Suddenly, Adrian felt a hand grip his calf. The kind you half expect when you step out of bed in the middle of the night. He froze. He took a deep breath before turning the dim light of the phone screen towards the woman to illuminate her face. She blinked slowly.

She was alive.

‘Adrian?’ Walsh said.

‘She’s alive, Walsh, get an ambulance! She’s alive!’

Chapter Two

Adrian immediately removed his jacket and threw it over the woman to keep her warm. He stuffed his phone into his back pocket and knelt down next to her, gently removing the muddy hair from her face. She was younger than him, mid twenties at a guess.

‘Can you hear me? I’m Detective Sergeant Adrian Miles; I’m going to help you. Can you move?’

She nodded her head weakly. How long had she been here? She must be freezing. Even in the summer the river wasn’t warm.

‘Can you tell me your name?’

‘I’m so c-c-cold,’ she said faintly.

‘We have to wait here for the guys with the stretcher, OK? I don’t want to move you in case anything is broken.’

He went to stand again but she grabbed his hand, this time with more strength than before.

‘P-p-please get me out of h-h-here,’ the woman whispered.

DS Miles could see she had tried to pull herself out of the water, which is why only part of her was still submerged.

‘We really should wait for the paramedics.’

‘C-cold … P-please,’ she rasped.

‘OK, I’ll try. But you tell me straight away if I hurt you.’

Lying next to her on the bank, Adrian got as close to her as he could, the chill of the water against his thighs inconsequential. She groaned as he tilted her enough that he could slip his shoulder underneath hers and gradually slide his arm under her for support as he tried to pull her from the brambles. She was weak and completely limp, with barely enough strength to lift her head. The left side of her torso was supported by the right side of his. Some of her blonde hair had become entangled in the spiny branches that protruded from the hedge. Adrian gently tugged at the hair to dislodge it, leaving some of it behind.

As soon as she was free, he put his arm around her waist and tried to move with her away from the hedge. Her head thumped against his chest. He felt her sigh heavily, her weak heartbeat gently beating against his arm. He pushed his legs against the floor of the muddy bank and as he moved up onto the safety of the grass, she moved with him. He sat up and she lolloped forwards, weak from exhaustion. Adrian didn’t care to think how long she had been lying there. He moved her onto his lap and put her arm around his shoulder.