They had thrown him out of the meeting.
He threw the mouse across the room.
And he hadn’t even heard what the search team had to say. Symes was a six feet tall solid structure of a man with a bald head and a glass eye. His photo had graced every newspaper and news programme and they still appeared to have no clue where he was.
‘Damn it,’ he cursed as he collected his mouse from the floor.
There was a part of him that wanted to get Stone on the phone right now and retract every restrictive instruction he’d given her. As tempting as that was, his first duty of care was to her welfare. He knew he was the barrier between her and this case and that he had made his instructions clear.
Symes had two defenceless little girls at his mercy and, quite frankly, there was no one he trusted more than Stone to find them.
He knew that if he gave the instruction, shewouldfind them.
He also knew it would cost her her life.
FIFTY-TWO
It was after seven when Bryant pulled into her street and the exhaustion was weighing down every muscle.
Not one word had been uttered since they’d left the hospital. Kim’s own mind had been filled with images of a young, vital, energetic, spirited woman in her prime now dead, leaving behind a husband and a young child.
There was a sadness in Kim that Mia would never remember her mother. Her only picture of her own mum would be painted from other people’s memories.
Was it a coincidence that Rachel had suffered a fatal accident within days of her family being wiped out? Possibly but Kim had never cared much for coincidences. They would look at it tomorrow when her team was fresh.
Woody’s call had done nothing to lighten her mood, and she’d been scouring the internet for news the whole way back.
‘Normal time,’ she said, getting out of the car.
Bryant nodded, knowing that meant 6.45 to arrive at the station at 7a.m.
Kim paused as Bryant pulled away from the kerb.
Something out of the ordinary had registered in her brain even though her mind had been on Rachel and the little girl.
‘Err…yeah, good idea to just stand out in the open like this,’ Leanne said, moving towards the gate.
Kim took a step. Something wasn’t right.
Charlie’s house was in darkness, strange to see but she knew why.
She took another step.
Mrs Fowkes at the end hadn’t yet brought in her bin. It was her alternate Tuesday night at her sister’s. Kim would hear her drag her bin in around eleven.
She took another step.
Mrs Graham’s porch light was on. She always left it on until the last of her four kids was back in the house.
‘Stone, I really think—’
‘Okay, okay,’ she said, heading down the path.
There was nothing untoward, nothing sinister going on in her street. She was just getting easily spooked.
Her legs seemed loath to carry her into the house. She suspected it was the prospect of another fun-filled night in Leanne’s scintillating company.
Leanne turned. ‘I swear, I’m gonna physically grab you and—’