I just wondered whether you could come home now.’

‘What is it?’ Steve had that same disapproving tone in his voice that always made Tracy take a deep breath and talk slowly, precisely – wish she didn’t have to tell him anything.

‘Danielle has gone missing.’

‘Christ almighty . . . I knew she’d bring nothing but trouble. Where’s she gone? Run off to find herself? As long as she hasn’t dumped you with the kid . . . Tracy? She hasn’t, has she? For Christ’s sake, tell me she hasn’t?’

Tracy’s eyes were shut tight.

‘Please, Steve, it’s only for a while; just until things are cleared up. I had no choice. Jackson doesn’t have anyone else. It’s serious. The police are very concerned.’

‘Police?’

‘Yes. There was blood. Jackson was all alone overnight. She would never have left him like that. They are here now. They would like to explain things to you. I’ve been contacted – by the person who has Danielle.’

There was a silence on the other end of the phone. Tracy tried to keep her voice calm. She tried to make it sound like it was all going to be fine, even though she knew in her heart it wasn’t. ‘It’s all very difficult, Steve love. The police are going to tap my mobile. They don’t know what he wants yet. That’s why they need to brief you, talk to you. It won’t take long.’

‘Brief me? What do you want me to do about it? Christ almighty, Tracy. I knew she’d be nothing but trouble.’

‘It’s not Danielle’s fault.’