Death at the Manor (The Asharton Manor Mysteries Book 1) by Celina Grace

could you?”
    “Of course.” Gemma almost jumped from her chair to fulfil his request.
    Fullman turned back to the police officers.
    “Casey and I have keys, of course. Gemma has a set to the house, although not to the outbuildings, I don’t think.”
    “That’s right,” called Gemma from the kitchen. “Just the house.”
    “What about Miss Olgweisch?”
    Fullman dropped his eyes to the floor. “Yes, Dita had a full set.”
    “Anyone else?”
    Casey raised her head from her husband’s shoulder.
    “My mum’s got a front door key,” she said, her voice hoarse. “She knows the key codes and all that.”
    “Ah, yes,” said Anderton. “The security. Presumably all the people who have keys also have security codes and so forth?”
    Fullman nodded. “That’s right. There’s an access code on the main gate and the alarm code for the house.”
    Kate and Olbeck exchanged glances. Whoever had taken the baby hadn’t set off any of the alarms.
    Casey pushed herself upright.
    “What are you doing to find him?” she begged. “Why are we sat here answering all these questions when we should be out there looking for him?”
    “Mrs Fullman,” said Anderton in a steady tone. “I really do know how desperate you must be feeling. My officers are out there on your land combing every inch of it for clues to Charlie’s whereabouts. We just have to try and ascertain a few basic facts so we can think of the best way to move forward as quickly as possible.”
    “It’s just…” Casey’s voice trailed away. Kate addressed her husband.
    “Mr Fullman, is there anyone who could come and give your wife some support? Give you both some support? Her mother, perhaps?”
    Fullman grimaced. “I suppose so. Case, shall I ring your mum?” His wife nodded, mutely, and he stood up. “I’ll go and ring her then.”
    He headed back outside to the terrace, clearly relieved to be escaping the kitchen. Olbeck looked at Kate and raised his eyebrows very slightly. She nodded, just as subtly.
    “You two look around,” said Anderton. “DS Redman, I’d like you to talk to Ms Phillips once you’re done. DS Olbeck, go and see how the search is progressing. I want the neighbours questioned before too long.”
     
    The house was newly built, probably less than ten years old. It was a sprawling low building, cedar-clad and white-rendered, technically built on several different levels but as the ground had been dug away and landscaped around it, the house looked like nothing so much as a very expensive bungalow. Or so Kate thought, walking around the perimeter with Olbeck. They had checked the layout of the bedrooms, noting the distance of the baby’s nursery from the Fullman’s bedroom.
    “Why wasn’t the baby in their room?” asked Kate.
    Olbeck glanced at her. “Should he have been?”
    “I think that’s the standard advice. Everyone I know with tiny babies keeps them in their own bedrooms. Sometimes in their beds. Not stuck down the end of the corridor.”
    “I don’t know,” said Olbeck. “The nanny was right next door.”
    Dita Olgweisch’s room and the nursery were still sealed off by the Scene of Crime team gathering evidence. Kate stood back for a second to let a SOCO past her, rustling along in white overalls.
    “I’ll ask Mrs Fullman when she’s feeling up to it,” she said. “Perhaps there was a simple explanation.”
    The view from the terrace was undeniably lovely. The ground dropped steeply away from the decking and the lawn ended in a semi-circle of woodland; beech, ash, and oak trees all stood as if on guard around the grass. Kate could see the movements of the uniformed officers as they carried out their fingertip search. Olbeck came up beside her and they both stood looking out on the scene. Kate wondered if he was thinking what she was thinking – that somewhere out in those peaceful looking woods was a tiny child’s body. Her stomach clenched.
    “I’ve never worked on a child case before,” said