Child's Play (D.I. Kim Stone #11)(85)

‘It’s a suspicion, Tiff. Just cos the boss has had another idea we don’t leave leads dangling in mid-air. It’s about finishing what you started.’

‘I get it,’ she said, stretching her arms above her head. ‘But I need to get out, just for a short while. Need anything?’

‘Diet Coke,’ Stacey answered as she drained the bottom of her can, pleased to finally get a few minutes to herself.

Despite being exhausted Stacey hated that she’d been pulled off researching Beth Nixon to look at siblings of child geniuses. Secretly she thought it was a bit of a long shot but the boss was convinced it was a possibility.

But, her time with Beth was not yet over because she didn’t have all the answers.

‘Right, Beth Nixon,’ she said to the empty room. ‘What exactly have you been trying to hide?’





Ninety-Seven





Ten minutes later they were back outside the main hall which was beginning to fill up. The smaller rooms had all been cleared and handed back to the hotel, and Jared was still nowhere to be found.

‘Okay, Bryant. I don’t like the fact that Jared Welmsley is missing cos you know who else we haven’t seen?’

He shook his head.

‘Ellie Lewis, the tutor.’

‘Probably already left,’ he said, logically. ‘Not sure why she’d be interested in the quiz.’

‘Hmm…’ she said, heading back to reception. She jumped ahead in front of a few families waiting to check out. Somehow she felt the woman wouldn’t leave before seeing if any of her potential students had made the quiz. But her colleague might be right. It had been known to happen.

Bryant followed, making her apologies.

‘Excuse me,’ she said, showing her badge. ‘Has Eleanor Lewis checked out yet?’

The woman hesitated, as though toying with telling her to join the queue. She thrust her badge forward. Where was Raymond when you needed him?

‘Please,’ Bryant added. ‘It may be important.’

She relented, tapped a few keys and shook her head.

‘Not yet.’

‘Ring her room,’ she instructed

She did so and listened as the phone rang out.

She shook her head.

‘Can I get her contact number?’ Kim asked taking out her phone.

The receptionist shook her head. ‘I’m sorry but I can’t—’

‘Bryant, ask her nicely,’ she said, turning to her colleague.

The family behind huffed. She turned and offered them a withering glance. They turned away.

‘Lisa,’ he said, reading her name badge. ‘We believe Ms Lewis may be in danger. If we can just call her to…’

‘Here,’ said the receptionist, handing him a pink Post-it note.

Kim shook her head as she took out her phone.

‘You could thank me,’ Bryant moaned.

‘I’d rather thank your mum and dad for giving you manners,’ she said, keying in the number.

‘Fair point,’ he admitted.

The call went straight to voicemail.

‘Damn,’ she said, trying again.

Same response.

She dialled another number.

‘Stace, take this number down.’

Stacey listened as she read it out. ‘Belongs to Ellie Lewis, the private tutor. Keep trying it. We can’t find her.’

‘Hang on, didn’t you say she was late thirties?’

‘She’s thirty-eight.’

‘That wouldn’t make sense. She couldn’t possibly have been here teaching when Jared was a child so—’

‘Right now, both of them are missing, Stace. Everyone else is accounted for, so there’s something,’ Kim said. ‘Just keep trying her and let me know.’

‘Will do, boss,’ Stacey said, ending the call.

‘She’s just raised a fair point, though, about—’

‘Sorry to interrupt but I couldn’t help overhearing,’ said the woman who had huffed at her in the queue.

Kim frowned at the intrusion but nodded for her to go on.

‘Well, Ellie tutors our son, Marcus, in Geography. He had a session with her earlier today. Just after lunch.’

Kim tried to hide her irritation. The woman was trying to be helpful but Ellie’s movements of five or six hours ago were of little use to her now.

‘Thank you for—’

‘No, you don’t understand. The session was rescheduled. Originally planned for tea time but she said she was going to meet an old friend.’





Ninety-Eight





‘Dead spots?’ Kim asked, pushing herself back to the top of the queue, waving her mobile phone at Lisa. ‘Where are they?’

It took every ounce of customer service training she’d had to bury her irritation.

‘We don’t have any…’

‘Of course, you do,’ Kim said. ‘Every venue has them.’

Kim knew that despite the best efforts of phone networks dead spots still existed caused usually by hilly terrain, dense foliage or physical distance. In an urban area other factors contributed to patchy signals.

‘Lisa, where are your thickest walls or metal constructions?’ she asked. Even the dense rebar in concrete could cause a problem.