after that.’
But as Gis well knows, Sasha’s phone was already off by then – she’d never have received it. Did she get off that bus at Cherwell Drive, in the dark, on her own, to wait for a father who was never going to show?
There’s a silence. Blake looks agitated and uneasy but Gislingham doesn’t doubt he’s telling the truth. He’s just terrified about his other half finding out what he was really up to. That’s what’s got him so jumpy. Not his nineteen-hours-missing daughter.
‘I’m afraid we will have to speak to Amanda,’ Gis continues, injecting as much disdain into the name as he can get away with. ‘We’ll need her to corroborate what you’ve said. Perhaps you could give DC Everett her details.’
You’re really bricking it now, aren’t you, he thinks, looking at Blake’s face as he writes down the number. His hand is shaking. Then Gislingham gets to his feet and Everett does the same.
‘But don’t worry, sir, we won’t tell the missus. Unless, of course, we have no choice.’
* * *
Adam Fawley
4 April 2018
17.32
‘So where are we, Sergeant?’
It’s 5.30, in the incident room. Twitter is alive with rumours of a missing girl and I’m going to be in front of a TV camera in half an hour so I’d quite like to have something I could actually say.
Gis looks up. He has a list, which is a good sign. But he’s frowning, which isn’t. ‘We haven’t had any luck tracking down Sasha’s boyfriend.’
He glances at Baxter. ‘We don’t have her phone, of course, which is making things a lot harder, and we haven’t managed to crack the password on the laptop, but we’ve only had it a couple of hours –’
‘Still nothing on social media?’
‘Nope,’ says Baxter. ‘Sod all.’
I turn to Everett. ‘What about Ashley Brotherton?’
Ev shakes her head. ‘We did check but nothing doing. Seems he cut his hand quite badly at work yesterday and was sat in the A&E department at the John Rad until 10.00 last night waiting to get it stitched.’
I frown; he still seems like a pretty good bet to me. ‘Has the hospital confirmed that?’
‘Not yet, sir, but we’ve asked for the CCTV from their car park. Apparently the site foreman had to take him in, but they went in Brotherton’s van so we should be able to find it on the footage if he’s telling the truth. But I think we’ll find he is.’
She has one of those I told you so looks on her face now which prickles my irritation. But perhaps I’m just imagining it.
‘And Jonathan Blake?’
‘Nothing doing,’ says Gis. ‘We spoke to the “client” he was having drinks with and she confirmed where he was. Though she was pretty pissed off to be dragged into all this so I can’t see Blake doing business with her any time soon –’
‘As opposed to doing the business,’ says Quinn with a smirk. ‘Which I reckon he’s already managed.’
‘And there’s nothing whatsoever to connect him to the assault on Faith,’ continues Gislingham, ignoring Quinn. ‘He’s got a solid alibi for that morning, for a start – he was on a client call in Swindon.’
I go up to the board and stand there, staring at it. At the pictures of the two girls. At the white space between the two that we still haven’t found anything to fill.
‘And we’re absolutely sure they don’t know each other?’ I ask, without turning round.
‘Yes, sir,’ replies Somer. ‘I asked Faith.’
I pick up the marker pen and draw a circle slowly around Faith’s picture. And then another, around Sasha’s. And in the centre, where they overlap, I put a question mark. Then I step back and snap the top back on the pen.
‘You don’t think Sasha’s with her boyfriend, do you?’ says Somer heavily.
‘I hope she is. I hope they’re having wild irresponsible teenage sex and haven’t yet managed to come up for air. But we have to assume the worst. We always have to assume the worst. Unless and until.’
* * *
THE CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT
The Old Bailey
London EC4M 7EH
BEFORE:
THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE HEALEY
R E G I N A
v.
GAVIN FRANCIS PARRIE
* * *
MR. R. BARNES Q.C. and MISS S. GREY
appeared on behalf of the prosecution.
MRS. B. JENKINS Q.C. and MR. T. CUTHBERT
appeared on behalf of the defendant.
* * *
Tuesday, 9th November, 1999
[Day 18]
ADAM FAWLEY, sworn
Examined by MR. BARNES
Q. Name and rank please?
A. Detective Sergeant 0877 Fawley, Thames Valley Police.
Q. I believe you were the officer who questioned Ms. Sheldon after the attempted assault on 4th