Behind Dead Eyes (DC Ian Bradshaw #2) - Howard Linskey Page 0,3

air time seemed to stretch out and Tom found himself concentrating hard while he waited for the councillor to speak once more.

‘Take your time, Frank,’ his host told the former councillor but he was really urging him to say his piece.

‘I’m sorry.’ And Tom’s heart went out to the poor man. A politician lost for words? It would have been comical if it hadn’t been so tragic.

‘That’s absolutely fine, we all understand what you are going through right now,’ the host assured him. How could you, Tom wondered? ‘Perhaps you could begin by describing her.’

There was another pause while Jarvis attempted to find the words. ‘Sandra is five feet five inches tall with long blonde hair. When she was last seen she was wearing jeans and a blue T-shirt, with white trainers and a dark brown coat.’

‘Now why don’t you tell us, in your own words, what happened on the day she disappeared?’

‘My daughter told us she was going out with some friends,’ he began. ‘She was in her second term of her first year at Durham University and was home with us in Newcastle during reading week. We thought she was staying with a friend and were expecting her back the following night but she never came home.’ When he said that Tom could clearly detect the disbelief in his voice, even after all this time.

‘And what do you think has happened to Sandra?’

‘We don’t know,’ Jarvis admitted, ‘we just don’t know. It turned out she hadn’t stayed with the friend and no one close to her had seen Sandra for a couple of days before she finally disappeared but there were a number of sightings of her in the city during that period.’

‘And when was the last time anyone did see your daughter?’

‘That was on the eighteenth of February, when she bought a rail ticket at Newcastle Central Station.’

‘Do you have any idea where she was going?’ the host asked.

‘No,’ admitted Jarvis.

‘And I understand there was no particular reason for her to run away like that? She didn’t have any problems?’

‘None,’ he said and Jarvis sounded surprised again, ‘nothing, no reason at all. Sandra was always such a happy girl who had no reason to run away from home. She wasn’t in any trouble.’ Then he added quickly, ‘she isn’t in any trouble. We just want her to come home.’

‘And the police have been investigating but have no leads at all?’ the DJ questioned. ‘Even after eight months?’

‘We can’t fault the police. They have done everything they can. They have spoken to dozens of people about the disappearance of my daughter and kept us fully informed.’

‘And yet there have been no sightings of Sandra since that day when she boarded a train out of Newcastle?’

‘There have been numerous sightings,’ Jarvis corrected the host, ‘all over the country, but we have no way of knowing if they are genuine. We are just hoping and praying she is safe and one day will come back to us.’

‘This is a difficult question, Frank, but I know you want to give out as much information as possible.’ He paused. ‘Might someone have taken Sandra and could they perhaps be holding her against her will?’

Tom guessed the question had been pre-agreed between them.

‘It is possible,’ admitted Jarvis. ‘Sandra is not the kind of girl who would just run off, so the police say they can’t rule anything out. If someone out there knows something, anything at all, please come forward so you can help us to find my daughter.’ He cleared his throat once more. ‘Until that day comes, I will continue with the Searching-for-Sandra campaign,’ and he went on to give the campaign’s phone number.

‘And what kind of person is Sandra, Frank?’ asked the radio host when he was done.

‘Sandra is a kind and loving human being who lights up any room she walks into. She’s fiercely intelligent, has done well at everything she’s ever turned her hand to but is still a caring person with lots of friends. She would help anyone, absolutely anyone. She is our world,’ he concluded, ‘and I don’t know how we are managing without her.’

‘And if, by some chance, she is listening now …?’

‘I’d say please just get in touch, Sandra; you can phone home or call this show or the nearest police station but please just let us know you are safe. We’re not angry, we’re not upset, we just want you to come home.’

‘Frank Jarvis,’ the radio host sounded genuinely moved this time, ‘thank