The Next Girl(Detective Gina Harte #1)(49)

‘What are you thinking now?’ Jacob asked.

‘There was a colleague, Callum Nelson, that we briefly considered, but nothing ever came of it. Not after initial investigations. But I need to go over this again. We’ve missed a trick somewhere.’

Jacob poured two coffees out and passed one to Gina. She leaned against the worktop and sipped the drink. ‘There is still the possibility that it was a stranger,’ he said.

‘There is that. I can’t think of anyone we’ve interviewed who lives or works on a farm. We haven’t come across anyone with a black dog either. Maybe it is a stranger, but why Deborah? What were they doing driving up the road where she worked, when all the units were closed, opportunistically looking for a woman to enslave for years to come? I don’t buy that it was that random.’ Gina stared at the coffee in her cup.

‘But we keep coming back with nothing when it comes to her friends and family,’ said Jacob. ‘My mind keeps going back to that smarmy Avery knowing something.’

‘We have him on CCTV checking in at Birmingham airport. He never left the airport and subsequently had a holiday in Spain with a collection of tacky Facebook updates to prove it. I know what you mean though: he has a face that you’d just like to punch. If only this case were that simple. It’s like we’re dealing with a ghost. Someone who is right under our noses, but we just can’t see them. Again, could the kidnapper have an accomplice?’

Jacob wiped his nose on the back of his hand. ‘It’s a possibility. I think I need to go to the bogs and sort out my sinuses before we head off.’ Gina nodded and took another slow sip of her coffee.





Thirty-One





Luke grabbed the baby carrier from the back of the social worker’s car. ‘This is just like Max’s,’ he said as he walked up the path with Cathy, the social worker following behind. ‘I bet you can’t believe Max ever fit into a seat this tiny.’

‘I know, the little chunky bruiser.’ Cathy smiled as she opened the front door, holding it open for Luke. ‘I know this all seems strange,’ she said as he stepped past her, ‘but we can do it, together.’

The baby let out a small whimper as she slept. ‘I know we can. I hope Isobel’s going to be an easy one, like Max was. I don’t know if we could handle another Heidi.’ Luke glanced at Devina, who was taking notes.

‘Please ignore me,’ she said.

‘Little tinker, she was. She’s still high maintenance now, bossing Max around,’ Cathy said as they walked into the kitchen. ‘I remember when I went on that weekend break with Debbie and Heidi, when she was a toddler and you were on that course. She’d mastered opening the front door within the hour. We turned our backs for two minutes while taking the cases up the stairs, and she went into the yard and started chasing the chickens all over the place. The owner came out and gave us a right ticking off.’ Cathy turned away and began to sniffle. Tears rolled down her face. ‘I just want her back. She was more than a daughter; she was my best friend.’

Devina thoughtfully stepped out of the room, giving them a moment, as Cathy broke down in Luke’s arms. He held her tightly, beginning to tear up himself. ‘They’re going to find her, I know it. They have to.’ As he comforted Cathy, he stared at the photo of his family. Debbie stared back. Her warm smile only fuelled his sobs.

Isobel wailed. ‘I think she needs feeding,’ Cathy said as she leaned back and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. She walked over to the worktop and poured the ready-made formula into a bottle that they’d bought earlier that day, popping it in the microwave. ‘It’s been a while since either of us have had to do this. Shall I feed her?’

Luke nodded. He walked over to the shrieking baby, unclipped the chair straps and picked her up. He held the bundle to his chest and felt a warmth radiating from within the quilted baby suit. The microwave pinged. Cathy took the bottle out and tested its contents on her wrist. ‘It needs a few seconds to cool slightly.’ She grabbed a bowl, filled it with cold water and inserted the bottle. ‘Are you okay while I pop to the loo and clean my face up?’ she asked.

‘Course I am. I have done this before, you know,’ he said with a smile. Isobel settled as he rocked her back and forth. He smelled the baby’s head and felt her soft cheek on his nose. He was holding Debbie’s baby. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he fought back more tears. Isobel wasn’t his baby and he had no idea what was going on.

He placed the baby back in the car seat and stared out at the garden. Nothing in life had prepared him for this moment. Isobel began to yell again. He grabbed the bottle out of the bowl and tested the temperature. It was just right. He wasn’t as out of touch as he’d thought. He scooped her up, laying her head on his bicep, and placed the plastic teat against her searching lips. She latched on and began to gulp the milk. They didn’t share the same blood, but he knew at that moment he would be the best father in the world.

Devina reappeared. ‘As we said earlier, I’m just here to supervise the visit. It’s important that you and Cathy have this time to bond with baby Isobel. If there’s anything you need to know, don’t hesitate in asking.’

‘Thank you.’

Devina smiled. She pulled a tablet from her purse and began tapping on it as she left the room.