Cold as Ice

Chapter 15

Robbo was on the way to see Bowie when he passed his old office. The man in charge there now was Griff, a softly spoken police officer who had come over from Organized Crime six months ago and was still learning the ropes. Robbo had taken him under his wing.

Griff was on the phone as Robbo passed. He was concentrating hard on a call. Robbo lifted his chin in a ‘I won’t disturb you – I’m just passing’ gesture when Griff’s hand went in the air to beckon him over. Griff finished up the call.

‘What’s the problem?’ asked Robbo.

‘Just got a call about a missing person. Thought you might be interested. It came via the police station next door. One of the officers was called to help break into a flat where a young mum wasn’t responding and her child was inside alone. When they got inside they found that the mum was missing. There were signs of a struggle. The name came up on the system – Danielle Foster, a friend of Emily Styles, but she is also one of the people who phoned in after the appeal on Thursday.’

‘Can I listen to her call?’

‘Yes, it’s just been sent to me.’ He turned back to his PC and opened a link. They listened to Danielle’s call.

Griff pressed the stop button. ‘She didn’t come in, but that’s not to say she wouldn’t have. What do you want to do?’

‘Good work, Griff. I’ll inform Inspector Carter and Willis so they can go round there now and decide whether we need SOCOs. Tell the first responder to stay put until someone gets there.’

Ebony and Carter arrived to a gathering of onlookers on the landing and people on the stairwell leading up to Danielle’s apartment. An officer was waiting for them.

Carter took him to one side. ‘You the first responder?’

‘Yes, Sir. My colleague and I.’ He turned to point out another officer further down the landing who was talking to neighbours.

‘What did it look like when you got here?’

‘We had to break in to gain access but the door was already damaged. It hadn’t been bolted from inside. The little boy was inside on his own with the dog. There’s definitely some kind of scuffle gone on in there. The lights were all off, curtains drawn. Looks like she’d been gone all night. The little boy was still in his pyjamas. Furniture’s not ransacked but a few things are knocked about. Enough to indicate she put up a struggle. There are also some blood splatters on the wall in the hallway, Sir.’

Carter looked inside the flat from the doorway. He turned to Ebony.

‘Let’s get Sandford and the SOCO team over.’ Then he turned back to the officer. ‘Make sure no one goes inside until they arrive and take over from you.’ Ebony took out her phone and called Robbo.

‘Robbo, we need SOCOs.’

‘How’s it looking?’ he asked.

‘She left a small child alone all night possibly and there are signs of a struggle. Beyond that, not sure – too early to tell.’

‘Okay, Sandford’s on his way.’ Ebony hung up. She looked over at the woman struggling to get a little boy into his all-in-one suit and then at the officer still talking to Carter.

‘Who’s that?’

‘This is Mrs Collins. She made the 999 call. It’s her daughter’s flat.’

‘She’s the boy’s grandmother?’

‘Yes.’

Ebony waited as Tracy finished getting Jackson’s suit on and zipped up.

‘Mrs Collins?’ Tracy nodded. ‘I am Detective Constable Willis and that’s Detective Inspector Carter.’ Ebony nodded towards Carter who was standing at the entrance to the flat, still in conversation with the officer there. ‘You made the 999 call?’

‘Yes. I think something’s happened to her. I know she wouldn’t leave Jackson on his own. And on Monday, when I babysat for her, three men broke in.’

‘Did they do that?’ Carter pointed to the door.

‘No. Someone else had already done that damage. The men broke the lock. They ransacked the place and frightened the life out of me and Jackson.’

‘Who did Danielle say they were?’

‘Friends of her ex-boyfriend, Jackson’s father. Jackson is so upset – he’s really cold…’ Tracy shook her head. ‘I knew I should have called the police but Danielle wasn’t keen. She didn’t want any trouble, she said.’

‘Trouble from her ex-boyfriend?’

‘No, from the men, whoever they were.’

‘Okay, Mrs Collins. You did the right thing to call us. Do you live near?’

‘Not very. Hornsey. I was coming here today to go to the Christmas fête with them. That’s why is seems odd that she’s not here.’ Ebony nodded. She was looking at the streak of congealed blood in Jackson’s hair.

‘We’ll need to take you and the boy somewhere while we examine your daughter’s flat.’

‘Can’t I just go in and get some more clothes for Jackson?’ Tracy asked. ‘I only managed to get this suit for him because it was on top of the buggy.’

‘Sorry, Mrs Collins.’ Ebony stopped her. ‘It’s not possible at the moment.’ Tracy took out a tissue from her bag to wipe Jackson’s face. He squirmed from her as she tried to tidy him up.

‘I wouldn’t worry about that, Mrs Collins. Take him as he is and we’ll arrange things later. We’ll tidy him up when we get him back to yours.’ Ebony was making a mental note to take Tracy’s fingerprints as she’d obviously been in as far as the hallway. She’d need to send her clothes away for analysis as well.

‘Oh… yes.’ She looked a little confused but then looked down at Jackson and smiled reassuringly. ‘But how long before we can go in and get his things? Obviously we can’t manage without them?’

Ebony shook her head apologetically.

‘Sorry but we’re going to have stay out of the flat while the forensic team look at everything. We’re doing everything we can to find out what’s happened, Mrs Collins. We’ll give you and your grandson a lift home. I presume you will be looking after him? We’ll take a full statement from you then.’ Tracy blinked at Ebony for a few seconds. Jackson stood patiently watching Tracy’s face.

‘It will be all right, Jackson. Nanny will look after you till Mummy comes back.’

Ebony whispered to Carter: ‘There’s blood in the boy’s hair.’

Carter glanced across at Jackson. ‘When we get to her place, bring in the forensics kit from the car and take a sample. Shall we go, Mrs Collins?’ He turned to Tracy, who looked like she was waiting for someone to wake her up from a nightmare.

‘Thanks for your help.’ Carter addressed the half a dozen neighbours who had come out to take part in the drama. ‘Please wait here for a few more minutes while your statements are taken.’ Carter turned to the two police officers. ‘Then you’re finished here.’

Tracy led Jackson away by the hand and followed Carter past the neighbours and down the stairs.

‘Mrs Collins? The dog?’ one of the officers called out to them as they walked away.

Tracy stopped. ‘What about the dog?’

She was about to say: I don’t think so, when she looked at Jackson’s face and realized she had no choice. She turned back to pick up Scruffy’s lead.

‘Of course. Come on, Scruffy.’

As they drove to Tracy’s house, Tracy sat in the back seat with Jackson and Scruffy. She stared out at the traffic and Jackson held on to her hand. It took them forty minutes to get through the traffic and pull up outside Tracy’s flat; it was the bottom half of a town house in a residential street in Hornsey near a busy main road.

‘Please take your shoes off at the door.’

Tracy turned to them as she unlocked the front door, stepped inside and set Jackson down. She looked exasperated as she watched Scruffy saunter in past her as if he owned the place.

Ebony took off her shoes reluctantly; she had odd socks on and one of the socks was missing a big toe. She looked at Carter’s feet – there were polo ponies galloping across his socks. Ebony tried to hide her feet with the hem of her trousers. She would put socks onto her Christmas list if she had one.

Ebony had in her hands the forensics kit that she’d brought with her from the car.

Tracy led the way into the flat. The place was overdone, fussy, with dried flowers and photo frames. Lots of white-painted French-style bric-a-brac.

Carter steered Tracy into the lounge and lowered his voice out of earshot of Jackson. ‘Did you see your daughter regularly, Mrs Collins?

Tracy shook her head. ‘I had only met her a few times. I hadn’t seen her for a few days. We were just beginning to build up a relationship. You see, I gave her up for adoption when she was born. I was fifteen at the time.’

‘When was the last time you saw her?’

‘I was babysitting for her on Monday when those three men burst in and threatened me and Jackson. Do you think they came back?’

‘Do you know what they wanted?’

‘No. They turned the place upside down searching for something, I don’t know what. Didn’t find out.’

‘Were they looking for Danielle?’

‘No. Manson. Someone called Manson. Danielle said it was Niall Manson, Jackson’s dad. She said that he must have given her address. He’s a – you know…?’ She whispered. ‘A drug dealer… and that’s why she’d left him in the first place.’

‘Did she seem very worried about it?’

‘No. If I’m honest, that’s what shocked me. I thought to myself – she just thinks that’s normal. She said she’d speak to him. She didn’t seem that bothered, or maybe she wasn’t showing it. She didn’t like me knowing about that side of her life. But she phoned and apologized a few days later and asked me to come to the Christmas fête in the park today.’

‘Would you recognize the three men again, Mrs Collins?’

‘Yes I would – they were covered in tattoos and piercings. Terrible teeth. It was awful.’ Tracy shook her head. She was looking at him wide-eyed. ‘I seriously wondered whether I should see Danielle again. I thought about it, you know… it’s not a world I know about – drug dealers and gangs. They pushed me against the wall, frightened the life out of poor little Jackson.’

Ebony went into the kitchen with Jackson and opened up the forensics kit on the kitchen worktop. She looked around the immaculate room with its colour scheme of black and white with bold red kettle and toaster.

Jackson was watching everything Tracy did. Scruffy had come into the kitchen too and he was sniffing out the corners of the room in search of crumbs.

Carter looked at the photos on the wall of the lounge. Tracy looked young in them, she was getting married, on holiday. She was happy and smiling. There were no recent ones.

‘I think he wants water,’ Ebony called from the kitchen, looking at Scruffy. ‘He’s panting a lot. Shall I find a container from the cupboard?’

‘I’m coming,’ answered Tracy. ‘I’ll find one.’

Tracy came in and stopped as she looked at Ebony and the forensics kit being opened on her worktop.

‘I hope you don’t mind,’ said Ebony, seeing the scowl again. ‘I need to take your fingerprints and a couple of swabs from you and Jackson and then I’ll need the clothes you’re wearing please.’ Tracy shook her head although she kept the worried expression as she pulled open cupboards and began looking for a bowl for Scruffy.

‘What for?’

‘Just to check for fibres and things that might help us understand what happened in the flat. And, as you have handled Jackson, we need yours too. I’ll get someone to bring some clothes over for Jackson. Maybe you’ve got a T-shirt and jumper he can wear for now?’

‘Yes. Yes, of course.’

Tracy pulled out a stack of freezer containers, pulled one off the top and filled it. Scruffy splashed water on the tiles as he drank. She lifted the bowl and placed kitchen paper beneath it. Carter was in the other room talking to Jackson, who had wandered from the kitchen. He flicked through the TV channels and found something that seemed to settle him. Then he rang Sandford out of earshot.

‘What?’ He had his usual what the hell do you want now? tone. Sandford, head of the SOCOs, always had the sound and look of a man dying to be elsewhere and begrudging the time spent talking to Carter. ‘There were definite signs of a scuffle in the flat and a sign of forced entry at the door but it looks like it’s been cleaned up. It could have happened a few days ago.’

‘Yeah, it did. The place was broken into then. We think the father of the little boy may have been involved in that.’

‘I’ve found some documents about him, the boy’s birth certificate and child support stuff. I’ll send them over to Robbo to trace.’ Sandford continued his report. ‘There’s recent blood, last twenty-four hours. Not a massive amount, but enough to be unusual. It’s in several sites around the flat. The heaviest flow of blood, a pattern of ten heavy drips, starts in the kitchen.’

‘Any weapon? Anything that could have caused it?’

‘Not so far. The bleeding continues from the kitchen out into the bathroom and there is blood around the basin.’

‘Maybe she was trying to clean up the wound?’

‘Maybe. There is also a smear on the bathroom cabinet. It may have been a defensive wound. There is a cast-off splatter pattern by the door in the hallway, halfway down the wall. Blood came down from a height and the droplets dispersed.’

‘There is dried blood in the boy’s hair – at the top of his head, so if the blood is hers then he was definitely there when she left the house?’

‘Yes. He would have seen what happened.’

‘Thanks. We’ll photograph it and take a sample.’

Sandford hung up. Next Carter rang Robbo.

‘We’re back at the grandmother’s house. Just talked to Sandford, who confirms that it looks like she was taken by force. Mrs Collins, the grandmother, was there on Monday, when she was threatened by three white males who broke in. They are connected to Danielle Foster’s ex, Niall Manson. Find him for me, Robbo. Sandford’s found some details on the father.’

‘He sent them over to you.’

‘We got them. I’ve been looking at his file.’

‘What do we know about him?’

‘He has been inside for burglary with intent,’ answered Robbo. ‘Possession of a weapon, assault, grievous, supplying of a class B drug. You name it, he’s been done for it; been inside three times but nothing that got him more than a two-year stretch.’

‘Have him picked up. I need Jeanie over here. There’s a four-year-old child who we are pretty sure saw who took his mum – he’s got blood in his hair.’

Carter got off the phone to Robbo and rang Jeanie, explained the situation to her.

‘We need your help over here.’

‘I want to stay with Mr and Mrs Styles until they say they don’t need me any more. They have a lot to cope with.’

‘Jeanie, you have experience in victim support and child abuse. He’ll need careful handling. I’m asking you for a favour.’

‘Okay. I’ll come over now to start the process off but I would prefer if you handed it over to someone else afterwards.’

‘I’m grateful, and can you pick the child up something to wear. I would say he’s a big four-year-old.’

In the kitchen Ebony handed Tracy a DNA test. ‘Rub the end against the inside of your cheek for a minute please, turning the tip the whole time.’

Tracy looked at it with suspicion. ‘I’m sorry. It’s so strange for me. I’m not used to having anything like this happen.’ She had her business face on, the one she gave to difficult customers.

Ebony smiled. ‘I understand. It’s nothing to worry about – it doesn’t hurt.’

Tracy did as she was told. When she was done, she handed the test back to Ebony to pack away.

‘Is this the kind of thing you deal with every day?’

‘Missing persons, you mean?’ Tracy nodded. Ebony looked back at her forensics box and tidied it. ‘Every day is different. Same type of things though.’

‘But is it always missing persons?’

‘Not always.’ She looked up at Tracy. ‘I’m a member of a Major Incident Team, Mrs Collins.’ Ebony didn’t add that she was part of the Murder Squad.

‘Is that what this is? A major incident?’

Ebony nodded. ‘We are treating it as potentially that. I hope it turns out not to be that, but it’s better that we get resources directed straight away to finding Danielle.’ Ebony looked at Tracy. ‘Have you got someone to come and give you some support?’ Tracy didn’t seem to understand what Ebony was saying; she first started shaking her head and then seemed to change her mind. ‘I mean are you married, Mrs Collins, or do you live here on your own?’ Ebony began searching through the box to find what she needed to take a sample of the blood in Jackson’s hair.

‘Sorry – yes – I’m married. My husband Steve is an area manager,’ she said, smiling proudly. ‘It’s for a storage facility company.’

‘And do you work?’

Tracy gave a sharp intake of breath.

‘Oh God. Yes. I have to be in work today at two.’ She looked at her watch. It was ten minutes to two.

‘You’d better call work and tell them you won’t be coming in. Just tell them there is a family situation.’

Tracy snatched up her phone and began searching for Jazmina’s number.

She found it and turned her back to Ebony as she stood facing the back door to make the call. Ebony watched Tracy’s shoulders rise and fall as she listened to the person on the other end of the phone, who seemed to be trying their best to calm and reassure her. She finished talking and ended the call.

‘She says not to worry.’ Tracy rolled her eyes. ‘Not to worry and it’s the busiest time of year!’ She began furiously wiping the work surface where water had splashed from filling Scruffy’s bowl.

‘Did you explain?’

‘Yes, but it’s no good, you know? I work on the beauty counter at Simmons on Holloway Road. There’s just me and Jazmina.’ Tracy stared at Ebony, her eyes wide. Ebony had an odd reminder of the make-up on Emily Styles. ‘How is she going to cope? Look… this is all turning into a nightmare. I have my own life here. I can’t just drop everything.’

‘Do you think you should ring your husband now? He needs to know what’s happening here so that he comes home prepared.’

Tracy looked at the kitchen clock and shook her head.

‘He’ll be busy at work. I’ll try him later. Where is Danielle? Do you think something’s happened to her?’ She stopped as she saw Jackson standing at the kitchen door looking lost. She rushed over to him. ‘Come with Nanny, darling, we need to clean you up. We’ll find something on the telly for you as well. Ebony gave a small shake of the head and reached out a hand to stop Tracy taking Jackson away. She couldn’t risk her wiping away evidence.

‘Can I have him over here for a minute?’

Tracy followed Ebony’s gaze to the forensics kit.

‘Oh yes. Of course. Let’s have a look what Ebony’s got, shall we, Jackson?’

She led him over to the kit.

Ebony smiled reassuringly at Jackson as she knelt to his eye level. She looked up at Tracy.

‘And can you go now and change and at the same time find something for Jackson to put on? Here’s a bag.’ She stood and unpacked a large brown paper bag from her kit, handed it to Tracy. ‘Please strip carefully down to your underwear and place all your clothes in this bag.’ Tracy looked as though she was going to say something but changed her mind; she took the bag from Ebony and left.

‘Okay, big man?’ Ebony knelt back down with Jackson. ‘Can I take a photo of you?’ He stared at her curiously and didn’t answer. Ebony took photos of the top of Jackson’s head and his hair. She took out a swab and took a sample of the blood in his hair. His eyes followed her. He stood absolutely still as she wiped his hands and face to pick up the tiniest traces of foreign DNA. She finished and placed the samples in labelled, brown paper specimen bags. She filled in the crime log and entered the codes from the bags and a description of what and where and then she knelt in front of him again She made a face at him and he almost smiled.

‘You’re such a good boy, Jackson. Have you got any sore bits anywhere? Does anything hurt?’ He shook his head.

Tracy came back in, changed; she handed the bag to Ebony and had one of her sweatshirts in her hand for Jackson.

‘We’ll need to roll up the sleeves.’

‘That’s fine, thanks. Can you give me a hand to undress him?’ They stood Jackson on a towel and took off his things.

Ebony smiled at him. ‘Look, Jackson’s wearing Nanny’s clothes.’ He didn’t look happy about it. Scruffy came into the kitchen and barged into him. Jackson held onto him, put his thumb in his mouth and rested his head on Scruffy’s back as he worked his fingers into the dog’s fur and sucked his thumb.

They finished and Ebony closed up the kit and packed it away. Tracy took Jackson into the lounge and Carter came off the phone and went to sit with him. Tracy left him flicking through the channels. Ebony was waiting to speak to her again back in the kitchen but Tracy had something she wanted to ask first.

‘Do you think something awful has happened to my daughter?’ Tracy asked as she walked in and pulled the door halfway closed.

‘We don’t know any more than you at this stage, Mrs Collins. But we are working fast to find out. You say you’ve met her just a few times before?’ Tracy nodded. ‘What did she tell you about her life?’

‘She was trying to make a real go of it for her and Jackson. She was taking classes to get into teacher training.’ She looked at Ebony, her eyes hopeful. Ebony nodded encouragingly. In her head she was going through similarities to Emily Styles: one small child, going back to school to better herself. ‘She’s doing it all for Jackson really,’ said Tracy. Ebony thought how Tracy was looking shell-shocked. She seemed to be in a daze. ‘She’s a good mum. Definitely. She loves him to bits. She’s had difficult times though, I know that.’

‘Did she talk about anything specifically?’

‘She said she had problems with the couple who adopted her. Her mum Marion is dead. She told me that she died of cancer not that long ago. I think whatever relationship she had with Gerald, the father, evaporated then.’ Ebony made a note to find out more about the Fosters.

‘What about the little boy’s father?’

‘She didn’t seem very keen on him. They’d fallen out. I don’t know how much involvement he has in Jackson’s life now.’

They could hear the television on in the other room and the high-pitched voice of a character on children’s television.

‘I don’t know how you’re going to find him.’

‘Don’t worry about things like that, Mrs Collins. I’m sure the forensic officers will find out what we need to know. What about a boyfriend? Did she talk about her private life?’

Tracy shook her head as she spoke. ‘Not really. We’d just begun… as I said.’ Tracy thought for a few seconds. ‘I did get the impression there was someone – you know – there were a lot of texts. She came back quite merry the night I babysat. Seemed like she’d had a good time. I just don’t know. I’m so sorry – I know so little to help you.’ The doorbell rang.

‘I’ll get it,’ Carter called out, opening the door. Jeanie stood in the doorway, blowing into her hands with the cold. She smiled across at Jackson.

‘Thanks, Jeanie, I appreciate you coming,’ Carter said as he led Jeanie into the kitchen. ‘Come and meet Mrs Collins, Danielle Foster’s mother.’

‘Mrs Collins, this is Jeanie. She is a Family Liaison Officer, which means that she’ll be the one to explain things to you and help you through all this.’ Jeanie gave Carter a look that said, ‘That wasn’t what I said and you know it.’

Tracy shook Jeanie’s hand. ‘Pleased to meet you,’ she said, her eyes going from one detective to another. ‘Everyone – please call me Tracy.’

Jeanie smiled. ‘Hello, Tracy. I know it’s all a bit overwhelming, but we’ll take things one step at a time. What I’d like us to do now is leave the officers to find Danielle and you and I will concentrate on looking after Jackson.’ Tracy smiled, relieved. ‘I need to make a list of the practical things we need for Jackson and we’ll start putting it together for you, just in case he’s here for a couple of days. I’ve brought over some crayons and some paper for Jackson. It’s important that we get him settled and secure and, at the same time, we encourage him to open up about what he saw. Drawings are a great way for us unlock things in his head. I also picked up a pair of pyjamas and a tracksuit for him on my way over. I hope it’s the right size.’ Tracy didn’t answer. She took the packets from Jeanie and stared at the label. It didn’t mean anything to her. Jeanie took them back from her and put them on the worktop. ‘But I’m not just here for Jackson. I’m here to help you, Tracy.’

Tracy smiled and nodded but she continued to look overwhelmed. ‘Thank you.’

‘Does he sleep in a normal bed or one with a side to it?’

‘I know he sleeps in a bed not a cot. I don’t know much about his routine, what he eats or what he likes doing really.’ She held up her hands in an it’s hopeless gesture. ‘I can bath him. That’s about it. I’m sorry.’

‘It’s no problem, Tracy. Maybe he can sleep with you tonight?’ She nodded. ‘We’ll see what tomorrow brings. Maybe then we’ll know what we’re faced with.’

‘You must think this is serious to be all here like this? Taking tests and talking about unlocking things in Jackson’s head?’ Her eyes settled on Carter as the man in charge.

‘We are concerned,’ he said. ‘I won’t lie to you. She left without locking the Chubb. She left with her phone, but not her bag. And most of all she left her little boy behind. Do you think she’s the kind to leave Jackson and go willingly like that?’

Tracy shook her head slowly. ‘No. I really don’t think so. She’s very protective of him. It’s her and Jackson against the world really. If she left him then she must have thought he was safer that way. Oh God…’ Her eyes went from one officer to the other.

‘When did you last speak to her, Tracy?’

‘I was here at home, it was Thursday evening.’

‘Did you speak about anything in particular?’ Carter asked. He was trying to stop Scruffy from covering his legs in dog hairs as Scruffy clearly saw Carter as a potential playmate and kept jumping up on him.

‘She called to sort of apologize, I suppose, for the other night when I babysat? She said she was ringing to ask me to come to the fête. That’s where I was supposed to see her and Jackson today.’

‘Did she seem anxious? Did she say something was bothering her?’

‘No. She seemed fine – sounded good. I could hear it in her voice. She was upbeat.’

Tracy’s phone lit up on the worktop. She looked at the caller ID.

‘It’s my husband Steve. Do you mind?’

‘Go ahead,’ said Carter and the three officers left her to talk in the kitchen. Jeanie went in to sit on the sofa next to Jackson. Carter called Ebony over to him out of Tracy’s earshot.

‘We’ll leave Jeanie to take Tracy’s statement and we’ll go back to the flat now and see what Sandford’s found. By that time we might know something about Manson and about the three men who paid Danielle’s flat a visit the other night.’

Tracy came off the phone. She hadn’t told Steve about Danielle. She was hoping she wouldn’t have to; hoping that Danielle would be back. Luckily Steve had just said he wasn’t coming home that night anyway.

‘My husband’s staying at work tonight,’ she told Carter. ‘He sometimes does when he has a lot on. He’s got a camp bed there and a telly. He won’t mind for one night and then I can concentrate on Jackson.’

Carter nodded. ‘We’ll leave you and Jeanie to settle Jackson in and Jeanie will take your statement as well.’

‘I thought I’d done that already.’

‘We need it written down if you don’t mind, Tracy.’ Carter called Jeanie outside the front door to speak with her.

‘You think this is linked to Emily Styles’ death?’

‘My gut instinct says it. She even phoned the helpline. Maybe someone didn’t want her to talk. Yeah. I think we have to assume it until we know otherwise. If she turns out to have nipped out to buy an Elastoplast after cutting herself then I’ll be pleased as punch but somehow it’s all a bit wrong. If Hawk has her, Emily was held over a period of months. That means that if it is our man, we have time to find her.’

Carter left Jeanie to go back inside and Ebony came out and closed the door behind her.

Her breath came out in a white cloud as their feet crunched across the frozen pavement. It was five p.m.

Ebony paused by the car and looked across the car roof at Carter. She could see by his face that he’d had enough of Tracy’s house. He was a doer rather than a thinker. He’d only stayed long enough to know what action should come next. There was another reason he had had enough of Tracy’s home. Ebony understood it. He pulled hard on the frozen handle, wrenched open the door. Once inside, he leant over to push Ebony’s door open from the inside.

Ebony kept silent for a few minutes, busying herself with pulling on her seat belt and getting out her notebook. Jeanie had the effect of making Carter unsettled, claustrophobic. Ebony waited for him to relax again.

Carter switched on the engine. He sat thinking whilst it warmed up and de-misted the windscreen. Ebony began writing up the last few minutes of their time in Tracy’s flat and recorded the actual time of leaving. She wrote: DI Jeanie Vincent to begin questioning the victim’s son, Jackson. Returning to Fletcher House with samples of clothing. Includes bloodstained child’s pyjamas.

When she’d finished, Carter flicked off the light switch.

‘What do you think, Ebb?’

She looked back at the house. The security light above the door was still on.

‘I think that if she doesn’t show up in the next twenty-four hours, Guv, then Tracy’s and Jackson’s lives are never going to be the same.’

He sighed. ‘Yeah. Twenty-four hours and then we’ll know for sure. This is what we asked for, Ebb. We were supposed to flush him out when we revealed her identity.’ Carter put the car into gear and pulled away. ‘Not make him do it again.’