‘Good old Dave! There’s a lot more to him than people think, sir, and his home life is difficult, to say the least.’ She looked at her boss. ‘Cut him some slack, sir. Just because he doesn’t rabbit on about his problems, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have them. Don’t tell him I told you this, but his wife has early on-set Alzheimer’s. He has a lot to handle.’

‘Why the devil didn’t he say? We could help!’ The superintendent looked dumbfounded.

‘Ever heard of pride, sir?’

‘I’ll speak to him, Nikki. Privately and with no mention of what you just said. Simply to commend him on his work today, and maybe he’ll open up a bit.’

‘Maybe, but don’t hang by your eyelashes.’ Nikki gave him a tired smile. ‘What you could do is make sure some of the younger probationers know how professionally he acted today. It doesn’t do to write off the old-timers; their experience is worth its weight in gold.’

‘Point taken. I’ll make sure they hear about him. Ah, look!’

The sergeant was beckoning to them.

‘Are you okay with this, Nikki? After what happened earlier, you don’t have to be here.’ The Super looked suddenly concerned about her.

‘I’m fine, sir, and I’m seeing this through. For Joseph’s sake, and for Kerry. Let’s go, shall we?’

The interview took very little time, and resulted in an irate Rick Bainbridge storming from the room growling. ‘Her idea of knowing where someone is and mine are a very different thing!’

‘At least we’ve got a clearer location to search this time, sir.’

‘Did you hear that smart comment about the marshes not having post codes?’

Nikki nodded. ‘I did, but the area she mentioned is well known to me. Shall I organize a team, sir?’

The Super shook his head. ‘Don’t be daft, Nikki! You know we can’t head out for at least four hours yet. It’s the dead of night! Pitch black and it’s now pissing with rain again! Doyle’s indicated a treacherous spot in the middle of the bloody marshes! It’ll be bad enough after dawn, yet alone now. We can’t put more lives at risk.’

Nikki knew all that, but it had been worth a try.

‘Go home! And tell your team to do the same. Grab some sleep. God knows you all need it. We’ll find her, Nikki, just as soon as it’s safe to get out there, we’ll find her.’

‘I know, sir. It’s just that I’d prefer her to still be alive.’

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE