Neil was still sitting on the armrest of his wife’s chair, stroking her hair. Perhaps it was his presence but Lucy slowly began to open up. It was clear her memories from fourteen years ago were still vivid.

‘Can you tell me about the football shirt Toby was wearing?’ Jessica asked.

Lucy took a deep breath. ‘His dad was a big City supporter. They used to go to games together. I would have to stop him wearing it when it was dirty because he’d keep it on all the time otherwise.’

‘What about the area where he went missing? Did he play there often?’

‘I guess. He used to pick up his football then go out with his friends. He’d usually be back by the time it got dark but . . .’ Lucy didn’t finish her sentence and Jessica didn’t push it.

Neither Neil nor Lucy recognised Daisy Peters, although it was definitely a long shot that they would have done.

After forty minutes, Lucy stood. ‘I’m going upstairs for a lie-down,’ she said.

The two detectives had asked more or less everything they needed and the woman seemed sleepy. At some point she would likely be asked to look at the clothes to confirm they were from her son – although there were no real doubts they belonged to Toby because the football shirt sponsor, style and size matched what had been reported at the time and it was more a formality than anything.

Neil escorted his wife out of the room, then returned and sat fully in the seat himself. ‘Don’t worry about her; it’s always hard at this time of year.’

Jessica nodded. ‘I guess it would be coming up to Christmas and all.’

‘It’s not just that. It was the first week of December when Toby went missing. It always brings it back, especially when it gets dark so early.’

Jessica paused for a moment. She had read the file through at least three times and the significance of the date of Toby’s and now Isaac’s disappearance had somehow passed her by. It was likely because the file was in such a jumbled mess but, now she thought about it, they would have gone missing on more or less the same date fourteen years apart. Neil didn’t seem to notice Jessica’s confusion and continued talking in a quieter voice. ‘It’s actually one of her good days today.’

‘How do you mean?’ Cornish asked.

Neil lowered his voice further, leaning forward. ‘She drinks quite a bit. I’ve got used to it now we’ve been together for a few years. We used to have arguments about it but I kind of let it go now. I try to shield Olivia and Tasha from it.’

‘What happened to Toby’s father?’ Jessica asked.

‘Dean? He’s living somewhere in Wales, just outside of Cardiff, I think.’

‘Did he get remarried?’

‘No but he does have a girlfriend and kids. He’s a decent guy actually. I’ve met him a few times. I think that losing Toby pushed them apart and there was no going back. I guess it worked out all right for me.’ Neil must have realised how this could be interpreted because he quickly corrected himself. ‘Sorry, I don’t mean I’m glad he was taken or anything like that . . .’ He reached across to pick up the empty mugs. ‘Can I get anything else for you?’

It was clearly a cue for them to leave.

Jessica and Cornish stood up together. ‘No, but I’ll leave you my card,’ Jessica said. ‘If anything comes up, just call me.’

Neil lowered his voice until it was almost a whisper. ‘Do you think you’ll find a body?’

Jessica looked into his eyes but couldn’t figure out why he was asking. He had no way of knowing they were digging in the woods. She chose her words carefully. ‘I’m not sure.’

Neil nodded. ‘After all these years it would be nice for Lucy to get some closure.’

10

The two sergeants didn’t exchange much more than small talk after leaving the house but Jessica could hear Neil Martin’s words bouncing around her mind on her drive back to the station. Some people did things for revenge but, for others, it was because of the reward waiting for them at the end. Jessica felt uncomfortable sharing her thoughts with anyone else as she had next to no basis for them but Lucy’s new husband had certainly gained from everything that had happened.

Back at the station, Jessica typed his name into their computer system to see if there was something from his past. Aside from a few driving offences, there was nothing but she used the Internet to search his name as well, although that didn’t reveal much. She knew it was probably nothing but felt it was worth keeping Neil’s name in mind.

After that she re-read the file relating to Toby’s disappearance and checked in with Izzy, who was working with Rowlands on paperwork for a few other cases, while also trying to find time to track down Ian Sturgess and Simon Hill. What they knew was that neither man lived in the same house he had fourteen years ago. Jessica left them to it but asked them to call if they came up with anything.

She drove out to the woods where the dig had begun. A row of cars and vans was parked close to the pathway she had walked along a few days earlier but the entire area looked different now it wasn’t pouring with rain. The day hadn’t really brightened up and the overcast skies were threatening but so far it had stayed dry. Jessica weaved her way along the trail, trying to avoid puddles that didn’t seem as if they were going to disappear any time soon. She could hear noises in the distance and caught sight of activity just across the threshold of the woods as she crossed the stile.

As well as actual police officers, forensic archaeologists were used when there was a chance they could discover a buried body. Because some parts of the soil might need to be forensically examined, the whole process was incredibly slow-moving. Jessica could see Reynolds and Cole standing at the edge of the trees talking. Jason noticed her first. ‘Are you all right?’ he asked as Jessica approached.

‘I want to feel like I’m doing something,’ Jessica said.

Cole was wearing a heavy coat and pulled it tighter as a gust of wind blew across them. ‘There’s not much to do around here. We’ve spent most of the day watching.’

Jessica was wearing her suit and felt a chill breeze through it. She tried not to shiver. ‘I know, I was wondering if either or both of you wanted to come for a drive?’

‘Where to?’ Cole asked.

‘I wanted to drive the route – go to the land where Toby Whittaker was taken from. I brought the maps from the station, it’s not far.’

Reynolds looked at their boss and stepped forward. ‘I’ll come, it’s bloody freezing here.’

Cole smiled at the two of them. ‘Aye, aye, leave the old man out in the cold.’

‘You’ve got the big coat,’ the inspector replied with a grin of his own.

‘Maybe I’ll just pull rank?’ He looked back to Jessica. ‘How was Toby Whittaker’s mother?’

‘She’s remarried, it’s Lucy Martin now. She was understandably annoyed and upset. It helped clear things in my mind seeing her though.’

The other two detectives nodded as Jessica chose to keep quiet about Neil Martin’s possibly ambiguous remarks. She wondered if Louise had the same opinion about him.

Jessica and Reynolds made their way back to her car after another light-hearted crack from their supervisor about leaving him at the mercy of the elements. She had printed some maps off the Internet which Jason picked up from the passenger seat as they got in.

‘Do you know where we’re going?’ he asked.

‘Sort of, have a look yourself. I read through the files and checked the location. I was trying to match the old descriptions with how it is now but it’s hard to figure it all out online.’

Reynolds was scratching his chin, looking through the papers. ‘It looks like there are buildings on this site now,’ he said.