Elliot went downstairs and drifted through the old dining room, and the living room, where Ben used to make him listen to weird recordings. He was about to leave when he noticed a brick by the fireplace was askew. Elliot recalled his father showing him the secret hiding place that lay beyond, and he went over and pulled the brick out. He reached into the small cubby hole and felt a piece of paper.

He unfolded it and read the distinctive typescript, as rain drummed the window.

Fluttering on a wind that isn’t there

The kite floats along the corridor

Light beyond

Dark behind

A girl skips after it

Chasing

Hands reaching

Fingers stretched

And sprung

Ready for the moment

Hungry for the catch

Always on and on

The kite floats along

On a wind that isn’t there

Hurry Harri

Your time has come

Elliot’s stomach knotted, and his heart raced. He knew where Ben Elmys was going.

Harriet Kealty was in grave danger.

Chapter 37

Harri loved the morning briefings. Every time she stood in front of the men and women she commanded, it reminded her of how far she’d come. There had been a time in the distant past when she’d thought her career was over, but the discovery of the video had seen her reinstated. Powell had taken early retirement after questions were raised about his failure to properly investigate the incident, and his role in Harri’s dismissal, and after a year as his interim replacement, Harri got his job permanently. She’d been running the serious crimes unit for more than ten years, and her stewardship had nudged their clearance rate up by a couple of points.

‘Blues are expecting trouble at the Stoke match on Saturday, but I want everyone to stay focused on the Heinemann investigation. We need to find him and bring him in,’ she said. ‘Let’s go people.’

It was her trademark sign-off, something she’d borrowed from an old American TV show.

The briefing broke up and she slipped out of the room before her subordinates. She crossed the detective pool and went into what had once been Powell’s office, but was now very much hers. She shut the door as her team went back to their desks and the day’s hubbub started.

She sat in her high-backed chair and turned to look at the jagged rooftops of Hanley, which stretched into the distance on the other side of her large window. A brooding sky hung over the city, and flecks of drizzle streaked the glass. It was a miserable day, but this was her home, and the familiar scene brought her contentment, if not happiness.

She had the job, which kept her intellectually stimulated and busy, and that was a lot more than most people could hope for. But she still had a gap in her life, which she tried not to think about. Sometimes when she was out and saw couples holding hands, or families with children, she couldn’t help wonder what was wrong with her, and why, after all these years, she hadn’t been able to find someone to love her.