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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

‘That’s what we’re trying to find out,’ Geraldine replied. ‘That’s why we’re keen to speak to everyone who ever met Jessica, in an attempt to find out where Daisy could be. Jessica, do you have any idea where Ella might be?’

Jessica shook her head.

‘Did she ever mention any other friend to you? A boyfriend, perhaps? Did she tell you the name of the father of her own baby, or say anything about him? Anything at all that might help us to trace him? She could have gone to him.’

Jessica was crying too hard to answer.

‘Sergeant,’ Anne said, ‘my daughter has already told you she knows nothing about this woman. Now can we please focus on finding Daisy?’

‘It’s possible Ella may be able to help us,’ Geraldine replied. ‘Until we find her, we can’t be sure she can’t help us.’

‘Why aren’t you out looking for her then? What are you doing here, pestering my daughter like this?’

Geraldine hid a spasm of irritation. If this interview was challenging for her, it was even more difficult for the missing baby’s mother and grandmother. Recently widowed, their situations were truly awful, while Geraldine was just trying to cope with the familiar frustrations of her work. Quietly she explained that a major manhunt was under way, but still all the police really knew so far was that Daisy was missing.

‘We’re conducting an extensive search.’

‘So what you’re saying is, you have no idea at all where Daisy could be,’ Anne snapped.

‘Not yet, no. But we want to speak to anyone who met Jessica, and find out whether they have anything that might help us.’

Anne sniffed. ‘Grasping at straws,’ she muttered.

‘Perhaps, but we’re hoping that, sooner or later, one of those straws will lead us to Daisy,’ Geraldine said.

46

46

Someone had been ringing the bell, but Ella had stopped opening the door. She didn’t want to see anyone. If she hadn’t run out of supplies, she would never have gone out again. Now that she had left the flat, she knew she couldn’t go back. Turning away from the counter in her local corner shop, she filled her basket with nappies, wet wipes, packets of SMA and jars of baby food before hurrying back to the counter to pay. Pulling her hood further down over her eyes and praying the baby wouldn’t make a noise and draw attention to them, she handed over the cash, grabbed her change and fled. She was still feeling shocked and shaky from seeing her own face staring back at her from the front page of a local newspaper. Luckily the young man behind the counter didn’t appear to have looked at it, or at least didn’t recognise her beneath her hood.