Their Lost Daughters (DI Jackman & DS Evans #2)(7)

‘Probably not. But that is not going to happen this time. We are going to find out what happened to that little girl if we have to spend every damned penny of the super’s generous budget. We will find Kenya, or at least discover exactly what occurred.’

‘DI Jackman?’ A uniformed officer entered the room and handed Jackman a memo. ‘The man you are looking for from the CCTV has been identified by PC Kevin Stoner. He believes the man works in the area where the girl was last seen.’

Jackman summarised the memo: ‘His name is Asher Leyton. He’s not actually known to us, but it seems he has been warned a couple of times for curb-crawling.’

‘Which doesn’t bode well, does it?’ said Marie.

No, Jackman thought, it doesn’t. Sometimes the next step up from hassling women on the street was taking them away.

‘Have they got an address for him, sir?’

‘Granary Court on Norfolk Street. The garden flat.’

‘Posh pad for a pervert. Granary Court is one of the most expensive locations in Saltern.’ Max sounded almost envious.

‘I think we should go and have a word with Mr Asher Leyton, don’t you?’ Jackman looked at Marie.

Marie took a set of keys from her pocket. ‘No time like the present. There’s a fleet car downstairs.’

*

The door to the garden flat was opened by a petite young woman with long, wavy blonde hair and perfectly made-up eyes. She wore skinny jeans with a cream cowl-neck top and a wide studded leather belt. Marie decided she had the look of a WAG about her.

‘Asher?’ She stared at their official identification cards and the eyes became even larger. ‘Oh, dear, Detective Inspector, I’m afraid he’s not here.’

‘When do you expect him back, miss?’ asked Marie.

The girl smiled, treating them to a display of top quality orthodontic work. ‘Not until late, I’m afraid. He’s working until around ten o’clock.’

Dazzled by the teeth, Jackman tried not to squint. ‘And you are?’ he asked.

‘Lynda. Lynda Cowley. I’m Asher’s fiancée.’ Her smile faded. ‘He’s alright, isn’t he? I mean he’s not been in an accident or anything?’

Jackman gave her a reassuring smile. ‘No, it’s nothing like that, Miss Cowley. We just need a word with him. Maybe you could tell us where he works, or give us his mobile phone number?’

The girl still looked worried. ‘He works for a company on George Street — Hanson and Co., but he won’t be there. He’s at a meeting this afternoon and then going on to a client dinner tonight. Of course I’ll give you his number, but he switches his mobile off when he’s busy.’

‘Do you know where this dinner is taking place?’ Marie was feeling slightly twitchy about his being so conveniently out of contact.

The girl shook her head slowly, and the long blonde hair swung gently from side to side like a TV advert for shampoo. ‘He didn’t say.’

Client dinner, my arse, thought Marie, recalling Asher Leyton’s penchant for a little late night curb-crawling. She handed the girl her card. ‘Well, please give him this. Get him to ring us the moment he returns, Miss Cowley, no matter how late, okay?’

‘Or failing that, get him to ring us first thing in the morning, as a matter of some urgency,’ added Jackman.

‘Can I tell him what it’s about, Inspector? I know he’ll worry if I tell him the police want to talk to him.’

I’m sure he will, Marie thought. ‘We need to speak to anyone who might have been on Brewer Street a few evenings ago, that’s all.’

‘Brewer Street is directly opposite George Street, where Asher works, isn’t it?’

Jackman nodded.

Lynda Cowley looked somewhat relieved. ‘I’ll give him your message.’

As they walked back to the car, Marie said, ‘Just how gullible do you think one person can be?’

‘About as gullible as that, I should say.’ Jackman shook his head. ‘Poor kid.’

‘She only looked about sixteen. How old do you think she really is?’

‘Probably closer to twenty, maybe even older. I think she’s another Rosie, looks much younger than she really is.’

Marie frowned. ‘Is it worth a trip around to Hanson and Co.?’

‘I get the feeling he won’t be there, and Lynda was right, I’ve just checked the mobile number that she gave us for him, and it is switched off.’ Jackman mused. ‘We’d make better use of our time by returning to the station and putting wheels into motion. There’s one heck of a lot to do.’

‘Will he contact us, I wonder?’ Marie clicked the remote on the car keys.

‘We can but hope. And if he doesn’t, in the words of Arnie Schwarzenegger, “I’ll be back!”’





CHAPTER FOUR

Hours later, as darkness enveloped the fen, two youngsters, unsteady in their high heels, tottered along the pavements of Harlan Marsh town.

‘Are you sure this is the place?’ Jasmine drew her thin top closer to her skinny body, and shivered.

‘This is it,’ said Chloe. ‘I followed Paul here last week. I watched him go in.’

The two girls looked dubiously at the rusting wrought-iron fencing that surrounded the concrete steps, and the peeling paintwork on the old door down in the shadows of the basement area.