Yes, they did. No matter how little the dad was involved in a kid’s life, the father was always a main suspect. If he had been the one who had taken Matthew, they might have had him back by now. No, that line was closed. ‘Donna didn’t tell him she was pregnant–she found out he was a smackhead pretty soon after she did the test and she didn’t want someone like that involved in the baby’s life. She got this flat–shit, but at least somewhere for her to make her own life, and we decided we’d do all we could for him.’

‘You were still good friends?’ asked Sam.

‘Yeah, yeah we were–I wasn’t much use when she was pregnant, I was a bit wild back then, but once that kid was born…we both adored him. He was the most gorgeous baby you’ve ever seen. I’ve got a flat in the next block and I’m here all the time. Not for babysitting–she wouldn’t spend a moment apart from him, but, well, I was just sort of drawn here. I loved it. I’d never seen someone love their kid the way Donna loved Matthew. All around us, there were our mates getting pregnant, having them or not, not really caring one way or the other, but it was like Donna came alive when she had that baby. And now? Now I’ve killed all of that, haven’t I?’

Chapter Nineteen

Angie Bell’s story rang true–and it had been checked a hundred times. Sam needed to stay objective–there was a reason for her being that way Angie needed to be grounded to see if they could get any more details from her and to help her cope when the news blitz started. She had spent a lot of time on this estate, and it sounded as if Donna Cook was by far the exception to the rule. She had wanted her baby she had loved her baby she had nurtured him and she had now lost him.

‘It wasn’t your fault, Angie,’ Sheila Docherty said. ‘You know that. It was the fault of whoever took Matthew. Let’s just focus on whether you can tell us anything else that can help us get him back. What do you remember happened at the bus station?’