Twisted

Chapter 3

Marcus had woken early with a terrible hangover and raging thirst. He had drunk a pint of water, taken four Paracetamol tablets and a spoonful of Andrews Liver Salts as his stomach churned from the curry he’d eaten the previous evening. There had been the wine before the Indian, then he’d had a lot with his meal and was very drunk by the time he got home and collapsed. He was about to go back to bed when he noticed his answer machine blinking. It was all too tempting not to pick up his calls and, on hearing Lena’s terse message, he was at first in two minds whether to bother calling her back. But he could see she had also made a second call with no message so knew something must be up.

The previous evening had not exactly been a celebration but he felt the meeting with the lawyers had been more than productive as Lyons assured him they would be successful and he even insinuated that Marcus might not have to work again but could live well if he invested carefully. They had a good lunch, Marcus paid, and it was expensive, as Lyons had chosen a very posh restaurant in Regent Street, but so far he’d been worth his heavy fees. During the lead-up to the meeting he’d been quite aggressive, constantly reminding Marcus that he would require extensive details of his wife’s income and the value of the property and its contents. There was no point in ‘pussyfooting’ around – he had calculated that after seventeen years of marriage Marcus would easily be awarded alimony for the rest of his life. He was certain that he would be awarded half of the monies from the sale of their ‘goods and chattels’, and he would try for fifty per cent of his wife’s very successful business. Marcus did not exactly like the pugnacious and egotistical lawyer, but he had been advised to secure his services as fast as possible just in case Lena might hire him. Lyons loved the notoriety he had garnered from previous cases and he was not just an A-list divorce lawyer, but the toughest of tough operators.

After a long lunch with Lyons Marcus had gone to meet his present girlfriend, Justine, a twenty-six-year-old, very glamorous and curvaceous blonde. She aspired to a modelling career but was working as a receptionist in a very fashionable hairdressing salon where she was also being trained by the salon’s top stylist. Justine had a list of client confirmations and cleaning up to do before she could leave with Marcus. He had been quite happy to sit in one of the comfortable chairs in the waiting area, leafing through the recent glossy magazines, with one sly eye on the other attractive stylists. They had left together just after five, and returned to her small rented flat in Pimlico. Justine shared the place with another girl who was a waitress at a restaurant, so as they arrived she was just leaving for work. They had a few glasses of wine, went to bed, had sex, and then showered together before leaving at around nine to have a curry in her local Indian restaurant. Justine was not too keen on going back to his place as she had an early start with a very important client, one they always opened specially for to give her streaks and a cut before anyone else was in the salon. Marcus dropped her off in a taxi in Pimlico and then it drove him to Mayfair. He had eaten quite a substantial lunch and then the curry, so it was no wonder he felt ill and went straight to bed.

He was still feeling hung over but not as bad as when he had first called Lena. He took a cold shower, and, intent on doing as she had asked, began to seriously try and recall who Amy might have gone to see. There had been no note or signs that she had been at the flat, but he had another look around before he went into her bedroom. It would be quite difficult for him to know if she had been there while he was not at home. Her room was, as always, a shambolic mess. Unlike his wife, he had no housekeeper or cleaner and attempted to manage the place himself. There was a small utility room with a washing machine and dryer, and what clothes he needed washing he chucked in there, but bed linen went to the laundry, along with all his good shirts and dry-cleaning. Amy often didn’t bother even straightening her bed, which irritated him, but he didn’t make a thing of it. All her clothes were left in untidy heaps, and books and DVDs were stacked beside the bed. Shoes and boots were piled outside the wardrobe, the doors of which were usually open, and on her dressing table was a jumble of makeup, perfumes, and magazines. Posters of her latest craze, the vampire movies, lined the walls, and she had a big thing for a new, very young group, and had forced him to watch them on TV. It was the floppy-haired lead singer who was the big attraction, and Justin Bieber had lost his place as her favourite.

He tried to recall his exact weekend activities. On the Saturday, as he had told Lena, he had been to a football match. It was a last-minute decision as he’d bought a single ticket from a guy in the pub who couldn’t go. He’d then gone out with friends for hamburgers, taken in a movie with Justine and stayed the night with her. He had told Lena he was at a male friend’s to avoid listening to her making cutting or flippant remarks. On the Sunday, he had nipped home to get changed, and then gone out with Justine and spent most of the day with her. He would have stayed overnight but, because of his meeting with Lena and the lawyers on the Monday, he had returned to get a good night’s sleep. At no time had Amy called, or left a message on his mobile, and he was a bit ashamed that he had not even attempted to contact her. Knowing she was spending the weekend with her friend, and would be returning to school on the Sunday evening, it had not occurred to him to double-check the arrangements. It was also obvious that Amy did not get along with Justine, not that he ever discussed it with his daughter. It was just a fact and one he refused to get into any kind of argument about as he felt it was none of her business. But when Amy came for her weekend he would not have Justine stay over. Whether or not Amy had mentioned Justine to Lena was yet another subject he had not discussed, and it was not as if Justine was the first woman he had been seeing – there had been quite a number of others over the past two years, but most of them never even got to meet his daughter.

Amy’s dressing table was heaped with cheap jewellery, perfumes and makeup, bottles of shampoos and conditioners, a matted hairbrush and comb. Marcus searched around, opening a couple of drawers, discovering creased underwear and old tights, vest tops and nightdresses. He then thumbed through all the latest magazines from the pile on top in case there was something between the pages, and tossed them aside to look under the bed, only to find old slippers and a few books covered with an accumulated level of dust. He couldn’t recall ever vacuuming beneath it and he doubted Amy bothered. The bedside table drawer was full of broken bits and pieces of necklaces and beads – no letters, no notebooks, or photo albums, nothing of any use. He next checked out the wardrobe, opening a suitcase, a couple of backpacks and a smaller vanity case. All were empty. Left plugged into a wall socket was her mobile charger, but no phone. Standing in the untidy room he could see nothing that gave any indication of where she might have gone, or who she might have been with.

He returned to the kitchen and brewed up a strong black coffee, sitting on a stool by the breakfast counter as he wondered if Lena had any news. He was about to call her when he glanced at the wall calendar pinned up beside a cork notice board. Amy had begun by circling the weekends she would be staying, but had not bothered for almost six months as she simply called him instead. The corkboard was full of receipts, dry-cleaning tickets, phone numbers for his gym and hairdresser, and invitations to dinners and cocktail parties. There was nothing connected to Amy, no old message left for him, but there was a picture cut out of a Sunday supplement of a King Charles Spaniel puppy. Amy had always wanted a dog, but it was just not possible.

Meanwhile, Lena was at Richmond Police Station, sitting in front of Detective Constable Barbara Burrows, a fresh-faced young woman with shoulder-length auburn hair. She worked on the Richmond Missing Persons Unit and was painstakingly and methodically writing down details for the ‘misper’ report. The slow procedure was beginning to frustrate Lena and she felt that someone of a higher rank should be talking to her. By now she was very concerned, and to be asked so many questions and forced to repeat herself over and over again about her marriage and separation was irritating. DC Burrows was taking care to cover every angle, as she needed to have a very detailed report to put on the Met’s missing persons database and also the National Missing Persons computer. Burrows explained to Lena there were three risk categories for missing persons – high, medium and low. Due to Amy’s age, and the circumstances, it was possible she had run away and would probably be treated as a medium risk; however, enquiries and searches to try and locate her would still be carefully orchestrated. She told Lena her unit detective inspector was due in shortly and would be checking the report and classifying Amy’s risk category. Lena had become very impatient when asked about boyfriends; to her knowledge Amy did not have any, nor had she ever mentioned she was seeing someone. Burrows had asked about whether or not her father would know, and Lena had replied rather sharply that he did not, and she had asked him to stay home and call the local hospitals.

‘And he’s doing that now, is he?’

‘Yes – do you want me to call him?’

‘I think so, as hopefully he may have already talked to your daughter.’

Lena took out her mobile, to find a message that as from a short while ago Marcus had no further news about Amy’s whereabouts. Now she was growing increasingly anxious watching Burrows making copious notes but not appearing to show any cause for alarm, and it was starting to make her lose her temper.

‘My daughter has not been seen by anyone I know of for the entire weekend or yesterday, she has not even turned up for school, and it is now Tuesday. I need you to tell me exactly what I should – or what the police should – be doing, as I am really very concerned.’

Burrows stood up and closed her notebook. ‘Leave this with me for a moment. Would you like a drink of some-’ Lena interrupted.

‘You want me to wait in here?’

‘Yes please, Mrs Fulford. I need to talk to one of my colleagues.’

The small room was stuffy and Lena unbuttoned her coat, drawing it low to her shoulders. Her right foot was twitching with impatience. With nothing else to do she called Marcus, who answered immediately, sounding concerned.

‘Did you get my message?’ he demanded. ‘I’ve tried everything we thought of but got nowhere. I’ve been waiting for you to call. Where are you?’

‘I’m at the police station. I’ve been here since I last spoke to you. I’ve got this young detective woman driving me crazy, asking me the same questions over and over. Did Amy have a boyfriend, Marcus? It feels as if she thinks Amy’s simply run away, but I know she wouldn’t do that. She’s always so good about keeping in touch with me when she’s not at home – this is the first time I can remember her not checking in. So, was she seeing some boy?’

‘Not that I know of – she never mentioned having anyone to me. You know how she was always texting and using her iPhone so there’s no address book, or notebooks here, nothing that would tell me how to reach her friends. I know she was with Serena, is it? For the sleepover – I knew about that. Christ, you don’t think she’s gone off with a teacher? There was that case a few years back when the girl went off with her teacher-’

He was talking very fast, his words tripping over each other, and she had to ask him to be quiet so she could think what next to say. ‘I have met all her teachers and I don’t think that is even a possibility, but I speak from my side – I have no idea what you two did, or if she met someone, maybe a friend of yours.’

‘For chrissakes, nobody I know would date my fucking daughter – that’s preposterous.’

‘Marcus, I am here by myself, and if you had any thought for me left, you would be here with me. This is a nightmare and I am seriously worried that something has happened to Amy, because she would not simply take off without a word to you or me.’

He gave a heavy sigh and, obviously trying to keep himself calm, said he would come to the police station, if she thought it was necessary. Lena told him that he would have to be interviewed if there was still no word from Amy.

‘Call the school again, Marcus, see if there’s any news, and at the same time ask for contact numbers and email addresses for all Amy’s friends.’

‘What are the police doing to try and find her?’

‘Nothing as yet,’ Lena replied dismissively. ‘I have been left in a dank little interview room, so I don’t know what if anything anybody is doing. The officer took details for a missing person report and said she had to discuss the situation with her detective inspector and he would decide what happens next. It’s nearly three days since anyone saw Amy and to be honest I am starting to feel as if they are not taking it seriously enough, and I am at my wits’ end.’

‘Okay, listen, hang in there, I’ll call the school, and get back to you. Stay positive, I’m certain there will be some reason she’s not returned to school, and I’ll do my best to find out, okay? Lena? Are you all right?’

‘Yes, but call me if you hear anything.’

Marcus made the call and had a frustrating conversation with Amy’s headmistress. At first, instead of being helpful, she was anything but, explaining that she could not give private email addresses or contact numbers of other pupils without their parents’ permission. Eventually she said she was obviously very concerned and would, if he wished to come and see her, seek permission for the details he requested. She also said that according to the pupils’ logbook, Amy had signed out for her weekend and they had given Mrs Newman a copy of the letter confirming that Amy was permitted to have a sleepover with their daughter Serena. They had expected Amy to return on the Sunday evening, but Serena had returned on her own, saying that Amy was staying with her father. On Monday morning when she had still not returned, they called Mrs Fulford and left several messages before they heard back from her. Marcus thanked her for the information and asked if under the circumstances she would be willing to give him Mrs Newman’s phone number, as he really needed to speak with her. The headmistress agreed.

Immediately the woman hung up, Marcus called Mrs Newman to ask her exactly what she recalled about the Saturday afternoon.

‘I am so sorry that you still haven’t heard from Amy. It must be very distressing for you both, but I really can’t add anything to what I already told your wife.’

‘Would you mind going over it again for me please, from when Amy and Serena got back to your house from school?’

‘Well, Serena told me they had originally intended to go shopping and then see the five-thirty showing of a movie at the local cinema. It was shortly after arriving here from school that Amy told Serena she had to go to see you as she wanted to collect something.’

‘What did she need to see me about?’

‘I don’t believe Amy was specific on the matter, Mr Fulford. Anyway Serena decided to stay here, wash her hair and wait for Amy’s return. Serena was rather angry because she waited in all afternoon, and even left messages for Amy, but got no reply so she went to the cinema with some other friends.’

‘Did no one think to call me or Lena?’

‘We don’t have a number for you, Mr Fulford, and I did leave a message on your wife’s house phone but got no reply. I feel very guilty about not being more worried at the time, but Serena said that Amy often stayed weekends with you and she would no doubt turn up at school on Sunday.’

Marcus had listened patiently, and although annoyed that Mrs Newman didn’t do more, kept his calm and asked if she could give him contact numbers of Serena’s friends. She took an age away from the phone before returning and giving him details of three girls who were friends of Serena’s from her previous school. She thought they did know Amy, but she couldn’t be sure.

‘Do you know if Amy had a boyfriend?’

‘No. It’s not something I ever asked her or that Serena mentioned to me. I’m so sorry that I can’t be of more assistance, Mr Fulford, but if there is any way that I or my daughter can help you or your wife then please don’t hesitate to call.’

Marcus thanked her, and she said he should really call her by her Christian name.

‘It’s Harriet, and my husband is Bill.’

‘Right, Harriet, I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me.’

‘Please, under the circumstances you must be frantic. I hope nothing serious has happened and would appreciate it if you keep me updated.’

‘I will – thank you, Harriet.’

It was now approaching eleven a.m. Marcus rang Lena, who sounded really tense, to give her a brief rundown of what he’d been doing. He suggested they go to the school to talk with the headmistress, but Lena said that she’d have to call him back as a policewoman had just walked in.

Lena accepted a cup of tea, as the uniformed officer apologized for keeping her waiting but DC Burrows was having a meeting with her superior, DI Reid, and he would be coming in to talk to her in a moment.

‘If you think of anything more that might be important, often just the smallest thing can be extremely helpful,’ the policewoman said.

Lena closed her eyes and sighed. ‘I just can’t understand it. She has never done anything like this before, it’s totally out of character.’

‘Would you like a notebook and pen?’

‘What?’

‘Just thinking, before DI Reid comes in to talk to you, if there is anything you think might be of use, it’s very difficult to be kept waiting, but he has only just come on duty and is going over all the information.’

The tea tasted stewed and Lena was exhausted. She shook her head and then burst into tears. ‘I don’t understand it. I mean, she’s very clever and has no problems with exams and I’ve wracked my brains thinking what could possibly be the reason she’s not contacted us. My husband has been trying to talk to someone that might know, but…’ She took a tissue out of her coat pocket and blew her nose.

‘Will he be coming here to be with you? Your husband?’ Lena wiped her eyes, and gave a shrug. ‘I don’t know – we’re actually going through a divorce so we don’t live together, but she was not staying with either of us but had a sleepover with a school friend. I’ve told all this to what’s-her-name, the other policewoman that interviewed me. I have been here for hours and I am really getting very anxious. How long do I have to wait until somebody does something?’

‘I’ll go and see what’s happening. Would you like another cup of tea?’

‘No, I really want to get some guidance as to what I should be doing – better still, what the police should be doing.’

Left alone, Lena blew her nose again, and stuffed the crumpled tissue back into her coat pocket. She drew the notebook closer, picked up the pen and stared at the empty page. She truthfully could think of no reason why Amy would have gone for such a length of time without making contact with either her or Marcus.

In his office on the first floor of the station, DI Victor Reid was still thumbing through the neat meticulous notes made by Burrows. He had been late getting into the station as he had been held up by a gas leak that had made the traffic snarled up around Richmond town centre. Before that he had been stuck behind a long line of traffic over Twickenham Bridge, and the build-up had turned a journey that usually took ten minutes from his flat in St Margarets into almost an hour.

Barbara sat in front of him, watching as he read each page, back and forth, before he stood up to put his jacket back on. DI Reid was quite a snazzy dresser. Today he was wearing a pale blue shirt with a dark blue tie, a well-cut grey suit and suede shoes. He had the kind of thick curly hair that made his chiselled face boyish, but there was a steely quality to his dark eyes. She’d noticed that often he needed to shave twice a day as he had a five o’clock shadow by early evening.

Although in his late thirties, Reid only had ten years’ police service, all of which had, up until his promotion to detective inspector, been as a uniform officer. A ‘late joiner’, he had previously worked for a very reputable estate agents for many years, gradually moving up to become an area manager and then head of corporate business sales. He was respected, well paid and travelled extensively round the UK, but found the work tedious and never really made friends with other employees in the business. He found them to be mostly pompous ex-public schoolboys in cheap grey suits and down-at-heel black shoes, whose aggressive attitude infuriated him. An only child from a lower-middle-class family, he was doted on by his parents. They were proud at him gaining a grammar school place and then attending Kingston College; sadly, they both died when he was in his twenties. He owned his small flat outright and, having bought it when he was an estate agent, he got a good deal. He had thought long and hard before finally deciding to join the police service and it was partly due to his long-standing relationship with a lawyer he’d met when showing her round a property. He’d intended to marry her, but she broke off the relationship and started to date a barrister. It had been a painful time made worse when she said she left him because he was boring, but the break-up instigated his decision to finally change careers.

Reid had so far enjoyed his police service and found detective work both challenging and rewarding. He was ambitious and hoped to make detective chief inspector within the next three years and eventually make superintendent. His goal was to be a member of the elite murder team, moving away from Mispers to something he felt would be more rewarding.

He was well liked by his small team of six police officers and a civilian administrative assistant. He made them feel they were members of a ‘top team’, and always listened to and valued their thoughts and opinions. Even though he was very ambitious, his professionalism and unparalleled dedication had won him respect and admiration. It was obvious that he was moving up the promotional ladder at a steady rate.

Barbara fancied him, even though he was at least ten years older than her, but he hardly seemed to notice she existed outside of the station, and when he suddenly looked up, catching her staring at him, she flushed.

‘This is very good, and you will need to upload it onto the Met and national misper databases and update things as we go, but you’ve asked the right questions at this stage. What is she like?’

‘The daughter?’

‘No, the mother. You mention that she is going through a divorce, but according to her it is an amicable arrangement between herself and her soon-to-be ex-husband, the daughter spending her weekends between them both, right? So, tell me, what she’s like?’

‘You mean emotionally?’

‘Yes – is she very anxious? Does she have any gut feelings about what might have happened?’

Barbara paused. ‘I’d say she is very worried, but she is quite controlled. She runs her own business.’

‘Okay, and the husband is not with her, so I will need all his contact numbers as he will have to be interviewed today.’

Reid patted down his jacket, picked up his mobile phone, notepad and, running his fingers through his hair, came out from behind his desk.

‘Right, let’s get started, and I want you taking notes. If I appear to be repeating a number of the questions you’ve already asked it’s to confirm she’s being honest. Right now I am treating this as medium risk but, dependent on the next twenty-four hours, I may have to seek permission to upgrade it to high. If that is the case a homicide and serious crime team will take it over, so I want everything ship-shape.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Burrows opened the door for him and he walked past her into the corridor, asking for her to organize some fresh coffee, as he had not had any breakfast.

Lena half rose out of her seat when Reid entered the interview room, as he crossed directly towards her with his hand out. ‘Mrs Fulford, I am Detective Inspector Victor Reid and I will be overseeing the inquiry.’ She registered that he was over six feet with a strong presence and a firm handshake and she was slightly taken aback.

‘Please sit down, Mrs Fulford. I’ve ordered some fresh coffee, and I apologize for keeping you waiting but I needed to assess the situation with DC Burrows before talking to you,’ he said as he sat down beside her.

He took in Lena’s appearance fast – her face devoid of makeup showed beautiful pale unblemished skin, wide pale blue eyes, and a thick sheet of blonde hair parted in the middle and resting just below her shoulders. She wore a polo-neck sweater, jeans and her expensive camel coat was loose around her shoulders; she was a slim elegant woman, the type he liked. He even noticed she wore no wedding ring – in fact no jewellery at all – and her hands were delicate with short-cut nails.

Reid continued, ‘It’s imperative we do not waste time, so we will be circulating Amy’s description and missing person’s form to every police force in the country via the national database and other relevant agencies on the internet for public access. I will also be seeking authority for a press release. Rest assured, Mrs Fulford, we will do everything in our power to find your daughter as quickly as humanly possible.’

Lena felt more at ease and thanked him for his thoughtfulness. It was such a relief for her to be speaking to a senior officer, and at last she felt her fears were being taken seriously.

‘I apologize if I repeat anything DC Burrows has already asked,’ Reid went on. ‘However, to progress the investigation I need to familiarize myself with everything that has occurred concerning Amy over the last three days and her home life in general.’

The more he spoke the more Lena felt confident he was an astute and caring detective who had a real grasp and understanding of the situation and her predicament.

‘I may ask some questions that seem intrusive about your personal life and relationship with Amy. I’m not here to judge or pass comment on anyone. I want to find your daughter safe and well, but the more information we can glean about a missing person the more thorough and productive my team’s investigation will be.’

Lena nodded, but Reid could sense that she was nervous.

DC Burrows entered with a tray of fresh coffee, two mugs, sugar, milk and a plate of biscuits. He placed one mug in front of her, picked up his own and heaped in three spoons of sugar but no milk.

‘DC Burrows will be taking some notes, and as I said I would like to make as much headway straight away before I come to any conclusion. Your husband is helping to try and trace Amy?’

‘Yes, he’s called the local hospitals and the school. He is staying at his flat in case Amy calls.’

‘But he has a mobile so she could contact him that way?’

‘Yes, we both have, and Amy also has one; we have called her numerous times but it goes straight to voicemail.’

Reid nodded and said it would be a priority to trace the locations of Amy’s iPad and iPhone as they could contain crucial information, and he muttered quietly to Burrows to get onto it straight after the meeting with Mrs Fulford. He wondered to himself if Amy was not answering any calls because she had run away. He then turned back to Lena and drew his notebook closer, reached into his pocket and took out a felt tip pen.

‘Right, you do not know if she has a boyfriend or is in any kind of a relationship; have you any possible clue to Amy having a secret friend, male or for that matter female, in her life?’

‘What?’ Lena asked in complete disbelief.

‘Is she dating anyone?’ Reid asked, encouraging Lena to answer.

‘No, she has never mentioned it to me. She is quite young for her age, but at the same time socially very accomplished as we have travelled extensively on holidays.’

‘How about her schoolwork – is she about to take exams?’

‘Yes, her GCSEs. Amy is quiet and studious and always in the top three in her class. She’s very bright and to be honest has never had any worries regarding her schoolwork; she’s also very athletic.’ Lena was visibly less tense as she recounted her daughter’s abilities.

‘Is there anything, even the smallest detail, that you can think of that might help us?’

‘I forgot to mention that one of her drawers in her dressing table is locked and I know she used to keep a journal, so it could be in there. If it is, should I read it? Perhaps it’ll give more information that I can pass on to you?’

‘It would be helpful, and if you do find the journal I’d like to see it myself, not to be intrusive but something that may appear trivial can actually be very productive.’

‘What else are you going to be doing? I mean, should we get posters printed?’

‘We will deal with posters and flyers, but I will need a recent photograph as soon as possible.’

Lena reached into her handbag and pulled out a silver-framed picture of Amy. ‘I brought one in as I thought you might need it,’ she said, holding back tears. Reid gently took it from her and looked at the lovely face of her beautiful young daughter.

‘Thank you,’ Reid said sympathetically; he undid the rear clips and slowly removed the photo from the frame.

At first, Lena was offended by what she thought was a rather cavalier attitude towards her daughter’s picture.

Reid noticed the look on her face. ‘I will take a copy of this for the report and national circulation so you can take the original home with you.’

At once Lena felt more at ease and thanked him for his thoughtfulness as he handed the frame back to her.

‘From what I have gleaned so far you feel it’s out of character for Amy to have run away.’

‘Totally, that’s why I’m so worried something has happened to her.’

‘Do you know if any of her clothing, wash stuff, makeup or anything like that is missing from your house?’

Lena told him that there didn’t appear to be on first sight and Amy would have taken some things in a cabin bag to Serena’s from school. She also informed him that Marcus had checked Amy’s room at his flat and found nothing to suggest she had run away.

Reid picked up on the cabin bag and asked Lena if she had questioned Mrs Newman about it. She hadn’t thought to, as she’d become so worried about Amy’s disappearance. He used the bag as a subtle means of probing into Amy’s state of mind at the time.

‘It would be reasonable to assume that Amy took a case to Serena’s. If it’s not there now, then she must have taken it with her when she told Serena that she needed to go and see her father and if it’s not at Mr Fulford’s then…’

‘I know what you’re insinuating, but I simply cannot accept that Amy would run away.’

‘When did you last see your daughter, Mrs Fulford?’

After thinking about it, Lena admitted that it was over two weeks since Amy had actually spent a weekend with her as the one before she went missing was spent with Marcus.

‘But you alternate weekends with your husband?’

‘As best we can, but it’s quite an informal arrangement and isn’t always strictly adhered to. She rang me from school regularly or I rang her and she seemed perfectly fine.’

‘Young people often don’t like to share their worries and fears when they are depressed, especially when their parents’ marriage has broken down.’

‘Marcus and I have lived apart for two years now. At first, yes, she was upset, but we remained on friendly terms and Amy came to accept our separation,’ she insisted.

Reid closed his notebook and was about to stand up when he saw Burrows timidly raise her index finger, and nodded for her to go ahead.

‘You mentioned that Amy has an iPad and I just wondered if she uses any social or chat sites on the internet like Facebook, Bebo or anything like that?’

Reid was impressed with Barbara’s question, as it was something he’d forgotten to ask, having never used or looked at such sites himself. He was also aware that it could be critical to the inquiry and that there was a danger Amy had arranged to meet a stranger through the internet.

The look of worry on Lena’s face was obvious as she realized the implications behind DC Burrows’ question. The officer had raised something that was crucial to know yet frightening to contemplate.

‘I honestly don’t know,’ Lena said, becoming very distressed.

Reid could hear the fear in her voice and see the redness in her eyes. ‘Don’t look so worried, Mrs Fulford – millions of people use Facebook every day of their lives and no harm comes to them.’

‘I want my daughter back, Inspector Reid… I just can’t cope not knowing what’s happened to her… please find her, please.’ She began sobbing and took hold of his hand as if she and Amy’s life depended on him.

Remaining calm, he gently eased his hand free, and then gestured to Barbara to assist Lena. Barbara got some tissues out of her pocket and put her arm round Lena.

Reid couldn’t help but be moved by the turmoil Mrs Fulford was going through, and realized how inexperienced he was in dealing with this kind of missing persons case. In the few months he had run the unit he’d only dealt with two high-risk cases and they were resolved before the homicide unit became involved. An elderly man had disappeared from a care home, and was found in woodland a few days later, having died from hypothermia. The other was a five-year-old boy who had wandered off when his mother’s back was turned and tragically drowned after falling into a neighbour’s pond. In both cases there had been some form of resolution for him and closure for the grieving families. But Amy’s case was different as there were so many unknowns about her disappearance. He wanted it to be resolved quickly for Lena Fulford’s sake, but he knew that he was playing catch-up, with three days having passed since she went missing. He wondered if he should maybe consider her case as high risk and report it to the chief superintendent, but worried that it would look as if he were panicking and jumping the gun. His mind was made up; at present Amy would remain medium risk until there was evidence to suggest that she had come to any harm. Besides, after five days, if she was not found alive and well, protocol dictated he would have to inform the DCS.

Reid waited for Lena Fulford to regain her composure before he suggested it would be best for her to return home and get some rest. He offered to get Barbara Burrows to drive her home but Lena said that she had her car with her and would be fine.

‘I will try and visit you at your house later, Mrs Fulford, as I’d like to meet your husband as well. For now I need to fully brief my team and get the ball rolling in the search for Amy. I will instigate house-to-house enquiries where your husband and the Newmans live, as well as in your own area. I can assure you, Mrs Fulford, we will leave no stone unturned – every bit of available CCTV will be recovered and viewed so as to track and trace Amy’s movements and successfully find her.’

Burrows was surprised by what DI Reid was saying. He was rattling off everything the missing persons manual advised, but the feasibility of doing everything he said was nigh-on impossible with such a small team on the Richmond mispers unit. Most of their cases were cut and dried – care home or disadvantaged kids who regularly ran away, and in most cases were located within a few days without calling in the cavalry from the murder squads. Amy Fulford didn’t fit the usual profile – she was from a wealthy family, at boarding school, and from her photograph an exceptionally beautiful young girl. Burrows hoped she would be traced quickly.