Jessica stared at the floor, her face like thunder.

‘Thank you, Michelle,’ said Alan quietly.

Only then did Michelle turn to Sasha, her eyes lifting immediately to Sasha’s white hair, because everyone clocked the hair first. Standing close, Sasha wondered if she could smell alcohol on Michelle’s breath. She’d been drinking the previous evening, but it didn’t smell like the stale funk of the night before, instead the sharp tang of spirits consumed this morning.

‘Have we met?’ Michelle asked.

The last thing Sasha wanted to do was alarm the Mannings by telling them that a girl had been seen getting bundled into a van the previous night, not when there was still every chance Sammi would return home of her own accord.

‘Michelle, isn’t it? DI Sasha Dawson.’

‘Wait.’ Michelle’s eyes flashed in recognition. ‘You were there last night.’

Jessica and Alan watched in bewilderment. ‘You know each other?’

Sasha said urgently, ‘I wonder if I may have a quick word with you outside.’

But Michelle turned back to Alan and Jessica. ‘You must be terrified after what happened to that poor girl.’

The Mannings stared, bewildered, and Sasha went quickly into damage-control mode. ‘That’s not really very helpful, we don’t yet know if—’

‘What poor girl?’ Jessica asked. ‘What’s she talking about?’

‘A girl was kidnapped last night,’ said Michelle. ‘Thrown into a van and driven off at high speed.’

‘Oh my God.’ Jessica whirled on Sasha, her voice rising hysterically. ‘Why haven’t you told us this? How could you keep it from us?’

‘We have a single witness to what may or may not have been the abduction of a girl.’ Sasha darted a fierce look at Michelle, who seemed completely unconcerned about the havoc she had caused. ‘The witness admits she may have been mistaken.’

‘Yes,’ said Michelle, finally backtracking. ‘Lydia isn’t the most reliable of people at the best of times.’

‘You were there?’ asked Alan.

‘I was in the room when she spoke to this officer about it, yes, but take it from me, Lydia is more than capable of making up some silly story.’

‘But a girl was taken!’

Alan helped Jessica back to the sofa and she sat with her head in her hands.

‘It’s a possibility.’ Sasha was annoyed at being put in a difficult position. ‘But I must stress it’s no more than that.’

‘I tell you what.’ Michelle clapped her hands together. ‘Why don’t I go and make us all a nice cup of tea?’

‘Why is she here?’ Jessica asked her husband sharply when Michelle left the room. ‘How does she know what happened?’

‘I phoned work this morning to say I wasn’t coming in, and must have mentioned that Sammi hadn’t come home.’

They heard Michelle banging open cupboards in the kitchen next door.

‘You work with her?’ Sasha asked Alan.

‘I’m Ms Dormand’s office manager.’