Page 76 of Then She Vanished

Gina swallowed a thought about the Joanies of the world; the people with no one to care about them. ‘Can we put her name on another board? We have to consider a link here.’

She glanced at the timeline. Joanie vanished in 1980. Elissa vanished in 1994. Ruth was taken yesterday. There were huge gaps in the incidents.

‘Are they dead or are they still out there?’ She felt her stomach clench. ‘John Doe is only in his forties. He couldn’t have taken Joanie and it wouldn’t be likely that, as a child, he took Elissa.’

Chess and the red baseball cap filled her mind. It was as if the perpetrators were passing the baton along, or was it a network of perpetrators who used a chess club as a front.

She thought of the Bishop, the name that popped up on Gary’s screen. It was frustrating not to have anything back from digital forensics yet.

She bowed her head despairingly as she thought of Luna and Ruth.

Gina continued. ‘We have a lead on Marie. Her surname isn’t, or is no longer, Blaine. It’sPaulson. And she may work for, or have something to do with, a company or business calledFantastic Snacktastic. We can try to search for that. It sounds unique. Maybe she married or changed her name.’

Kapoor dropped her pen. ‘I recognise that surname, guv. She’s the contact of one of the mispers I’ve been looking into. Bear with me.’ Kapoor began scrolling through all her records and notes on her tablet. ‘Mrs Paulson is the contact for missing person, Felicity Vaynor. Felicity would be thirty-four now. She went missing in 2006.’

‘Felicity…Lissy. Colson mentioned that Marie had a cousin called Lissy. It could be her.’ Gina raised her brows. ‘Great find.’ She blew out a breath. ‘Do we have a contact number and address?’

‘We do.’

Gina felt the tension in the air. They needed results and they needed them fast if they were to save Ruth and Luna. Sorrow filled her heart when she thought of Joanie, Elissa and Felicity. No one had heard from them for years. ‘Jacob, can you try to call Mrs Paulson? We need to head over there now.’

FORTY-NINE

Gina’s personal phone flashed with a message. As Jacob drove them into Droitwich to speak to Marie Paulson, she opened it up. It was from Pete Bloxwich.

Sorry Gina, but more photos have been published on the forum and they’re not pretty. They’re mock-ups, but this time they have your face on them. Anyone could tell it’s you. It’s showing you laughing at a dead man with a knife in your hand, and the poster has asked for the brotherhood to track you down and punish you. They’ve released your address.

She opened the photos attached to the message and came over nauseous. Gasping for breath, she opened the car window.

Jacob quickly pulled over in a lay-by. She opened the door and threw up. He passed her a small packet of tissues. ‘Are you okay? Shall I drop you back, guv?’

She shook her head. She wanted nothing more than to go home, close her curtains and never come out again, but the thought of going home filled her with fear.

It was the end of the road for her and her secrets.

Not only that, it might be her end with a bunch of sickos and weirdos all having her address. If this was going to be her last case, she was going out with a win. Sick or not. ‘No, I’m okay. I suddenly came over a bit car sick when we went through the lanes. It was probably something I ate.’

‘I haven’t seen you eat much at all.’

She wanted to tell him to shut up and drive. No way was she explaining her predicament to Jacob, however much she trusted him. She’d never put him in the position of having to hide such big secrets for her, not like she’d done to Briggs. ‘That’s probably what it is. Do you have any sweets?’

‘I’ve got some Murray Mints in the glove compartment. Help yourself.’

As he started the car again, she took a sweet out and sucked on it to disguise the horrible taste in her mouth.

‘And here we are.’ He pulled up outside a block of flats. ‘I can go in on my own if you need a break?’

She shook her head. ‘I’m feeling much better now, and I need a drink.’

He led the way and pressed number six on the intercom buzzer.

‘Just buzzing you up,’ came the woman’s voice.

They walked up the stairs to the first floor, and Marie was already standing outside with the door open, holding a little boy who looked to be about four. Her brown hair fell in almost greasy strands over her shoulders, and her eyes looked sunken and weary. ‘Sorry, I haven’t properly got up yet. Have you found Lissy?’

Gina could see the hope on Marie’s face. ‘I’m sorry, no, but we need to speak to you about Felicity’s disappearance in relation to a recent case.’

Marie put her child down. ‘You’ve found a body, haven’t you?’

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