Chapters (82)
- Cover
- Dedication
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
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‘That shouldn’t be necessary, but thank you anyway. I have your phone number. I’ll contact you if I need anything further.’
Beth wound up the conversation and Mrs Slater said a reluctant goodbye.
While Beth would certainly investigate the disappearance of the baby, she didn’t share Mrs Slater’s enthusiasm for it being a mystery with sinister undertones. The most likely explanation was that mother and baby were in hospital after a home delivery had developed complications. She would visit Mr and Mrs Jennings, but first she needed to check the register of births online.
Beth stayed at her computer and a few minutes later she had the information she was looking for. The birth of David Jennings hadn’t been registered. But parents had forty-two days to register the birth of their baby, so there was still plenty of time.
Twenty minutes later Beth parked the unmarked police car in the road outside 57 Booth Lane. There was a car on the Jennings’s driveway and a small window was open on the second floor, suggesting someone could be in. All the houses in the road were built in a similar 1980s terrace style with a driveway at the front just long enough to take a car. As Beth got out she glanced over at Number 55 where Mrs Slater lived. There was no sign of her, but Beth noted that if she stood at her front-bedroom window, she would have a good view of the Jennings’s drive and the road outside. It was different on the other side, Number 59; their view was obstructed by a tree.
Beth went up the path of Number 57, pressed the doorbell and waited. No one answered, so she pressed it again, waited some more, and then the door opened.
‘Mr Ian Jennings?’ she said, showing her ID. He nodded. ‘I’m Detective Constable Beth Mayes from Coleshaw CID.’
‘Yes?’ he asked sombrely.
‘Can I come in?’
‘Why? Is something the matter?’
‘It would be better if we discussed it inside.’
He moved aside to let her in and closed the door. Of average height and build, Ian Jennings was dressed in blue jeans and a navy sweatshirt. His only distinguishing feature was his blond hair. Beth followed him into the living room, which was at the front of the house and minimally furnished, with a long sofa, television and bookcase. Beth saw there was no sign of any baby equipment.
‘Is your wife Emma here?’ Beth asked.
‘She’s resting upstairs. She’s not well.’
‘Oh dear, I am sorry. What’s the matter with her?’
Ian hesitated. ‘I don’t mean to be rude, but why are you here?’
‘We’ve received a phone call from a worried member of the public. I understand your wife was expecting a baby?’