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Back Deadly Revenge
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

After running over the case so far, and reiterating what needed to be done, Eileen dismissed the assembled team to their various tasks. Geraldine went back to Jessica’s parents’ house and Anne let her in. If her eyes had not been bloodshot and puffy, she would have given no indication that there was anything amiss. Glancing around, Geraldine noticed a pushchair folded in a corner of the hallway, and she caught a glimpse of a highchair in the dining room as they passed the open door.

‘Can I offer you some tea, Detective Sergeant?’ Anne asked.

Geraldine declined the offer, and Anne led her into an elegant living room, where Jessica was weeping hysterically. Once they were all seated, Geraldine explained what the police needed to know. It took a while, but at last she was able to gather a list of people who had visited Jessica’s house since Daisy was born. Jessica was an only child and she had few friends, so the list was short. To begin with, Jessica’s parents had been frequent visitors to the house during the first three months of Daisy’s life, after which Jessica had taken to going to visit them.

‘It was good for her to go out,’ Anne explained, as though Jessica was incapable of going anywhere other than her parents’ house.

Jason’s parents lived further north, in Harrogate, but they had been to see the baby when she was born. According to Jessica, they had not been back since, but she and Jason had taken Daisy to see them several times, on family birthdays and over the Christmas period. Jason had a brother who lived in Sheffield and he had met Daisy at his parents’ house but had never visited Jessica and Jason. Apart from that, Jessica had taken her baby in to her former workplace to show her off to her colleagues, none of whom had been to her house.

‘She’s not exactly friends with any of them,’ Anne explained, once again answering Geraldine’s questions as though Jessica was unable to speak for herself. ‘My daughter’s been very tired since the birth, and is often up at nights with such a young baby. She has little energy for socialising.’

Geraldine told them that all of the relations they had mentioned had been visited by local police officers and no one had any idea where the baby was. Only Jason had yet to be questioned.

‘When is he due home?’ Geraldine asked.

‘He’s supposed to be back tonight or tomorrow,’ Jessica replied. ‘He said he was going away for the weekend.’