‘Before you go,’ Wynne said, ‘let me tell you what happened.’

‘Go ahead.’

‘Someone – a young woman – dialled 999 and said your daughter’s name. That was all they had time to say before the line was cut off. However, we have the number she rang from. It’s a mobile phone belonging to Colin Best.’

‘Best? What does he have to do with this?’

‘We think it was him who took her. We found a secret room under his garage, but it was empty when we got there. We think he knew she’d called 999 and fled with her.’

Martin’s legs shook; he sat down heavily.

‘Is she alive?’

There was a pause. ‘We have every reason to think so. We have all available resources looking for her.’

‘My God,’ Martin said. ‘I don’t believe it.’

‘Mr Cooper? Are you all right?’ The nurse walked over to him, frowning in concern.

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I got some – some unexpected news.’

Wynne spoke again. ‘You should go. I’ll ring as soon as I have any kind of update.’

‘Thank you,’ Martin said. He cut the connection and stood up. His legs were still weak and he steadied himself against the arm of the chair. ‘OK,’ he said. ‘Let’s go.’

Wynne

The first few hours were critical. Best would likely have a place he could go to ground. Once he was there it would be hard to find him. It was while he was on the move that they had the best chance of catching him.

They had found a passport photo of him in a drawer in the house and that, along with the make, model and registration of his car, was now circulating among every police force in the country. Border Control also had the photo, as well as an alert on his passport. In case he had a fake, they had been told to look out for a man in his sixties travelling with a girl in her late twenties.

Wynne didn’t think he would try and leave the country, though. It was too risky, especially since the description didn’t stop at a man in his sixties and a woman half that age.

It also included a toddler.

There wasn’t much in the room under the garage, but what there was included a child’s clothes and some toys. She hadn’t mentioned to Martin Cooper that he might have a grandchild, but it looked as though he did.

There was also a lot of blood, which must have left someone with some injuries. Such an unusual group travelling together, one of whom would look like they’d been in a boxing match, would draw a lot of attention to them.

So he may have got rid of them.Wynne doubted it. Not after so much time. Still, she’d make sure that the alert included the instruction to look out only for Best.