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

well-thought-out and reasoned argument. Right then, we’ll let her go but alert our colleagues in blue to keep tabs on her.’

Chapter 39

Marie

Tuesday 4 August, 11.30 a.m. St Asaph Police Station

With a huge effort, which had more to do with her length of time as a serving police officer than any willingness to work after the shock of seeing Ivo, Marie forced herself to concentrate while she logged back in to her laptop. She had an ordered mind and liked nothing better than trying to solve a puzzle. Detecting was all about the discovery and manipulation of information. But to fit the pieces of the puzzle into the right place, she first needed to find out as much as she could about Ellie and the people around her. It was that or sit and mope and she’d spent far too long moping already.

She had yet to complete the background checks on Ellie’s home life. Top of the list was a copy of her birth certificate, with the father’s name left blank, something that they’d suspected but it still had to be confirmed. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t continue searching. The absence of the father’s name could mean one of a few things. Ellie’s mother might not have known who he was or she might not have wanted him to know about the child. There was even the possibility that her conception had been via a sperm donor – nothing surprised Marie anymore.

Pausing to make a brief note on her A4 pad, she returned her attention to the mother and quickly confirmed that she was telling the truth about her single status. Anita didn’t appear on their system apart from the odd parking ticket, which she’d paid within the recommended period. There was nothing to suggest that she was anything other than a hard-working mother trying to make ends meet. Moving on to the housing records, Marie discovered that Anita had arrived at the estate within weeks of the birth of her daughter and always paid her rent on time, which was all very well but didn’t add anything to the reason why her daughter might have decided to up and run away.

After making another note on her pad, Marie rolled her shoulders, her attention shifting to Malachy as he flicked through a computer printout. So far his behaviour had been exemplary. To put her up, when she’d walked out of the marital home with only a couple of suitcases, was more than she’d ever expected from a fellow officer. At the start, she’d been reluctant to take him up on the offer, prey as she was to the very worst of thoughts as to his motives. While a good five years older, she only had to peer in the mirror to remind herself that she was still attractive despite the new lines that bracketed her eyes and pulled at her lips. But she needn’t have worried. In fact, she was astounded at how well they got on. Apart from sharing the cooking, he kept very much to himself as did she, which was hardly surprising when funds were an issue until the end of the month when hopefully she’d have enough to manage on.

Staring back down at the list, she remembered that there had been something he’d wanted her to do for him with regards to keeping his mother off his back but, as he hadn’t mentioned it in over a week, she’d conveniently forgotten about it.

‘Do you want a top-up?’

She glanced up to find him pushing away from his desk and stretching to his full height, his pale pink shirt stretched across his impressive array of muscles. Marie had always had an aversion to men wearing pink but he was rapidly changing her mind on the subject. Averting her gaze, she held up her mug with an outstretched hand.

‘If there’s any hot chocolate in the machine, please?’

He raised his eyebrows but instead of commenting strode out of the room. He was back within minutes, a couple of cups clutched in his hands, which he deposited on her desk before pulling up a chair.

‘You all right? The desk sergeant’s just told me that the delightful Ivo is downstairs in reception.’

‘What! I thought he’d have left by now?’

‘Nope. Not a bit of it. Clancy says he’s glued to his seat for what looks like the duration.’

Marie managed to suppress a groan at the mention of her soon-to-be ex-husband – the one thing she’d been determined not to think about until she reached the privacy of her bedroom. She could just about cope with him moving his girlfriend, along with her couple of kids, into what was their home. What she couldn’t cope with was him then deciding that he didn’t want a family after all. He’d been hounding her to come back to him after just about throwing her out on the streets with only the clothes she’d been wearing and the emergency fifty quid she always kept in the side of her phone case. If it hadn’t been for the support of Malachy and the rest of the team she’d have flung herself under the nearest train. In truth, the only thing stopping her had been the extra work it would have caused the emergency services having to scrape her remains off the tracks.

The problem was she didn’t want to weaken. After ten years together, the last five married, she still had strong feelings for the man. One look into his storm-grey eyes and she felt her knees weaken along with her willpower despite knowing that he was one of the biggest tosspots around. To empty their joint bank account was something that she could never forgive or forget. Okay so he earned a lot more than her but that was no reason to be small-minded about the break-up. What had he expected her to do? Move back in with her parents, which he must have known was the only route open to her?

‘He’s even brought his laptop with