Evanly Bodies - By Rhys Bowen Page 0,59

have him assigned to this new Major Crimes Unit."

"Is that why I'm there too?" Evan asked. He had meant it to be flippant.

"Possible."

Evan looked at him in surprise. "Thanks a lot."

"Not me, boyo. DCI Hughes. You've made him look like a bit of an idiot before now. Not deliberately, of course, but you know what his ego is like. Anyway, it will be good for your career. And you won't have to spend your days worrying about trivial things like who is selling pot at the Wednesday market."

"About Jamila," Evan said. "Can you put out an APB to the airports to stop her from being taken abroad against her will? I'm sure it's a gray area as far as the law is concerned to stop parents from taking their own child out of the country, but in this case it's so clearly against her welfare, isn't it? And maybe ask the Leeds police to search the area where the Khans used to live, just in case Rashid has taken her back there to the custody of a family friend?"

"Telling me my job again, I see."

"No sir, just making suggestions," Evan said.

Watkins clapped him on the shoulder. "I'll do everything I can. And if she hasn't shown up in a couple of days, then we'll start considering the more serious possibilities and send out the search teams. Does the son have transportation?"

"The family has a van and a car. I presume they'd have taken the van shopping yesterday so the car would have been sitting there for Rashid to use."

"So the search might extend beyond the immediate area then," Watkins said.

"Although I can't see Jamila willingly getting into a car with him."

"If she was alive, you mean."

"Don't let's even think it. It's too horrible. Bronwen's really upset. She's very fond of this girl."

"You sound pretty upset yourself," Watkins said.

"Well, I suppose I am. Nice, bright young girl and now this."

"We'll do what we can," Watkins said. "Ten to one she's hiding out at a friend's house, and it will all turn out okay."

"I hope so." Evan left the inspector getting into his car and walked slowly back up the hill.

Chapter 20

"Evan, do you think I could take your car today?" Bronwen asked, as she poured coffee on Monday morning.

"That would mean you'd have to drive me all the way to Colwyn Bay, and I've no idea what time I'll finish up so I'd have to call you to come and get me."

"I know," she said, "but I really wanted a chance to go to Jamila's school and talk to her friends for myself. I could do that on my lunch hour if I had a car."

"You're taking over from the police now, are you?"

"I just thought that maybe I'd look less threatening to teenage girls. When they find out that I'm Jamila's friend, they may tell me something they'd promised to keep secret from the police."

"That's true enough," Evan said. "It's at times like this that two cars would be useful, wouldn't they?"

"Won't they let you check out a police car at headquarters? You surely don't have to use your own car when you're out on a case."

"Not officially," Evan said. "But if I'm in a squad car, it's usually with DI Bragg these days. And if I wanted to slip away and do a little investigating on my own, I'd need transportation."

Bronwen sighed. "Well, then you'd better take the car after all. I can't hold you up on your job. Maybe one of the other teachers would lend me her car during the lunch break. That's the one good thing about this new school so far-I don't have to be in charge of the children during the breaks. I can actually eat my lunch in the quiet of the staff dining room."

Evan thought about this as he made his way down the steep slope to the village. If eating lunch without having to supervise children was the one good thing about her new school, then Bronwen wasn't enjoying herself much. She had hardly complained, but then Evan had been so wrapped up with his own new assignment that he hadn't given her much chance to complain. Getting so upset over the Khans wasn't like her. It had to be her own frustrations coming out. Evan resolved to let her talk about it when they finally had time for a meal together. He felt guilty about taking the car now, but it really would be too awkward to find himself without