CHILDHUNT: A Mystery & Suspense Thriller in the Bestselling Diana Rivers Series (The Diana Rivers Mysteries Book 5) by Faith Mortimer
Authors: Faith Mortimer
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motioned her over to where a table stood against a wall and turned the laptop resting on the top towards her.
Swiftly, Diana read down the page on the computer, skimming over the photographs. At first she was puzzled. Yvonne Brookes—that name rang a bell, and then it hit her. She raised a stunned face towards him. “Am I right in thinking that Debbie is Yvonne Brookes?”
Roger nodded grimly.
“But did you know?” She saw from his look that he did. “How long have you known this?”
“For some time. I’m sorry, William, I still haven’t explained to you yet because there hasn’t been time. But I will. I’ve told you I have nothing to do with this, in fact—” He broke off when two Cypriots walked into the room.
Diana felt her heart plummet as she faced her old enemy, Inspector Andreas Christopopodoulou and his more human sergeant, Yiannis Loukiades.
“So, what have we here? Mrs Diana, I see. Trouble always precedes you, if I remember.”
“Inspector. Sergeant,” she mumbled, inclining her head in acknowledgment.
“I understand we have two missing children. They’ve been gone for what? Three hours?”
William nodded dumbly.
“According to my sergeant here, who was first on the scene, I understand this has happened before to Mrs Debbie Frost, or should I call her Mrs Yvonne Brookes, perhaps? Before we start a search I need to first ask her some more questions.”
William sprang up from Debbie’s side. “For God’s sake, man! What are you implying? My wife is incapable of harming our children. We need to begin looking for them now .”
A gleam appeared in the inspector’s eye. “Indeed we do. But first I’d like to know why Mrs Debbie is covered in mud? Why was she digging in the ground? What has she hidden and where?”
*****
“At long last they’ve started a search,” Roger said as he walked back into the den sometime later with an armful of logs for the fire. William was in the kitchen talking to the police, and Debbie was in bed. “Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”
Diana smiled. “The inspector’s useless, but his sergeant’s pretty good…and polite. I can’t think why their ranks are not reversed.”
“Family connections, like most things out here,” Roger grumbled in disgust. “Grease a few palms, and a plum job falls in your lap, easy as winking. Is the doctor still here?”
“Yes. He’s going to give Debbie a sedative to help her relax. You know, Roger, this doesn’t feel right. We’ve got to talk to her. We need a proper talk with her. Debbie doesn’t strike me as a murderer and even less capable of killing her own children. I remember a bit about her case and trial. When was it five or six years ago?”
“Six.”
“What a coincidence that hers is one of the cases you’re interested in. I couldn’t believe it when I heard what you were telling William earlier. Neither could he, judging by the look on his face.”
“I had to tell him. Apart from anything else, he deserves to know the truth. I couldn’t let him think I’d sent those awful emails. But there’s something else I haven’t told either of you yet.”
Diana put her head on one side as she waited. “Yes?”
“Mmm. The officer in charge back then in the UK was Adam.”
Diana gasped. “What? You mean my old friend, Adam? Adam Lovell?”
“The one and the same.”
Annoyance rose in Diana, and she knew she was flushing. “I don’t suppose Adam’s visit out here has anything to do with Debbie, has it?”
“It does.”
“I knew it! I did wonder why he and Clare decided to come out on the spur of the moment. Did you put them up to it?”
Roger looked embarrassed and made a show of poking the fire. “I’m afraid so. Adam and I have known each other professionally for many years. Now, Diana, please listen before you bawl me out. I’ve always been interested in what we call cold cases, and Yvonne Brookes was particularly fascinating. You probably don’t remember all the gory
Swiftly, Diana read down the page on the computer, skimming over the photographs. At first she was puzzled. Yvonne Brookes—that name rang a bell, and then it hit her. She raised a stunned face towards him. “Am I right in thinking that Debbie is Yvonne Brookes?”
Roger nodded grimly.
“But did you know?” She saw from his look that he did. “How long have you known this?”
“For some time. I’m sorry, William, I still haven’t explained to you yet because there hasn’t been time. But I will. I’ve told you I have nothing to do with this, in fact—” He broke off when two Cypriots walked into the room.
Diana felt her heart plummet as she faced her old enemy, Inspector Andreas Christopopodoulou and his more human sergeant, Yiannis Loukiades.
“So, what have we here? Mrs Diana, I see. Trouble always precedes you, if I remember.”
“Inspector. Sergeant,” she mumbled, inclining her head in acknowledgment.
“I understand we have two missing children. They’ve been gone for what? Three hours?”
William nodded dumbly.
“According to my sergeant here, who was first on the scene, I understand this has happened before to Mrs Debbie Frost, or should I call her Mrs Yvonne Brookes, perhaps? Before we start a search I need to first ask her some more questions.”
William sprang up from Debbie’s side. “For God’s sake, man! What are you implying? My wife is incapable of harming our children. We need to begin looking for them now .”
A gleam appeared in the inspector’s eye. “Indeed we do. But first I’d like to know why Mrs Debbie is covered in mud? Why was she digging in the ground? What has she hidden and where?”
*****
“At long last they’ve started a search,” Roger said as he walked back into the den sometime later with an armful of logs for the fire. William was in the kitchen talking to the police, and Debbie was in bed. “Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”
Diana smiled. “The inspector’s useless, but his sergeant’s pretty good…and polite. I can’t think why their ranks are not reversed.”
“Family connections, like most things out here,” Roger grumbled in disgust. “Grease a few palms, and a plum job falls in your lap, easy as winking. Is the doctor still here?”
“Yes. He’s going to give Debbie a sedative to help her relax. You know, Roger, this doesn’t feel right. We’ve got to talk to her. We need a proper talk with her. Debbie doesn’t strike me as a murderer and even less capable of killing her own children. I remember a bit about her case and trial. When was it five or six years ago?”
“Six.”
“What a coincidence that hers is one of the cases you’re interested in. I couldn’t believe it when I heard what you were telling William earlier. Neither could he, judging by the look on his face.”
“I had to tell him. Apart from anything else, he deserves to know the truth. I couldn’t let him think I’d sent those awful emails. But there’s something else I haven’t told either of you yet.”
Diana put her head on one side as she waited. “Yes?”
“Mmm. The officer in charge back then in the UK was Adam.”
Diana gasped. “What? You mean my old friend, Adam? Adam Lovell?”
“The one and the same.”
Annoyance rose in Diana, and she knew she was flushing. “I don’t suppose Adam’s visit out here has anything to do with Debbie, has it?”
“It does.”
“I knew it! I did wonder why he and Clare decided to come out on the spur of the moment. Did you put them up to it?”
Roger looked embarrassed and made a show of poking the fire. “I’m afraid so. Adam and I have known each other professionally for many years. Now, Diana, please listen before you bawl me out. I’ve always been interested in what we call cold cases, and Yvonne Brookes was particularly fascinating. You probably don’t remember all the gory
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