Best had been holding Maggie Cooper captive and she had somehow escaped. The fact the call had been cut short meant Best knew she was out and had stopped her cry for help, and that meant Wynne had to get there as soon as possible.

The speedometer was a few clicks shy of ninety miles per hour when she went through the light. Next to her DS Chan was gripping the sides of his seat.

‘How much further?’ he said.

‘Two minutes,’ Wynne replied.

Almost exactly two minutes later she braked to a stop outside Best’s house. A house she knew well. There was no car outside, although the garage door was closed, so it could be in there.

She ran to the front door and rang the doorbell. There was no answer.

‘Best!’ she shouted. ‘Open the door!’ She turned to DS Chan. ‘Ready?’

He looked at her. ‘Are you sure we should do this?’

‘Now,’ she said, and raised her foot, sole facing the door.

Chan lifted his and they kicked the door. It juddered, and they kicked it again. The lock gave and it banged open.

Wynne ran inside. The house was quiet; she checked the living room and dining room. Nothing.

‘You check the kitchen,’ she said. ‘I’ll look upstairs.’

She was in the bathroom when she heard DS Chan calling her name. When she reached the kitchen he wasn’t there.

‘DS Chan?’

‘In the garage,’ he called.

She walked through a white door. DS Chan was standing in the middle of the garage, looking down at a set of steps.

‘This is it,’ he said. ‘This is the place. But there’s no one here.’

Martin

Martin’s phone rang. He frowned.

It was DI Wynne.

He hadn’t heard from her in a long time. He let it ring to voicemail. He didn’t want to deal with her at the moment. He’d call her later.

The phone rang again. Wynne, again.

It must be important.

After all these years, it must be Maggie.

He put it to his ear.

‘Mr Cooper? This is DI Wynne. I worked—’

‘I know,’ Martin said. ‘I’m a bit tied up. How can I help?’

‘I have some news,’ DI Wynne said. She sounded nervous. ‘There’s been a development in your daughter’s case.’

Martin sat up. ‘What? What kind of development?’

‘Your daughter – Maggie – was imprisoned,’ Wynne said. ‘She was held captive.’

‘Captive? How do you know?’

A nurse opened the door to the waiting room. ‘Mr Cooper?’ she said. ‘Your wife is out. You can come through.’

Martin looked at the nurse then at his phone then back at the nurse. He covered the phone with his hand.

‘One second,’ he said, then lifted the phone to his ear. ‘I’m at the hospital,’ he said. ‘I have to go and see Sandra.’

‘Is everything OK?’ Wynne said.

‘I’m about to find out.’