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Chapters (60)
  1. CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR LEIGH RUSSELL
  2. Glossary of acronyms
  3. Prologue
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. Acknowledgements

‘Yes, well, we’re going to have to catch up with him soon and find out exactly what Jason Colman is playing at,’ Eileen said. ‘A violent man gone missing at the same time as his daughter disappears, leaving traces of blood on her sheet.’ She sighed. ‘It all seems to be pointing in one direction.’

‘From what Jessica said, she has no idea where he is,’ Geraldine replied, ‘but we can’t take her word for it.’

A team were still examining any CCTV cameras that might have filmed Jason after he left the house, but he seemed to have simply vanished. Officers were sent to question the other neighbours in the street. One way or another, they had to find Jason and question him about his missing daughter.

29

29

Peering out through a gap between the curtains at her bedroom window, Jessica watched the police drive away, cursing her husband under her breath. This was all his fault. Admittedly, she had been a fool to put up with his behaviour. Ever since they were married, her life had descended into the realms of nightmare. Not only had he systematically abused her physically, mentally and emotionally, making her life a living hell, but he had threatened to take her baby away. Yet despite everything, she had been too frightened to report him to the police. She deplored her own cowardice, but she had always known that, if she betrayed him, he would kill her. What he might do to the baby was too horrifying to think about.

She used to pray he would attack someone else, beat another woman up, beat her to a pulp, beat her so badly that he would face a prison sentence when his victim reported him to the police. The more severe her injuries, the longer his sentence would be, because a stranger would have no reason to hold back in her allegations. But as far as Jessica knew, he had never lifted a finger against anyone else, only her. She wished she had never fallen in love with the man Jason had pretended to be and, most of all, she regretted having a baby with him.

She slumped down on the floor after the police had gone, listening to the faint hum of cars driving by. Eventually she clambered to her feet and went to study her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She looked terrible. Concealer and foundation would mask the blotches on her face, but even thick make-up wouldn’t disguise her swollen eyes. If she could only stop crying, the puffiness around her eyes would recede, but they would still be bloodshot. Returning to the living room, she began clearing up the mess. It was slow going because she kept returning to the mirror in the hall to examine her face. After a while she gave up. Too tired to carry on, she let go of the handful of magazines she was clutching, letting them fall to the floor.