DS Jessica Daniel series: Think of the Children / Playing with Fire / Thicker Than Water – Books 4–6 (10 page)

Managing the situation and not causing a panic was still the main priority but they were hoping someone who matched the driver’s description would be reported missing by a concerned
relative who didn’t know what he was up to.

The two women shared Jessica’s double bed and Caroline was up early the following day to get to work. She worked for an advertising agency in the city centre and was determined to keep
some semblance of a normal life. Jessica hugged her as her friend left in the morning, before giving Toby Whittaker’s file one last read.

Cole and Reynolds were going to see the start of the dig for a body at the site where they had found the clothes. Even though they didn’t necessarily expect to find anything straight away,
it was a significant symbolic act. Jessica was going to visit Toby’s mother, Lucy. Someone had already told her they believed they had found clothes belonging to her son but, with the case on
the brink of being reopened, someone had to formally speak to her – even if her memory was likely to be hazy fourteen years after the event.

Reynolds had organised things the previous evening and the plan was for Jessica to meet DS Louise Cornish at Lucy’s house that morning. The two sergeants shared an office and, after a
rocky start to their relationship, just about got on. It wasn’t that they disliked each other; they just had nothing in common. While Jessica still lived day to day, Cornish was efficient and
committed to her job, as well as being married with two children at school. The sergeant was currently involved with a case in which a string of burglaries seemed to be linked and would likely be
given more involvement in the combined Hutchings and Whittaker case that so many officers were now being assigned to. Usually Jessica and Cornish would work separately but it was felt it would look
better if two detectives more senior than constables visited Toby’s mother, given the time that had passed.

Jessica drove to the estate where Lucy lived and saw Cornish’s car parked around a hundred metres away from the house. She pulled in behind her colleague and saw the other sergeant getting
out of her vehicle. Cornish was approaching fifty and had short dark hair which she swept away from her face. Despite being in her thirties and having equal rank, Jessica saw Louise as a grown-up
compared to herself. The other woman was as smartly dressed as usual, with a crisp blouse and trouser suit. She greeted Jessica with a formal, ‘Are you ready?’ before leading the way
towards Lucy’s house.

The estate was a complete contrast to the areas where Daisy Peters and Kayla Hutchings lived. While those were filled with identically well-kept houses, Lucy lived in a place in which council
houses alternated with housing association properties and a mixture of the two that had been sold off. It was a combination of bungalows, flats and semi-detached houses in various states of repair.
Some buildings looked well-maintained but others had overgrown gardens and one house they passed was boarded up and covered with graffiti. In the distance Jessica could see two boys who should
probably be at school playing football in the road. The two sergeants exchanged a knowing look as they approached the front door and DS Cornish rang the doorbell.

After a few moments a man answered. He was tall and well-built, large shoulders filling a rugby shirt. He introduced himself as Neil Martin and invited them into a cluttered hallway, apologising
for the mess. Jessica noticed sets of children’s shoes thrown to one side. There were also school photographs, which seemed recent, of two girls who were maybe five or six years old hanging
in the living room. He offered them the sofa and said Lucy wouldn’t be long before disappearing to make them a cup of tea. The two detectives were alone but Jessica couldn’t think of
anything to say. She scanned the walls, which were relatively clear aside from the photos.

She couldn’t see anything of Toby.

Neither officer broke the uncomfortable silence before a woman walked into the room. She was thin with long black hair that was still wet and wearing tight jeans with a baggy jumper. Jessica and
Cornish both stood but the woman Jessica assumed was Lucy waved her arm, then sat in an armchair opposite them. She didn’t say anything but glared at the two officers and Jessica felt bound
to start the conversation. ‘Lucy Whittaker?’

‘Not Whittaker, it’s Martin now, I got remarried six months ago.’

That change wasn’t in the information Jessica had but should have been checked by someone. Lucy sounded annoyed but Jessica didn’t think it was because she had called her by the
wrong name.

‘Sorry,’ Jessica said. ‘I know someone spoke to you yesterday about what we found.’

‘Toby’s clothes?’

‘Yes.’

‘It took you long enough. I’ve been waiting for you to find him for fourteen years.’

Jessica knew she had to be careful about how she chose her words. ‘Because of everything that’s happened, we wanted to run through a couple of details with you,’ she said.

The woman shrugged, shaking her head slightly. ‘Is there anything you expect me to know now that I didn’t then?’

Before anyone could respond, Neil returned with four mugs of tea on a tray. Jessica thought her consumption of hot liquids was beginning to hit ridiculous levels. Prior to becoming a detective,
she didn’t drink anything during the day other than water or lemonade. Now, if she was placed on a drip feeding Earl Grey directly into her system, it would probably provide only slightly
more tea than she ended up drinking anyway.

After handing out the mugs, Neil sat on the armrest next to his wife, resting a hand on her shoulder. Jessica glanced at the pictures of the school girls on the wall and wondered if they were
Neil’s or Lucy’s from a previous relationship – or if the couple were in a long-term relationship but had only recently got married. Lucy didn’t seem to be in a receptive
enough mood to ask and Jessica was feeling under-prepared as Toby’s mother continued to eye her suspiciously.

The two detectives ran through some of the basic details they already knew. Lucy and her former partner Dean moved from one side of the city to the other around a year after Toby disappeared.
That created problems for their daughter Annabel, because she had to leave her friends. Lucy told them Annabel now lived and worked in London with her boyfriend and had minimal contact with them.
Lucy’s own relationship with Dean had broken down and they had gone their separate ways within three years of Toby disappearing.

Because of Lucy’s hostility it took the two sergeants quite a while to get to the specifics. Cornish eventually established the two girls on the wall were called Olivia, who was six, and
Natasha, who was a year younger. Neil and Lucy were natural parents to both of them and it sounded as if they had been in a relationship over some years.

Neil was still sitting on the armrest of his wife’s chair, stroking her hair. Perhaps it was his presence but Lucy slowly began to open up. It was clear her memories from fourteen years
ago were still vivid.

‘Can you tell me about the football shirt Toby was wearing?’ Jessica asked.

Lucy took a deep breath. ‘His dad was a big City supporter. They used to go to games together. I would have to stop him wearing it when it was dirty because he’d keep it on all the
time otherwise.’

‘What about the area where he went missing? Did he play there often?’

‘I guess. He used to pick up his football then go out with his friends. He’d usually be back by the time it got dark but . . .’ Lucy didn’t finish her sentence and
Jessica didn’t push it.

Neither Neil nor Lucy recognised Daisy Peters, although it was definitely a long shot that they would have done.

After forty minutes, Lucy stood. ‘I’m going upstairs for a lie-down,’ she said.

The two detectives had asked more or less everything they needed and the woman seemed sleepy. At some point she would likely be asked to look at the clothes to confirm they were from her son
– although there were no real doubts they belonged to Toby because the football shirt sponsor, style and size matched what had been reported at the time and it was more a formality than
anything.

Neil escorted his wife out of the room, then returned and sat fully in the seat himself. ‘Don’t worry about her; it’s always hard at this time of year.’

Jessica nodded. ‘I guess it would be coming up to Christmas and all.’

‘It’s not just that. It was the first week of December when Toby went missing. It always brings it back, especially when it gets dark so early.’

Jessica paused for a moment. She had read the file through at least three times and the significance of the date of Toby’s and now Isaac’s disappearance had somehow passed her by. It
was likely because the file was in such a jumbled mess but, now she thought about it, they would have gone missing on more or less the same date fourteen years apart. Neil didn’t seem to
notice Jessica’s confusion and continued talking in a quieter voice. ‘It’s actually one of her good days today.’

‘How do you mean?’ Cornish asked.

Neil lowered his voice further, leaning forward. ‘She drinks quite a bit. I’ve got used to it now we’ve been together for a few years. We used to have arguments about it but I
kind of let it go now. I try to shield Olivia and Tasha from it.’

‘What happened to Toby’s father?’ Jessica asked.

‘Dean? He’s living somewhere in Wales, just outside of Cardiff, I think.’

‘Did he get remarried?’

‘No but he does have a girlfriend and kids. He’s a decent guy actually. I’ve met him a few times. I think that losing Toby pushed them apart and there was no going back. I
guess it worked out all right for me.’ Neil must have realised how this could be interpreted because he quickly corrected himself. ‘Sorry, I don’t mean I’m glad he was taken
or anything like that . . .’ He reached across to pick up the empty mugs. ‘Can I get anything else for you?’

It was clearly a cue for them to leave.

Jessica and Cornish stood up together. ‘No, but I’ll leave you my card,’ Jessica said. ‘If anything comes up, just call me.’

Neil lowered his voice until it was almost a whisper. ‘Do you think you’ll find a body?’

Jessica looked into his eyes but couldn’t figure out why he was asking. He had no way of knowing they were digging in the woods. She chose her words carefully. ‘I’m not
sure.’

Neil nodded. ‘After all these years it would be nice for Lucy to get some closure.’

The two sergeants didn’t exchange much more than small talk after leaving the house but Jessica could hear Neil Martin’s words bouncing around her mind on her drive
back to the station. Some people did things for revenge but, for others, it was because of the reward waiting for them at the end. Jessica felt uncomfortable sharing her thoughts with anyone else
as she had next to no basis for them but Lucy’s new husband had certainly gained from everything that had happened.

Back at the station, Jessica typed his name into their computer system to see if there was something from his past. Aside from a few driving offences, there was nothing but she used the Internet
to search his name as well, although that didn’t reveal much. She knew it was probably nothing but felt it was worth keeping Neil’s name in mind.

After that she re-read the file relating to Toby’s disappearance and checked in with Izzy, who was working with Rowlands on paperwork for a few other cases, while also trying to find time
to track down Ian Sturgess and Simon Hill. What they knew was that neither man lived in the same house he had fourteen years ago. Jessica left them to it but asked them to call if they came up with
anything.

She drove out to the woods where the dig had begun. A row of cars and vans was parked close to the pathway she had walked along a few days earlier but the entire area looked different now it
wasn’t pouring with rain. The day hadn’t really brightened up and the overcast skies were threatening but so far it had stayed dry. Jessica weaved her way along the trail, trying to
avoid puddles that didn’t seem as if they were going to disappear any time soon. She could hear noises in the distance and caught sight of activity just across the threshold of the woods as
she crossed the stile.

As well as actual police officers, forensic archaeologists were used when there was a chance they could discover a buried body. Because some parts of the soil might need to be forensically
examined, the whole process was incredibly slow-moving. Jessica could see Reynolds and Cole standing at the edge of the trees talking. Jason noticed her first. ‘Are you all right?’ he
asked as Jessica approached.

‘I want to feel like I’m doing something,’ Jessica said.

Cole was wearing a heavy coat and pulled it tighter as a gust of wind blew across them. ‘There’s not much to do around here. We’ve spent most of the day watching.’

Jessica was wearing her suit and felt a chill breeze through it. She tried not to shiver. ‘I know, I was wondering if either or both of you wanted to come for a drive?’

‘Where to?’ Cole asked.

‘I wanted to drive the route – go to the land where Toby Whittaker was taken from. I brought the maps from the station, it’s not far.’

Reynolds looked at their boss and stepped forward. ‘I’ll come, it’s bloody freezing here.’

Cole smiled at the two of them. ‘Aye, aye, leave the old man out in the cold.’

‘You’ve got the big coat,’ the inspector replied with a grin of his own.

‘Maybe I’ll just pull rank?’ He looked back to Jessica. ‘How was Toby Whittaker’s mother?’

‘She’s remarried, it’s Lucy Martin now. She was understandably annoyed and upset. It helped clear things in my mind seeing her though.’

The other two detectives nodded as Jessica chose to keep quiet about Neil Martin’s possibly ambiguous remarks. She wondered if Louise had the same opinion about him.

Jessica and Reynolds made their way back to her car after another light-hearted crack from their supervisor about leaving him at the mercy of the elements. She had printed some maps off the
Internet which Jason picked up from the passenger seat as they got in.