‘We both noticed a very cleaned-up kitchen skirting board and floor area, and the smell of bleach,’ Alldridge responded.

‘Sir,’ Holly Little added. ‘Neither of us were comfortable with Mrs Paternoster’s husband. It seemed to us he might be hiding something.’

‘Such as?’

‘Well, we’d like someone to look at the Tesco store’s CCTV footage to see if she did actually get out of their car, as he claims, or ever went into the store at all.’

Robinson was silent for some moments. Then he said, ‘She’s been missing since shortly after 3.15 p.m. yesterday. According to her husband, she’s not with any of their known contacts, and she failed to show up for work today, despite an important meeting?’

‘Correct,’ Alldridge confirmed.

‘And while the missing passport might indicate she has left the country, or is planning to leave, you feel it could be a double-blind?’

‘We do, sir,’ confirmed Little.

‘OK, I’m not at all happy about this situation, from all you’ve told me,’ the DI said. ‘You are right to be concerned. I’d like to run this by Major Crime and see what they think. You’ve done good work, both of you.’

17

Monday 2 September

Just gone midday, Roy Grace was reading through his completed draft report for the Chief Constable and was starting to think about lunch when he was interrupted by his job phone ringing. He answered it.

‘Sir, it’s Bryce Robinson. I have you down as the on-call SIO?’

Grace had been so absorbed in the report, and his thoughts about Guy Batchelor and Cassian Pewe, that he’d forgotten he’d assumed the role, from 7 p.m. last night until the same time next Sunday, as the duty Senior Investigating Officer for the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team.

‘Yes, that’s right, Bryce,’ he said to the DI, trying not to sound too thrown. ‘Tell me?’

Robinson talked him through the disappearance of Eden Paternoster and his concerns.

When the DI had finished, Grace asked him, ‘Who were the officers who attended at the Paternosters’ house?’

When he heard one of them was John Alldridge, he immediately took what he had heard even more seriously. ‘Alldridge was on my team for a while, Bryce – he’s sound, a very good copper.’

‘I agree with you, sir.’

‘It’s good to raise this,’ Grace said. He asked the DI to recap on a few points on which he wasn’t clear, then he sat thinking for some moments. ‘I wouldn’t ordinarily be worried after someone was missing for such a short time, but there’s something about this that feels wrong. You’ve done the right thing, calling me.’

Robinson was one of the diminishing number of senior officers in the force who remembered that Roy Grace’s own wife, Sandy, had disappeared, well over a decade ago now. And he was glad it was Grace who was the on-call SIO – some might have been dismissive, but from his own past experience, he clearly wasn’t.

‘Leave it with me, Bryce, I’ll have it looked into right away. You’ve circulated her photograph?’