Lost Souls by Jenny O'Brien (android e book reader txt) 📕

anytime he’d like to drag me,’ Gaby said, squinting down at the signature. ‘Once I get my lounge finished, I might very well treat myself.’

‘I wouldn’t leave it too long. Nathan Jones is up and coming. Anyway, I’m sure you didn’t pop in to discuss my walls.’

‘No.’ Gaby headed back into the hall, not bothering to remove her jacket. ‘Come on, grab your bag. I’ll tell you on the way.’

‘On the way to where?’ Amy said, not budging from the doorway of the lounge.

‘We need to interview a couple of people and I can’t do it without you.’

‘Ha, as if I thought it could be anything else. You do remember that I’m getting married in three weeks?’

‘How could I ever forget! As soon as we’ve found the girl, I’m all yours. We’ll go out, just the two of us, and tighten any loose ends that need tightening. Your wedding is going to be perfect, Amy. As your chief bridesmaid in addition to your boss I’m giving you my personal guarantee.’

‘Thank you. I’m holding you to that. So, who are we going to see?’ Amy said, slipping on her shoes and grabbing her keys, phone and bag from the table.

‘Ms Fry and—’

‘She won’t thank you for that,’ she interrupted with a frown, pulling the front door closed. ‘Is it really necessary? She was in bits when I left.’

‘I can well imagine but it can’t be helped. Finding her daughter has never been a greater priority.’ Gaby opened her car door and settled behind the steering wheel.

‘You said there were two interviews?’ Amy twisted in her seat to grab her belt, only to drop it at Gaby’s next words.

‘Casper Stevens’s son and, before you ask me any more questions,’ she added, putting up the palm of her hand towards Amy’s unguarded expression of shock, ‘I’m going to get Jason and his team mobilised to meet us around at the house. We need to go in, all guns blazing.’ She dropped her mobile into Amy’s lap. ‘He’s currently on another job but this can’t wait. The odds are that Barbara Matthews is already dead but I won’t believe the same of Ellie Fry until we find her body.’

It only took ten minutes to travel from Rhos-on-Sea to Colwyn Bay. Not much time to contact the CSIs and plan their strategy but they managed. With Amy’s wedding looming there were plenty of non-work-related topics that were high on their list of priorities. They didn’t detour the conversation to discuss even one.

It was a warm night with the tail end of a glorious sunset indulging the sky with a faint hint of navy blue instead of the impenetrable black that was to be expected now the nights were closing in. The estate was busy, children playing tag up and down the road on their bicycles, the sound of laughter filling the air as the occupants took advantage of the last few minutes of warmth.

Number 312 was silent, the curtains pulled tight without revealing even a pale glimmer of light to indicate that anyone was at home. But if Gaby knew anything it was that Ellie’s mother would still be awake, hunched in the corner of the sofa, a box of tissues by her side, a stream of half-filled mugs lined up on the coffee table in front of her. She would be no different to any of the other victims’ families Gaby had gotten to know in her police career. If she was innocent of any crime – and there was no point in Gaby carrying on in the job if, at some level, she believed differently – then she was sitting alone, breaking her heart at the thought of her daughter out in the big wild world with no one to protect her.

Anita opened the door after one knock and, if her look of expectation was anything to go by, Gaby was right in her estimation of her innocence. She was a woman beside herself with worry, the skin pressed deep with dark shadows, her eyelids a pale, translucent, unbecoming red, her hands shaking as she turned away and walked into the lounge, leaving them to shut the door behind them. Now Gaby wished that she’d had the foresight to phone first. A few words on her part would have reduced Anita’s expectation of a happy outcome. The truth was she must know that two officers turning up at this time of night, empty-handed, would only be bringing bad news.

‘Go on then. Tell me. There’s no point in dragging it out. She’s dead, isn’t she?’

Anita sank down into the sofa, her mobile clutched in her hand, the depressed cushion a telling sign that she probably hadn’t moved far away from her seat for most of the day. She’d been waiting for news and all they had were more questions. Sitting back in the same chair as before, Gaby thanked whatever instinct had made her pick up Amy on the way. It was the only part of the visit that she hadn’t made a mess of. Family liaison officers were better at this sort of stuff. If she thought she could have gotten away with it, Gaby would have sent her in alone. She’d certainly considered it.

Amy joined Anita on the sofa and, picking up her hand, gave it a gentle squeeze. ‘No. And I’m sorry that our unexpected visit has made you feel that way. I’m going to be perfectly honest with you. The truth is we haven’t found Ellie but we have found something that we do need to discuss with you, something that might be vital to the search.’

Rather than speaking again, Amy let Anita find her own way back from the emotions ripping through her body and hampering her ability to answer. There was no glancing at her watch, no quick look across the room at Gaby. Anita would only be able to speak when her tongue had repositioned itself in her suddenly dry mouth, her racing heart dropping along with