Sucking in air, he put his head down, moved swiftly past the door and headed for the lifts, but not before he caught sight of the small handwritten nameplate to one side of the closed door.

It simply read, Hannah Galena.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

NIKKI HAD ONLY managed to snatch a few minutes sleep in between tossing and turning uncomfortably on her sofa. Earlier, when she had finally arrived home, she had felt better. It always helped to talk to her daughter. And she was sure that she’d seen signs of improvement in Hannah. The nurses had not agreed, but then they wouldn’t. It wasn’t up to them to give what may be false hope. But a mother knew best, didn’t she?

She had curled up under her blanket, believing, as she always did, that one day she would get her beautiful daughter back.

But then the dark thoughts had descended. Thoughts about Kerry Anderson. Would her parents ever get their beautiful daughter back? The clock was ticking, and they still had nothing to go on.

And then there were the other disturbing thoughts about Joseph Easter. Since the fight on the Carborough Estate, she had been seeing flashes of how her new sergeant had conducted himself. Those lightening-fast moves were not right. And those later comments about being a squaddie? No squaddie she’d ever met had that kind of reflexes. And they were always proud of their regiment, far more so than their place in the police force. That was why they were often disliked, because their allegiance was always, first and foremost, the Army. And Joseph wasn’t like that at all.

As Nikki locked her front door and stepped out into the early morning air, she wondered if she should talk to Rick Bainbridge about him. After all, the Super had made some comment about there being more to Joseph Easter than met the eye. Perhaps he knew something she didn’t. She shook her head and carefully stepped around a torn rubbish bag that had deposited its stinking contents across her path. She really couldn’t afford all this. She needed to keep her whole focus on Kerry Anderson, not pondering about her sergeant’s dubious origins. With a grunt of irritation, she speeded up her step and headed towards the police station.

As Nikki headed for work, Marcus and Mickey slipped quietly away from the Carborough.

‘Usual drop?’ asked Mickey as he struggled to keep up with Marcus’s long-legged stride.

‘Not this time. Things are heating up, so they’ve changed the location.’ The older boy looked almost haggard in the early morning light. ‘And you’re dead certain that your mum and dad don’t suspect anything?’

Mickey frowned. ‘They don’t give a shit what I do.’

‘You know what I mean, muppet! You are being careful, aren’t you?’