the bearded crew guy, trolleying a large metal box towards them. ‘We’re packing up now.’ They move away from the van and stand by the privet hedge.
‘This is really bad, Rubes,’ Lewis says. ‘You’re in deep shit.’
‘I know. But I’m going to have to tell the police. It’s an important piece of evidence.’
‘I’m not sure they’ll believe you, that’s the trouble.’ His forehead creases with concern. ‘It sounds like you’ve made it up to get us off the hook.’
‘But it’s the truth! Everyone’s concentrating on last Saturday, but it’s the week before that matters. That’s when it all started. They’ll have to do the reconstruction again. I need to tell them now.’ She turns on her heel and makes for the front door.
‘Just hold on!’ He pulls at her sleeve. ‘Think it through first, get your facts organised. When did you realise that you’d lost the key?’
She hesitates. ‘I didn’t, that’s the thing. When I couldn’t find it, I assumed I’d just mislaid it. Then it turned up in the flat a few days later, so I stopped worrying about it.’
‘What?’ He wrinkles his nose. ‘Well surely, that means you didn’t leave it in the door.’
‘But I did. I know I did,’ she insists. ‘The memory was buried deep in my subconscious. The abductor must have left the key in the flat so we wouldn’t get suspicious.’
‘In which case they couldn’t have got back in! Ruby, none of this makes any sense.’
‘I need to talk to Amber, ask her exactly when and how she found the key.’
‘She doesn’t want to talk to you.’
‘I know … I feel so bad. I’ve been so angry with her for blaming me – blaming us – and it turns out it was my fault all along.’ She feels the tears marshalling. ‘God, I even accused her of having an affair – of Mabel not being George’s baby. How mean was that?’
‘Ruby—’
‘I’ve got to talk to her!’
‘Before you wade in, I think we should—’
But she doesn’t care what Lewis thinks. She knows she’s on to something, that this is important, that the answer is there, ready to be teased out. She barges her way through the film crew and the police guard and bangs loudly on Amber’s door.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Day Seven without Mabel
Amber turns anxiously to Sally. ‘Who’s that? I thought there was a guard outside.’
‘There is. Don’t worry, I’ll get it.’ Sally rises and goes downstairs.
‘This is crazy,’ says George. ‘We can’t even answer our own front door any more.’ He leaps impatiently from the sofa and starts pacing around the room.
‘Shh!’
Amber listens. Somebody is trying to persuade Sally to let them in. She knows from those persistent tones that it’s Ruby. Her sister has been shivering outside all morning, observing the reconstruction. Even though they parted on very bad terms two days ago, Amber still feels bad about not letting her wait indoors. But George wouldn’t hear of it, and anyway, Lewis is with her. She doesn’t want to see him if she can help it. He makes her feel scared.
Her thoughts twist into a knot. The idea of him wanting to harm a little baby is monstrous, but seeing that photo taken from CCTV unnerved her. It’s been blown up and analysed to the nth degree, but the results are inconclusive. The police can’t say for sure that it’s Lewis carrying Mabel, but as he’s of a similar height and build, he can’t be ruled out either.
‘Amber! I have to speak to you,’ says Ruby, bursting into the lounge.
Sally is close behind. ‘Are you okay with this?’ she asks. ‘I’m sorry, but she barged past me. She says it’s to do with the investigation.’
‘I can speak for myself, thanks … Amber, please? This is really important.’
‘Going to finally tell the truth, is that it?’ snarls George.
‘I’ve always told the truth – always.’ Ruby shoots Amber an appealing look.
‘Go on then.’ Amber gestures at her sister to sit down.
Ruby takes the small upright chair by the desk. She leans forward, hands gripped over her knees. ‘I think I know what happened,’ she says. ‘Not last Saturday, but the one before. I think I know how the abductor got hold of the key.’
‘And you’ve only just remembered?’ George says incredulously. ‘That sounds a bit convenient.’
‘Please, listen!’ Ruby draws in her breath. ‘That weekend, when you had your night away, remember when you came home and asked me for the key, I couldn’t find it?’
‘Yes …’ replies Amber slowly. ‘But it wasn’t lost, I found it