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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
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  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
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  55. 52
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  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. Acknowledgements

She hoped her masquerade of sharing confidential information might encourage the woman to speak more freely to her, but the woman merely grunted.

‘Do you have any idea where Ella might have gone?’

‘I told you, I haven’t seen them for about a week, and that’s all I know.’

‘Who else was living here with her?’

‘No one.’

‘You just said there was someone else in the flat.’

‘No, I didn’t.’

‘You said “them”?’

‘Just her and the baby,’ the woman explained.

‘Baby?’

‘Yes, she’s got a young baby about six months old.’

Geraldine felt a tremor of foreboding. ‘When did you last see them?’

‘Oh, I don’t know.’

‘Was it more recently than, say, several months ago?’

‘I just told you, I saw them a few days ago.’

Geraldine spoke very deliberately. ‘And you’re sure you saw Ella, the woman who lives here, and her baby? Was it just the two of them? There wasn’t anyone else with them?’

The neighbour stared at Geraldine in surprise. ‘No, it was just the two of them. And she had her baby with her. I know what I saw, and it’s her baby all right.’

‘Are you sure it was her baby you saw with her?’

‘Unless there’s another baby living with her that cries all night every bloody night –’

The woman broke off and an expression of alarm spread over her face. Perhaps she too was thinking of the reports in the media about a missing baby.

‘No, that’s fine,’ Geraldine hastened to reassure her, worried that the neighbour might be in contact with Ella and alert her to the fact that the police were interested in the identity of the baby she was looking after. ‘It’s not her or her baby we’re investigating, but someone else we think she might know. Can you tell me where I might find her?’

‘I just told you, I’ve no idea. Like I said, I haven’t seen her for a few days.’

Not since Ella decided to disappear with the baby she had abducted, Geraldine thought.

She handed the other woman her card. ‘Thank you, you’ve been very helpful. If you see Ella, please don’t tell her we were here asking for her. I don’t want to frighten her off.’ She forced a smile in an attempt to reassure the neighbour. ‘This is merely a routine enquiry, but if you could give me a ring to let me know when she comes home, that would be really helpful.’

From the expression on the woman’s face, Geraldine guessed she was more likely to warn Ella the police were looking for her than contact them, but she had to try.