31

Jessica had worked through the weekend as best she could but the problem, as ever, was that most people in other organisations didn’t. She spoke to DCI Cole on Friday but releasing the photo of the woman to the media in a ‘Who’s this?’ way was their last resort. The problem was that Jessica couldn’t think of another method to identify the person. They had nothing except for a first name, only a vague idea that Sam was English and no clue where she came from, or if she would still be there eleven years on. Not only that but there was something not quite right about the picture that Jessica couldn’t figure out. Jessica looked at it over and over, feeling there was something obvious she was missing but she couldn’t see what it was.

She again tried the various travel companies but the people she spoke to repeated that they didn’t keep records that went back that far. With no crime reports and no other way to identify who the person was, Jessica spoke to the chief inspector again on the Sunday morning and he agreed the picture of Sam could be released. The trouble was that they didn’t actually know if the woman was responsible for everything that had been happening. She was the only suspect they had but it would be harsh to get her photo on news bulletins, potentially reminding the woman of something terrible that had happened over a decade ago if it ended up having no relation to what was going on. If Jessica could have thought of any way of identifying the person without having to do that, she would have done.

Rather reluctantly, the senior press officer came into the station on Sunday afternoon and worked with Jessica on something they could release to the media. The biggest problem was that it would have to be run as nationally as possible. With local campaigns they both knew people they could lean on if they really needed a favour to get something published but it was far harder to do something across the whole country.

The statement they ended with was a mixture of spiced-up language including a recap of the hands found. The comments relating to Sam were toned down and carefully worded to make it clear she wasn’t a suspect. She might well be but they couldn’t have that broadcast. Instead, Sam was someone who ‘might hold key information’. Jessica knew it was the type of nothing phrase the police always came out with but, in this instance, it was as good as they could manage. They hoped the recap of the juicy details regarding the hands might persuade the newspapers to print something, while the television news may have a brief segment with Sam’s photo. Everything was also put on the police’s own website and the press officer put out alerts across their social network accounts. It was about as much as they could do and Jessica hoped they received phone calls so they could find out who Sam was and, with luck, figure out exactly what had been going on.

On the Monday, there was something on the television news. One of the two main news channels ignored their story but the other gave them the briefest of ten-second slots where they flashed Sam’s photo and a phone number for the public to call if they knew who it was. It wasn’t the best result but there was some information on a few news outlets’ websites and Jessica knew it was now a waiting game to see if any useful suggestions came in.

The day didn’t produce too much but the news story gradually received more attention as it went on. Jessica didn’t hurry into the station on Tuesday, partly because she had put the hours in over the weekend but also because there wasn’t a whole lot she could do. The calls were being taken by the national Crimestoppers service, with any names suggested being fed back for her team to go over. She had already left Rowlands and Diamond instructions.

As she arrived, Jessica instantly knew something was going on because of the lack of marked police cars in the car park. Usually there would be a couple of rows of vehicles but there were just two. She walked into the reception area, asking the desk sergeant what was going on.

‘They’ve found a body.’

‘Of who?’ Jessica’s first thought was that one of the handless victims had been discovered but she wasn’t prepared for the actual response.

‘They think it’s Christine Johnson.’

‘You’re joking?’

‘Nope. It’s been mad in here all morning. Some tip-off had everyone dashing out; even the DCI’s gone and someone said the super was on his way too.’

‘Where?’

‘Some garage not that far away.’ The sergeant wrote out the address for Jessica. She first went to check on Dave and Izzy, who were working their way through a few names that had been put forward that morning but, as yet, no one who had been suggested matched ‘their’ Sam.

Jessica left them to it and drove herself to the site where Christine’s body had apparently been found. She was grateful it hadn’t happened a day earlier, else there was no way she would have had any coverage to help find Sam. As she neared the location, Jessica could tell someone had said something they shouldn’t. A helicopter belonging to a news station was hovering overhead while vans with enormous satellite dishes were parked nearby, meaning some one had tipped the media off. Jessica shoved her way through a small crowd that had gathered, ignoring questions being shouted at her by the waiting journalists.

The garage was only a ten-minute journey from their station, the type of place that looked as if it had been there for years and was easy to ignore. A sign at the front promised cheap MOT prices with a wide driveway leading towards the working area. The public and media were being penned back at the end of the drive as Jessica walked quickly towards where she could see other police officers in a courtyard, as well as a couple of the Scene of Crime team standing around.

‘What are you doing here?’ Cole asked as Jessica strode towards him.

Jessica shrugged. ‘I don’t know. My team are handling the calls back at the station so I thought I’d come take a look. Have you really found her body?’

The chief inspector nodded towards a set of large doors ahead of them that were closed. ‘Probably. It looks as if it could be her but we don’t know for sure. The body is a little decomposed and was being stored in the well underneath where they work on the cars.’

Jessica could tell from the placement back and away from the main road that it would be easy to conceal things at the garage. ‘Do you mean the pit things that mechanics stand in and then work above them? How were they keeping her down there, they’re not exactly deep? Or was it just her body they had dumped?’

‘We don’t know,’ Cole replied. ‘You’re right about it not being big enough to leave someone, it’s not like a mine shaft or anything, it’s an area roughly five feet deep. She could have climbed out. It’s a mess of oil and diesel so the forensic boys aren’t happy. We’re assuming it’s where her body was dumped.’

‘How did you find it?’

‘That red van. Someone scrapped a red former Royal Mail van down in the Midlands on Saturday. The guy who was working handed over the money and so on but the scrapyard’s owner noticed the transaction this morning and luckily he watches the news. Because you need the DVLA documents, it would be pretty hard to fake an address. He phoned us, gave us this place and, when we came around earlier, there was the body.’

‘Has anyone been arrested?’

‘No, we’re looking for the guy who runs this place but he’s not here and not at his house. We reckon he might have seen the police cars this morning and made a run for it. We know who he is though so I don’t reckon he’ll be able to hide out for long. Any luck with your woman?’

Jessica hadn’t been thinking about her case. ‘Not yet. We’d have been screwed if this had happened a day earlier. At least we made the news this morning. Has anyone told George Johnson we might have found his wife?’