Deadly Lies by Ann Girdharry (read me a book .TXT) 📕

‘Yes, boss,’ Delaney said.

This was the first time Delaney worked a kidnap case. Liaising on the door-to-door operation was a step up in responsibility for his youngest sergeant. They must cover as large an area as possible, efficiently, and in as short a time as possible. The good thing was most people would be home so when the constables went knocking they’d be able to nab people before they left for work. Grant often gave Delaney tasks which would stretch him. It was how he’d learned himself – by working with a senior officer who trusted him and tested him.

‘Collins, once you’ve finished at the hospital, I want you to co-ordinate a trawl of surveillance cameras. Which way did he drive in and which way did he go out? Check with the council’s CCTV and local businesses. We’ve a timing of between two and two thirty for the abduction.’

Once Superintendent Fox arrived, she’d handle keeping the press under control so he didn’t need to worry about the media frenzy. Grant took sips of his scalding drink. Phone and financial records for Joan, Ronnie, Jack and Alice would be requested and scrutinised. He had already decided his own number one task would be to squeeze the parents to see what came out. Why? Because there was conflict between them and his instincts told him to find out why. After that, he wanted to speak to the au pair.

‘We’ve got more information about the blood,’ he said. ‘As well as the hand mark, there were two drops at the bottom of the stairs. We don’t yet know if it matches one of the children but we’ve got to keep in mind it could be a serious wound.’

‘Shit,’ McGowan said.

Grant’s thoughts exactly. A life-threatening wound on a young child was precisely what they didn’t need. Grant held up another high-resolution photograph. ‘Then there’s this.’

It showed a teddy bear with the stuffing spilling out. The toy had been slashed.

‘This was found in the children’s bedroom and it was done with a sharp blade. My guess is the abductor did this to coerce Emily and Lisa to co-operate. Maybe he threatened this would happen to them if they didn’t do as he said. And then someone did get injured.’

‘I don’t like it,’ McGowan said. ‘Why bring a knife? That’s reckless. It could have resulted in loss of life.’

‘He went through all this planning to get in without being noticed and then he risks a murder? That’s plain odd,’ Delaney said.

It was what Grant had been thinking and that’s why his team was the best in the business – Delaney was more brilliant than he ever realised, McGowan was hard-nosed and seasoned, and Diane was a cunning detective who could smell a rat from a mile away.

‘I don’t get the feeling this is a standard kidnapping,’ Grant said. ‘I can’t put my finger on exactly why but I’m getting odd vibes from the family. We’re going to have to dig deep and I’ve a feeling we’re going to need our colleague Ruby Silver on this one. I’m bringing her in.’

McGowan groaned.

Ruby Silver was a top criminal psychologist and Grant had arranged to meet her at the Glover house. Ruby was seconded to the Sussex police force thanks to Grant. He’d discovered Ruby on their serial killer case where her expertise had been the clincher. Her profiling of criminals was second to none.

‘Not her again,’ McGowan said. ‘I don’t think I can stomach more of her whiny advice.’

‘Shut up, Steve,’ Diane said.

McGowan hadn’t taken to Ruby, which was a problem. McGowan was a traditionalist. He didn’t like new ideas or new techniques and he didn’t like the young dynamic Ruby Silver. If it came to a choice between them Grant would find it hard – McGowan with his tough-cop image and cynical attitude which cut straight to the bone, or Ruby with her spot-on expert advice? And there was a complication with McGowan. McGowan had come up on Grant’s radar as a possible source of leaked information on their last case, when Assistant Chief Constable Treadgold had been aware of what Grant’s team would do before they did it. Since Grant suspected Treadgold of corruption, it had been a serious breach, though Grant had no means to prove it. Since then, nailing ACC Treadgold had become one of Grant’s personal aims.

Grant downed his drink and lobbed his cup in the bin. He had more important things to deal with.

‘Like Diane said, shut it. Ruby is in and I need your best.’

‘You’ve got it, guv.’

The back door entry was a red flag. Was this an inside job? Did someone close to the children have something to gain? And what about the blood? Did it mean their perpetrator was hot-headed? Because hot was always more risky to deal with than cold. And deep down Grant had a feeling the perp was a clever bastard.

‘It’s up to us to bring Emily and Lisa home. Let’s get moving.’

Grant met the eyes of each member of his team and he saw the fire in them which matched his own. Children always brought out the passion. They practically fought each other to be first out of the van but Grant beat them to it.

5

Ruby Silver was a light sleeper. When her telephone rang, she was immediately awake and when she saw it was a call from DCI Grant, her skin tingled. A new case – just what she was waiting for. She listened to the details, tweaking the curtain to peek outside. The sky was dark and the stars sparkled. Grant needed her on a child abduction case which made Ruby both excited and nervous.

Rolling the names of the missing children around her mind, she pulled on her jeans.

Grant sent a picture of the children and they were two adorable fair-haired girls. As a psychologist, serial killers were Ruby’s speciality yet profiling worked for any type of perpetrator including child abductors. This would be the first investigation of its type for Ruby