unexpected birthday card and the detective coming back into their lives, was all the confirmation she needed. Jade was alive.
* * * *
Bill groaned. He had been studying the CCTV tapes for half an hour and already he was in brain death. When reception phoned to say Mrs Carnegie was there and wanted to talk to him, he grabbed the opportunity to escape from his present purgatory.
He looked around the room to see who was available to take over and grinned when he spotted DC Armstrong. The constable was young, keen, and with an eye for promotion. He would do nicely.
‘Blair,’ he called. ‘Will you take over here while I interview Mrs Carnegie?’
‘Sure thing,’ the constable said, but Bill could tell by his expression he wished someone else had been asked.
‘Keep working backwards,’ Bill said, ‘until you spot when the white van arrived in the car park. That’ll let us know which tapes to concentrate on.’
On the way out he had to pass the DI, standing at the door of her office. ‘I thought I asked you to check the tapes. And, I’m still waiting for that report.’
‘Sorry, ma’am, there’s someone in reception I need to see.’
‘Can’t someone else do it?’
‘Not really, ma’am. It’s connected to a case I’m involved with and she’s asked for me. DC Armstrong has kindly offered to check the tapes in my absence so we shouldn’t lose any time.’
Bill stared her out until she finally nodded.
‘If that’s all, ma’am, I’d better not keep Mrs Carnegie waiting.’
He resisted the temptation to slam the office door, but once in the lift he thumped his fist on the wall and swore. The damned woman couldn’t leave him alone and he didn’t know what he’d done to deserve it.
By the time he reached the ground floor he had calmed down.
‘Mrs Carnegie! Where is she?’ he asked, peering through the window that formed a division between the officers and the reception area.
One of the officers on duty shrugged his shoulders. ‘She seemed agitated and left a couple of minutes ago.’ He leafed through a sheaf of papers separating some out to put in different trays. ‘Queer one, she was. Couldn’t sit still and I could swear she was muttering to herself at one point.’
Bill nodded his thanks, left the office through the security door, walked across the reception area and through the outer glass doors of the building. A gust of wind caught him and he stood for a moment at the top of the steps, buttoning his jacket. Looking down he could see Diane Carnegie pacing back and forth on the pavement like an animal escaped from captivity.
He ran down the steps and grasped her arm to stop her pacing. She turned to face him with wild, confused eyes, and for a moment he thought she might wrench her arm free and run from him.
He let go and smiled at her. ‘You asked to see me?’
She looked at him blankly.
‘Detective Sergeant Murphy,’ he prompted.
‘I couldn’t stay in there,’ she said. ‘It reminded me too much of the terrible days after Jade was taken.’
‘We don’t have to go inside,’ he said. ‘We can sit in the car; at least it’ll get us out of the wind.’
She nodded.
‘Over here.’ He cupped her elbow in his hand, noting the lack of flesh on her arms. She seemed to have shrunk since the last time he’d seen her. Back then she’d seemed to have a spark about her, even though it was tinged with despair. Now her eyes were dull, her body hunched, and her walk listless.
Bill did not often feel protective of women but Diane’s posture and demeanour pulled at something inside him and he wanted to comfort her.
He opened the car door and waited until she settled in the front passenger seat, before walking round the bonnet to get in the other side.
They sat in silence for a time until Bill could stand it no longer. ‘You phoned the other day and said there had been developments.’
‘I know she’s alive . . . I’ve got proof.’ She twisted her hands in her lap,
* * * *
Bill groaned. He had been studying the CCTV tapes for half an hour and already he was in brain death. When reception phoned to say Mrs Carnegie was there and wanted to talk to him, he grabbed the opportunity to escape from his present purgatory.
He looked around the room to see who was available to take over and grinned when he spotted DC Armstrong. The constable was young, keen, and with an eye for promotion. He would do nicely.
‘Blair,’ he called. ‘Will you take over here while I interview Mrs Carnegie?’
‘Sure thing,’ the constable said, but Bill could tell by his expression he wished someone else had been asked.
‘Keep working backwards,’ Bill said, ‘until you spot when the white van arrived in the car park. That’ll let us know which tapes to concentrate on.’
On the way out he had to pass the DI, standing at the door of her office. ‘I thought I asked you to check the tapes. And, I’m still waiting for that report.’
‘Sorry, ma’am, there’s someone in reception I need to see.’
‘Can’t someone else do it?’
‘Not really, ma’am. It’s connected to a case I’m involved with and she’s asked for me. DC Armstrong has kindly offered to check the tapes in my absence so we shouldn’t lose any time.’
Bill stared her out until she finally nodded.
‘If that’s all, ma’am, I’d better not keep Mrs Carnegie waiting.’
He resisted the temptation to slam the office door, but once in the lift he thumped his fist on the wall and swore. The damned woman couldn’t leave him alone and he didn’t know what he’d done to deserve it.
By the time he reached the ground floor he had calmed down.
‘Mrs Carnegie! Where is she?’ he asked, peering through the window that formed a division between the officers and the reception area.
One of the officers on duty shrugged his shoulders. ‘She seemed agitated and left a couple of minutes ago.’ He leafed through a sheaf of papers separating some out to put in different trays. ‘Queer one, she was. Couldn’t sit still and I could swear she was muttering to herself at one point.’
Bill nodded his thanks, left the office through the security door, walked across the reception area and through the outer glass doors of the building. A gust of wind caught him and he stood for a moment at the top of the steps, buttoning his jacket. Looking down he could see Diane Carnegie pacing back and forth on the pavement like an animal escaped from captivity.
He ran down the steps and grasped her arm to stop her pacing. She turned to face him with wild, confused eyes, and for a moment he thought she might wrench her arm free and run from him.
He let go and smiled at her. ‘You asked to see me?’
She looked at him blankly.
‘Detective Sergeant Murphy,’ he prompted.
‘I couldn’t stay in there,’ she said. ‘It reminded me too much of the terrible days after Jade was taken.’
‘We don’t have to go inside,’ he said. ‘We can sit in the car; at least it’ll get us out of the wind.’
She nodded.
‘Over here.’ He cupped her elbow in his hand, noting the lack of flesh on her arms. She seemed to have shrunk since the last time he’d seen her. Back then she’d seemed to have a spark about her, even though it was tinged with despair. Now her eyes were dull, her body hunched, and her walk listless.
Bill did not often feel protective of women but Diane’s posture and demeanour pulled at something inside him and he wanted to comfort her.
He opened the car door and waited until she settled in the front passenger seat, before walking round the bonnet to get in the other side.
They sat in silence for a time until Bill could stand it no longer. ‘You phoned the other day and said there had been developments.’
‘I know she’s alive . . . I’ve got proof.’ She twisted her hands in her lap,
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