Ryan shrugged. ‘That’s how we think about it. But we’re rational people, DI Wynne. This person is not. Still, let’s move on to question two. Who?’

‘There’s no one obvious. No disgruntled friend or colleague. We considered obsessive fans – one name came up, but we’ve ruled him out – and then there was an ex-girlfriend of the husband. She was pretty intense: lied about being pregnant to try and hang on to him, showed up at the christening of the first child threatening revenge.’

‘Sounds promising.’

‘We talked to her. We considered her husband, but his alibi checks out. Hers too. She’s in the clear.’

‘What about Annabelle’s husband? He’s a lawyer, right? Any enemies?’

‘Not that he can think of. But we’ll check. We’ll interview his colleagues.’

Ryan bit her lip. ‘Did the wife have a lover?’

‘We can’t ask her, obviously,’ Wynne said. ‘But she didn’t mention anything to her husband before the handover.’

‘She wouldn’t.’

‘You think? With the kids at stake? I think she would have confessed.’

‘It’s possible she didn’t.’

‘Possible,’ Wynne conceded.

‘And if it is that, find the lover and you find her,’ Ryan said. ‘What else have you got?’

‘Nothing. We’re looking for the van he put her in. We have it on CCTV leaving the car park at the truck stop, but there’s been no trace since.’

‘Vans don’t just disappear, DI Wynne.’

‘I know they don’t. So the fact we can’t find any sign of it suggests he hid it and switched to another vehicle.’

‘In which case we would have no idea what we’re looking for,’ said Ryan. ‘You have to find that van.’

‘That’s what we’re working on,’ Wynne said. ‘It hasn’t shown up on any of the ANPR cameras in the area, so we’re assuming it was hidden quite close to the truck stop. Say within fifteen miles. But there’s a lot of places to hide a van within fifteen miles of that truck stop.’

‘Keep looking for it,’ Ryan said. ‘This isn’t a random kidnap, DI Wynne. There’s a reason for this, and if we can find out what that is, we’ll find Annabelle Westbrook. Interview everyone you can think of, everyone who knows Matt and Annabelle. Friends, family, colleagues, ex-boyfriends and girlfriends. Find anything you can that might be a motive.’

‘We will,’ Wynne said, and she hoped for the sake of Matt, Annabelle and their kids that something came up, because as things stood she was completely in the dark.

Annabelle

1

‘So,’ he said, a thin smile on his lips. ‘Aren’t you glad we’re finally here?’