“PC Turps,” Brown replied. “The oldest PC in the room, and the longest serving.”

  I nodded, knowing who she meant. I then turned to Johnson. “How did it go with your guy?”

  Johnson chewed his lip for half a second. “I don’t know what it was, but something about him just seemed... off.”

  “Off how?” Brown asked quickly.

  Johnson turned to her, seemingly eager to tell her. “He seemed a bit, I don’t know, evasive, for want of a better word. Like he didn’t want to tell me anything.” He frowned, suddenly looking angry. “He barely seemed upset when I spoke about Patel either.”

  “Who did you speak to?” Harvey asked curiously.

  “PC Adam Robins.”

  Harvey and Brown showed signs of acknowledgement on their faces, but the name meant nothing to me. He must have been a new recruit.

  “Did he say anything or do anything that made you suspicious of him?” I inquired.

  Johnson hesitated. “Not exactly... but it was just a vibe he gave off, you know? And you can usually tell more by someone’s body language than their actual words.”

  “That’s true,” Harvey said thoughtfully.

  I looked at Johnson for a second, trying to take him in. It seemed odd that the others hadn’t gotten anything from their interrogations, yet Johnson seemed convinced the PC he spoke to had something to hide.

  Had he genuinely lucked out and spoke to the one PC behind all of this? Or was he simply trying to make himself look like less of a suspect?

  “How did you get on, James?” Brown queried.

  “Like you said, it’s hard to tell at this stage, ma’am,” I responded. “Curtis didn’t exactly give much away, but I’m keeping an open mind for now.”

  Brown looked at me curiously for a second before looking around at the others. “Does anyone have anyone in particular they’d like to speak to next?”

  I nodded. “As Johnson is dubious of Robins, I wouldn’t mind speaking to him.”

  As I said this I looked at Johnson. He simply nodded without emotion.

  “I don’t mind who I talk to next, ma’am,” Johnson answered.

  “Same here,” Harvey replied.

  “Okay, James can speak to Robins and the rest of us can just pick.” She paused. “You two get started, I just want a quick word with James.”

  I felt my heart beat faster as the two DCs agreed and left us. Was it possible Brown wanted a word with me away from Johnson because she was also suspicious of his behaviour?

  Once they were gone, Brown turned to me with a firm look and folded her arms. “Is there something on your mind?”

  I quirked a surprised brow. “Ma’am?”

  “I know you, James, and I saw the way you were looking at Johnson... please don’t tell me you’re suspicious of one of our own?”

  I hated the look of worry on her face, but I knew I had to be honest. “I honestly don’t know what to think right now, ma’am... but it’s hardly a coincidence that Patel told me in front of the group that he needed to talk to me… only to die an hour later.”

  “I get that, but that doesn’t mean Johnson is behind his murder... I just can’t believe he’d do that.”

  I sighed sadly. “I’d like to think he wouldn’t, ma’am, but he had more opportunity than anyone else to kill Patel. He was assigned to a house on the same road, plus he covered himself in Patel’s blood. That contaminated and gave him a convenient excuse as to why Patel’s blood was on him... anyone else would have had to get to the scene, kill Patel, change their clothes, clean up the blood on them, and dispose of the murder weapon before we got there. It would be difficult for anyone to be able to do all of that in the time we had.”

  Brown rubbed her face anxiously. “I see your point, James.” She swore. “We can’t exactly pull him out of the interrogations now... not without him getting suspicious.”

  “I agree, ma’am,” I replied. “We can’t do anything that will risk alerting him in any way.”

  “What do you suggest then?” Brown asked.

  “We keep doing what we are doing, but once we’re done here we need to organise for subtle teams to follow both Johnson and Harvey.”

  “Harvey as well?” Brown asked in shock. “Please don’t tell me you’re suspicious of him too?”

  “Right now I’m suspicious of everyone, ma’am,” I answered. “That… and I think it’s only right we don’t single Johnson out. If he is innocent and hears that we only looked into him, it could cause irreparable damage to our relationship with him.”

  “I don’t like any of this, but I know you’re right.” Brown exhaled loudly. “The moment we’ve finished our interrogations I will sort out tails on them both. I will also speak to tech and get them to search their history to see what comes up... let’s just hope one of these PCs confesses so it doesn’t have to come to that, eh?”

  I tapped her arm gently. “Come on, let’s get these interrogations over and done with.”

  Brown agreed.

  We returned to her office together, and my eyes were instantly drawn to Robins. He was short for a man, but his muscle mass more than made up for what he lacked in height. He had wavy black that was tucked behind his ears, and his bright green eyes stood out against his tanned skin.

  “Robins,” I said curtly. “You’re with me.”

  Robins grunted in response as he followed me out of the room.

  I kept quiet as we walked to the interview room, but every now and again I’d subtly glance at him. He seemed to be gritting his teeth slightly, and his body language was tense, but I couldn’t tell if he was angry with the situation or if he was just a grumpy bugger in general.

  I held the door open for him, and he grumbled a word of thanks before he took a seat. I started the interview tape, then started to read through his notes. There was silence for a couple of minutes before Robins broke it.

  “Are you not going to ask me any questions then? Are we just going to sit here in silence?”

  I glanced up from the folder. “In a hurry to leave, are we?”

  “Actually, yes,” Robins responded. “I don’t want my loyalty being questioned for hours on end.”

  “Do you care why it is being questioned?”

  “I’m sorry someone died, but that isn’t on me.”

  “How compassionate of you,” I said coldly.

  “I said I’m sorry, didn’t I?” Robins asked.

  “Maybe tell your face that,” I responded. “Because nothing about you suggests you care at all.”

  Robins sucked in a breath. “Of course I care! I knew Patel, he was a good bloke, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy to sit here while you all try and point the blame at me.”

  “You’re taking this very personally, Robins,” I said coolly. “It isn’t like we are just questioning you, now is it? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re getting defensive because you have something to hide.”

  “Good thing you know better then, isn’t it?”

  “How well did you know Patel?” I asked, quickly changing tack.

  Robins jerked his head at my folder. “Doesn’t your fancy paperwork tell you all of that?”

  Smarmy prick, I thought unhappily. No wonder Johnson wasn’t a fan.

  “I’d rather hear it directly from you, Robins.”

  “We worked on a few cases together, that’s it.”

  “So would you have considered him a friend?”

  Robins shrugged. “Don’t all colleagues become friends to some degree?”

  “No, I wouldn’t say so.”

  “I guess that’s your thoughts on that, then.”

  I bit back the urge to groan irritably. While I was still a bit suspicious of Johnson, there was no denying he was right. Robins was being far from helpful with his answers.

  I leaned forward, my expression impassive. “Look, Robins, I don’t know you. In fact, the only two things I know about you are that you were involved in the case this evening and you don’t want to be here right now. Frankly, I don’t want to be here either, but a good man was brutally murdered tonight, so I would suggest you actually help me get some answers, then we can both get the hell out of here... how does that sound?”

  “Good.”

  “Then start talking,” I answered harshly. “Because a man is dead and there are innocent girls locked away somewhere, giving up hope with each passing second that anyone is going to find them.”

  For the first time, a flicker of emotion passed over Robins’ face. “Okay, ask your questions and I’ll do all I can to help.”

  “Please, take me through everything that happened tonight, and don’t be light on detail,” I responded. “Start from when you were called in to help up until me calling you into this room.”

  “DCI Brown called and said she needed some help searching places for the missing girls,” Robins started. “I quickly offered to help and when I was assigned to help DC Harvey, I was keen to get going so we could help the girls. I⁠—”

  Suddenly, someone knocked loudly on the door. I glanced at it unhappily, but I paused the tape and shouted for the person to enter.

  I was surprised when Brown poked her head around the door. “Sorry to interrupt you, James, but this is important.”

  I felt a shiver go down my spine. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I knew Brown would never interrupt an interrogation unless she felt that what she had to share was more important. I rose from my seat and looked at Robins apologetically.

  “Sorry for this, I won’t be long.”

  “Oh, no worries. You might as well keep me here until I start my shift at nine now.”

  I frowned at his sarcasm before following Brown into the hallway. The moment the door was closed behind us, I gripped her arm and pulled her to face me.

  “Please tell me you got a confession?”

  Brown shook her head, instantly deflating my positive mood.

  “What was so important then?”

  Brown smiled at me. “We’ve found Brit Sewell.”

  33

  As Brown led me away from the interrogation rooms and toward Brit, my mind raged with questions. How had Brit managed to escape? Was she okay? Had Brit managed to see who took her? And, if she had, did she potentially see the officer who was involved in all of this?

  “What do you know, ma’am?” I asked as we walked.

  “Not a lot,” she responded. “All I know is I received a call saying two men had just come in with Brit. I asked the receptionist to keep the men there until we could speak to them.”

  “You think they could be involved?” I queried.

  “Unlikely when they’ve brought Brit to us, but it wouldn’t be the first time some criminals decided to protect their own arses by changing their minds... best to go in with an open mind, eh?”

  I nodded, knowing she was right to be sceptical until we had more information.

  We made it down the stairs, and my heart ached at the sight in front of me.

  Brit was standing there trembling, looking lost and confused. Her hair looked matted, her cheeks were stained with tears, and her eyes were bloodshot. To my surprise, she stood close to the two men with her, even going as far as to cling to one of them. It was clear to me that they weren’t involved in her kidnap.

  Once we reached the bottom of the stairs, one of the men stepped forward.

  “We need some blankets or something,” he said sternly, gesturing toward Brit. “The poor girl won’t stop shivering!”

  I looked toward the receptionist. “Please, go get a blanket for Brit.”

  The woman nodded and left.

  “Thank you.” The man exhaled. “Sorry, but I asked your receptionist, and they kept saying no.”

  I looked the man up and down before I held out my hand. “That would be my fault, son. I asked her to keep an eye on you three before we got here. My name is DCI James Glover.”

  “I’m Malcolm Greene, and this is my husband, Doug.”

  Doug raised a tentative hand, his other hand clasped protectively around Brit’s. I smiled weakly at Brit, then crouched down in front of her.

  “Hello, Brit,” I said warmly. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you. I’m so glad to see you’re okay.”

  She nodded slowly, her eyes nervously glancing around as though she still didn’t feel safe. The receptionist returned and passed me the blanket. Doug helped me wrap it around her shoulders.

  “Can you please look after Brit while I have a quick word with these two gentlemen?” I asked the receptionist.

  The receptionist agreed. She tried to gently escort Brit away, but her hand clung desperately to Doug as though she feared being away from him.

  “I-I don’t want to leave you,” she said frightfully.

  Doug smiled soothingly. “I don’t want to either, sweetie, but you’re safe here... I promise you.”

  Brit nodded. “W-will I see you both again?”

  Doug glanced at me. I nodded briefly before he turned back to Brit. “Of course, sweetie.”

  Brit, comforted by that promise, allowed the receptionist to walk away with her. Once they were both gone, I turned to the two men.

  “Tell us everything you know, please.”

  Malcolm smiled at Doug before turning back to me. “We were on our way home from a getaway when Doug pointed out a child walking on the side of the road. I thought he was confused at first, but the moment I saw her I couldn’t believe my eyes! Naturally we were worried, and Doug, being the kind soul that he is–” He paused, giving Doug another smile. “He asked me to pull over to make sure she was okay.”

  I looked at Doug for confirmation, and he nodded. “When I realised a girl her age was out on her own at that hour I knew something wasn’t right. I tried to talk to her, but she seemed suspicious and scared. It wasn’t until Malc came out to see what was going on that I knew who she was.”

  Brown looked at Malcolm. “How did you know who she was?”

  “I saw you talking about her on the news,” Malcolm replied.

  “Where was it you found her?” I asked.

  Doug pulled out his phone and passed it to me. “We thought you’d ask, so we took a screenshot of our location once we got her settled in the car.”

  I passed it to Brown, and she looked at Doug. “Can I email this to myself?”

  “Of course,” Doug answered.

  “Thank you,” I answered. “But you didn’t see exactly where she’d come from?”

  “No, sorry,” Doug responded guiltily. “But we asked her some questions on the way here. She said she’d been left at some abandoned estate and had walked from there.”

  “That shouldn’t be difficult to find,” Brown said confidently. “Especially with the information you’ve given us.”

  “Did she say much about who took her?” I asked.

  Malcolm shook his head. “No, but it sounds like whoever did had her blindfolded.” He went into his pocket and pulled out some broken cable ties. “She had these tied around her wrists. She asked us to take them off since they were hurting her, so we did.” He paused sheepishly. “It was only afterwards that we realised that we might have damaged evidence for you.”

  “But we couldn’t leave the poor girl like that!” Doug added quickly. “Not when she was so scared.”

  I nodded understandingly. As frustrating as it was that the evidence would likely be compromised, I knew we could exclude the DNA from both men and see if anything else was left.

  “Thank you so much for bringing her in,” Brown said emotionally. “You’ll have made her mum really happy.”

  The two men nodded sadly.

  “We were glad to help,” Malcolm said.

  Doug hesitated. “I just hope you find the other girls... they were all Brit could talk about.”

  “Did Brit say much about them?” I asked keenly.

  Malcolm shook his head. “No, only that all three girls you mentioned on the news had been with her and were still wherever she was being kept.”

  There’s still hope for Mirriam! I thought gratefully. Even after all of this time!

  “Would you mind if we escorted you to a room and took some DNA samples?” Brown asked kindly. “Just so we can eliminate your DNA from our results.”

  “Of course,” Doug replied instantly. “All we want is for the horrid people who took Brit to be found!”

  Brown thanked them both then called for someone to take them to a room. However, Doug held out his hand.

  “Can we just say bye to Brit first?” he asked hopefully.

  I was touched by his concern for the child, so I agreed.

  The receptionist returned with Brit, and she looked at Doug and Malcolm worriedly when she saw that they were with a PC. She turned to me nervously. “Y-you aren’t arresting them, a-are you?”

  I smiled. “No, Brit. They’re helping us, but they just wanted to say bye to you first before they go.”

  Brit looked at Doug and Malcolm, her lip quivering. “Thank you for e-everything... I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t⁠—”

  Doug knelt down in front of her. “But we did, sweetie, and that’s all that matters.”

  Malcolm smiled. “We’re just glad you’re safe, kiddo.”

  I was left surprised and touched when Brit ran at both men and threw her arms around them. She burst into tears, repeatedly thanking them as they held her.

  “It’s all over now, sweetie. It’s all over,” Doug repeated as he hugged the girl.

  After a few seconds, Brit pulled away and watched longingly as the two men left. The moment they disappeared through a doorway, Brit cautiously turned toward me and Brown, looking between us nervously.

  “You’re safe with us, I promise,” I said kindly.

  Brit didn’t speak, continuing to look at us with uncertainty.

  “I know you’ve had a horrid ordeal, Brit, but we need to ask you some questions so we can find out what⁠—”

  “Can I go home?” Brit interrupted tearfully.

  I smiled. “I know you must be keen to get back, but we need to find out⁠—”

  “I want to be with my m-mum,” Brit said glumly.

  I opened my mouth, but Brown held out her hand to stop me.

 

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