‘Will do, boss.’
‘Penn, any luck on the papers retrieved from the fire?’
‘Still working on it, boss. It’s clear that Helen and William were in the process of changing their will, so there may be a motive there.’
‘Keep at it. In other news, we found out yesterday that Helen is the subject of a sealed social services case, the timing of which corresponds with the beginning of her mental-health problems.’
Her gaze moved between Penn and Stacey. ‘I want to know the second that court order comes through.’
Doctor Cutler wouldn’t be able to argue with that piece of paper.
‘And finally, we found out yesterday that Zach visited his parents just hours before their murder. According to Della, he didn’t look a happy man, and it’s not something he’s mentioned to anyone, not even Gavin. He started to explain and then changed his mind, so we’re heading there first thing.’
‘Boss?’ Stacey asked. That one word held a question.
She nodded. ‘Yes, I know about the little girl and yes, Woody has reiterated that we’re not going to help anything by getting involved. Any of us.’
If she tried to find a back door into this one, Woody would have no issue firing her team. She knew that was why he’d insisted that Bryant hear the conversation the night before. He would make sure she was reminded at every opportunity that they were all at risk.
She had been told to keep away, maintain her distance. Not once had she actually attempted to insert herself into the Symes case, and yet he’d been camping out four houses away from where she lived. The mother of one of the abducted girls had just pleaded for her daughter’s life. No matter how much she tried to stay away, the case was coming to her. Every time Woody told her to stay out of it, he was bending her natural reaction, her innate need to go out and try to find those girls herself.
She wasn’t sure how many more times she could bend before she broke.
FIFTY-FIVE
Symes closed and locked the door to the middle cottage behind him. The girls were silent and would remain that way until he returned. His mother had lived in this very cottage until the day the compulsory purchase order had expired. Her neighbours had left well before, having accepted generous compensation packages, but the stubborn old cow had refused to budge until police intervention had cleared the way for the sale of the land by the council to a private developer could be completed. Six months later, after countless surveys, the developer had been unable to secure insurance for building due to subsidence risks. The developer had cut his losses without even spending the money to demolish the properties. Well, the builder’s loss was his gain, he mused.
The scene was set. He had everything in place. It was perfect – or as close as it could be to what had been taken away from him.
In exchange for kidnapping the two girls from the leisure centre, he had been promised their lives. He hadn’t wanted a penny of the ransom. Just some time alone with the girls once it was done. And he’d almost had it until DI Stone had taken it away from him, along with the sight in one of his eyes.
This time she would not foil his plans. He would get to do what he’d always wanted, and she would have a front-row seat.
And when he had broken those two little bodies, he would turn his attention to her.
He looked back at the building. The next time he saw it he would have her with him.
He would be bringing her here to die.
And he had the final temptation that she would not be able to resist.
FIFTY-SIX
‘What exactly are you hoping to find?’ Bryant asked, parking the car a few spaces away from the coffee shop.
‘Proof, one way or another, and a double espresso, your shout,’ she said, taking a seat outside.
‘Leanne?’ he asked.
‘Same,’ she said, pulling out another chair.
‘Busy,’ Kim noted. It wasn’t even nine, but the high street was alive with shoppers and fast-moving traffic.
‘Is that…?’
Kim followed Leanne’s gaze to a stain on the edge of the pavement. It had been washed but an outline remained.
Blood. Rachel’s blood.