Sarah hadn’t told Elsie that an arrest package was being put together to bring Christian in. Officers were taking their time and doing the groundwork. They only needed suspicion of a crime to carry out an arrest, but the difficulty arose later with persuading the Crown Prosecution Service that they had enough evidence for a charge. The CPS would only approve cases which had a realistic chance of conviction in court. Timing was everything. Wait too long to arrest and they were at the risk of losing vital evidence. Move too quickly and they might be underprepared and fail to get a charge. Sarah wasn’t privy to every facet of the investigation but the team were doing everything in their power to bring Jahmelia home. So was she, even if some of her movements were off the radar. The irony was, she felt less sure of Christian’s guilt now, since she’d spoken to his mother. After cleaning her hands with an antibacterial wipe, Sarah drove out of the McDonald’s car park. Her shift was almost over and she knew where she had to go.

She had received Gabby’s call just as she was leaving the hospital. As always, it was blunt and to the point. She wanted Sarah to act as her go-between. Gabby wasn’t allowed access to the investigation, but Sarah could give her an insight into how things were being handled. Sarah didn’t mind being put in an awkward position if it meant helping Gabby out. Time was slipping through their fingers. A huge push had been made in the search for Jahmelia, and police dogs had tracked her scent to the local playground. It seemed she’d snuck out to meet someone – the question was, who? Her parents’ heartfelt press appeal was heavily featured in the media and online. DI Lee was doing a good job of drafting in specialist teams to help. From profilers to flyovers, he had requested it all. Reported sightings were trickling in but none had borne fruit so far.

Having gone off duty at the station, Sarah headed to Gabby’s flat. The renovated four-floor townhouses were situated in Upper Slayton and built with professionals in mind. It was the go-to place for out-of-towners when it came to renting. Sarah had viewed them herself when she and David returned to Slayton. In the end, they rented the old post office cottage on the corner. One of her earliest memories was of her mother lifting her up to the red postbox to mail a letter. If she was lucky, on a sunny day they would buy an ice cream in the post office shop and eat it on the way home. Powerful emotions were invoked each time she caught the scent of the wisteria in full bloom. It was hardly any wonder she had been drawn to the place.