Stolen by Rebecca Muddiman

reporter, Hannah Jones.  She hadn’t expected the two men standing with her, one holding a camera, the other a microphone.
    ‘I just want to talk to you ,’ Abby said.
    The reporter looked like she was going to argue but instead nodded over her shoulder to the two men. ‘Give us a minute,’ she said to them.
    Abby opened the door wider and let Hannah in, ignoring the looks from the other people outside. She saw the cameraman roll his eyes and he and his mate walked over to the wall and sat down. Hannah closed the door behind her. Abby led her to the living room.
    ‘I don’t want to talk on camera,’ Abby said. ‘Can you do that? Can you just write something?’
    Hannah looked around the room. ‘I’m a TV reporter but I guess I can do that.’ She smiled at Abby. She didn’t look very old, maybe mid-twenties, but she seemed confident, like she knew what she was doing. ‘But TV reaches more people, you know,’ she said and shrugged. ‘It’s up to you.’ She walked to the window and picked up a photo frame. ‘Is this Beth? She’s beautiful.’
    Abby took the photo from her and wondered if she was doing the right thing. ‘What do you want?’ she asked.
    ‘You called me. I thought-’
    ‘No,’ Abby said. ‘I mean what do you want me to do? How does this work? Does it help? Have you ever reported on something like this-’ Abby stopped. She was asking the woman all these questions but she didn’t even know what she wanted from it.
    Hannah walked to the settee and sat down. ‘I can’t tell you what to do. I can tell you that if you want to do this to get your message out, then the best way is to give me an interview on camera. More people watch TV than read the paper. We can record something; it’s not going to go out live.’
    ‘You think it’ll help?’ Abby asked again.
    ‘Yes,’ Hannah said, pressing her lips together. ‘I think it will. The more people who see this, the more likely Beth will be found.’ She leaned forward and smiled at Abby. ‘I know you did a press conference with the police but they won’t keep showing that. It sucks but you need to keep giving them something new or else people lose interest. It’s sad but true.’
    Abby ran her hand across her forehead.  
    ‘So?’ Hannah said. ‘Should I bring the guys in?’

    Hannah thanked Abby and walked to the door, telling her to call her anytime if she wanted to talk again. Abby felt sick. She didn’t want to believe what the woman had said to her, but why would she make up something like that? Throughout the interview she wished someone would come in and tell her she was doing the right thing, or even that she was wrong and put a stop to it. She wished Paul would come home or Jen would call her back. She wished Gardner would show up and tell her he’d found Beth. But no one came and Hannah asked her question after question while the two men stood there looking uninterested.
    Hannah tried to shake her hand again but Abby ignored her and as she closed the door she heard one of the guys say, ‘It would’ve been better if she’d cried.’

Chapter Twenty-Three
    ‘It was revealed this afternoon that police would be using divers in the search for Beth Henshaw, suggesting that hopes for finding her alive are fading. I spoke to Beth’s mother, Abby Henshaw, earlier in what was an emotional interview.’
    Helen watched the scene cut away to Abby Henshaw. She sat with her hands on her knees. The reporter’s voice, off-screen, was soothing but it sounded fake. Abby’s eyes darted around. She looked nervous. She looked awful.
    ‘What went through your mind when you realised Beth had gone?’ the reporter asked.
    Helen shook her head. It was a stupid question. This woman clearly wasn’t a mother. Helen knew what she would feel. She knew she wouldn’t be thinking, she’d just feel her heart being torn out.
    Abby sat there without speaking for a few seconds, she glanced at the camera for a split second and then looked away