Catwalk Criminal by Sarah Sky Page A

can’t say I blame them.”
    â€œIt’s OK,” Jessica said, standing up. “I understand. Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll be back in school before the end of the week.”
    Her dad rose to his feet unsteadily. “You’re making a big mistake, Mr Reynolds. I’ll expect a personal apology to Jessica and me when this is all over.”
    â€œWhich you shall have, if and when your daughter’s name is cleared. However, I’m about to deal with some very unhappy teachers and parents. I have the feeling it’s going to be a very long day.”
    He had no idea. If members of The Collective had managed to wreak this kind of havoc at school by hijacking her identity, what damage had they unleashed on MI6?
    Â 
    â€œThere’s good news and bad news,” Nathan said, kicking off the emergency Westwood meeting.
    Jessica held her breath. Had MI6 systems analyst Sam Hewitt finally discovered her Sargasso security breach? She’d been summoned by text to an urgent debriefing at MI6 HQ shortly after the showdown with Mr Reynolds and had been on tenterhooks ever since. Bree had refused to make eye contact when she walked in, which could also be a bad sign, but Celia had glanced up and smiled briefly.
    The door banged open and Sasha flew in, red-faced and panting. She threw herself into a seat. “Sorry I’m late. I had to pretend I’d got a migraine in A-level maths. It took a while to persuade the school nurse that I needed to go home.”
    Poor Sasha. Having a suspension on Jessica’s school record was bad news, but it had made getting here at short notice much easier than usual.
    â€œYou’re here now, Sasha, which is what’s important,” Nathan said briskly. “The good news is that Natalia is expected to make a full recovery. She’s in hospital recovering from a severe electric shock but won’t have any lasting injuries. We’re still trying to determine the weapon used to attack her last night.”
    Jessica shuddered at the thought of Natalia’s burn mark. If only she had remembered her training – always be prepared for the risk of attack when moving into a hostile environment. Instead, she was just trying to make a juvenile point that having a family member in MI6 didn’t give Jessica the right to issue orders.
    â€œFurther good news is that we don’t think The Collective has found Henry Murray yet.” Nathan cracked his knuckles. “Members are currently posting about looking for him.”
    â€œAnd the bad news?” Jessica asked tentatively.
    â€œWe’ve had forty-eight hours of hacking and are still no closer to finding the leader of The Collective. In addition, we have no idea where Henry is either. He didn’t return to school this morning and has officially been reported as missing by his head teacher and father. He hasn’t made any attempt to contact his family in Canada or friends in this country. He’s gone completely off-grid – no phone calls or texts, money withdrawals from his credit card, email use, sightings on CCTV cameras across London. Nothing.”
    Phew. Nathan didn’t know about her computer activity after all. She cleared her throat. “Henry didn’t think MI6 could protect him from The Collective. He was absolutely terrified last night. He’s lying low somewhere until he figures out his next move. Henry must know the only chance he has to remain undetected is to avoid using his mobile or any electrical device.”
    Nathan nodded. “He’s right to be afraid. A few hours ago, LibertyCrossing posted an alert, telling hackers to track Henry Murray through his credit card, Oyster card, phone and any electronic equipment. As soon as he uses anything, members of The Collective will find him.”
    â€œWe have to get to Henry first,” Celia said. “But how?”
    Jessica glanced across the table. The stunning twenty-three-year-old