PC Kevin Hook walked towards the Toyota as Daniels parked in the only space available. As they got out of the car, he handed her a message from the forensic science laboratory and stood by waiting for further instructions.
‘Matt West said it wasn’t urgent, but he’d appreciate a call back.’
Daniels thanked him and made a mental note to return the call. ‘Any news from the house-to-house while we were gone?’
Hook shook his head. ‘Nothing so far.’
Gormley spoke over his shoulder as they walked away. ‘Keep us posted.’
The murder investigation team were ready and waiting as they entered High Shaw. It was standing-room only with the whole squad crammed into the tiny cottage. They were on starter’s orders, the buzz of a new enquiry filling the air. Robson had been busy. Photographs of Jessica Finch and Amy Grainger were pinned to the whiteboard, alongside their details: height, build and eye colour. These photographs were the focus of everyone’s attention, the similarity between the two glaringly obvious.
‘OK, listen up!’ Daniels sat down surrounded by her squad. ‘It won’t have escaped your notice that Amy Grainger is a dead ringer for Jessica Finch, which means that our priorities have now changed. I’m not suggesting for one minute that we forget about Amy. This is a murder enquiry. But our main concern must be on finding Jessica Finch while there’s a chance she’s still alive.’
‘Did they know each other?’ Robson asked.
‘Not according to either of their parents,’ Gormley said.
‘Yeah, but what do parents ever know?’ Daniels said. ‘Mine were on a different planet, hadn’t a clue what I was up to. It’s like that for most kids, surely.’ Her eyes found Carmichael. ‘Lisa, when we’re done here, get over to the university and find out what you can. I need an address for Jessica and I need it now. Her father was under the impression she was living at halls, but she’s moved out. Someone must know where she lives. Be careful what you say though. We don’t want to spook the students.’
Daniels had worked on many high-profile cases but this MO somehow seemed more macabre than all the rest. It was an exceptionally cold method of sending anyone to an early grave and calculated in its intent. It brought to mind Jonathan Forster, a serial killer who’d recently terrorized northern Britain – payback for an abusive mother. A deranged psychopath, he’d killed many times, once by placing a gun into a toddler’s hand, pointing it at the child’s grandfather and pulling the trigger.
Equally gross.
Daniels’ left hand stroked her right shoulder, injured by the same bullet that had glanced off her clavicle before imbedding itself in Forster’s heart – killing him instantaneously. Her memory of his killing spree was drowned out by Carmichael’s voice.
‘So what are we looking at, a kidnapping?’
‘Yes, but as I’ve said, it may not be motivated by money. The necklace I showed you earlier was worth a small fortune, enough to keep your average arsehole going for months. This offence is personal – someone really wants Adam Finch to suffer.’
‘So what happens now?’ Carmichael asked. ‘We run the two cases as one?’
‘Theoretically, yes, but under no circumstances does that fact leave this room. I don’t want the press finding out we have yet another linked incident on our patch. They’ll have a field day.’
‘So we’re the lead force again?’ Robson was referring to the case the DCI had just been thinking about. Three forces had been involved but Northumbria Police had taken control of the investigation. ‘There’s going to be no involvement from Durham?’
‘For the time being, at least,’Gormley said. ‘We had a conversation with Ron Naylor on the way back here. He agrees that’s the best course of action. So keep up the good work, boys and girls. You know what to do.’
The team scattered.
Daniels pulled out her phone to call Matt West. As the number rang out she imagined him eighty-five miles south, puzzling over some sample or other, his eyes permanently fixed to the lenses of his microscope. After several rings he picked up.
‘Matt, it’s Kate Daniels returning your call.’
‘How you doing?’ He sounded preoccupied.
‘You got something for me?’
‘Maybe . . . that sample I took from your victim’s shoe—’
‘Hold on . . .’ Daniels nodded as Gormley walked in from the kitchen holding up a china mug. Then she switched the phone to loudspeaker so he could listen in on her call. ‘OK, shoot. I want Hank to hear this too.’
‘I’ve found a slight mineral deposit. I thought it was glass at first, but it isn’t. I’m not going to commit myself until I’ve completed my research, but I’m fairly sure I’ve never come across it before.’
‘Can you be more specific?’ The DCI had detected excitement in his voice. But Matt being Matt he was always cagey until he was sure of his facts. All the same, she had every reason to think that he might be on to something. ‘Those test results are vital now. Another girl’s gone missing. It looks like the same guy has taken her.’
‘The only thing I can say for certain is that it didn’t come from the area where the body was found. Not a chance. In fact, I’m looking at it now . . .’ There was a slight pause in the conversation. ‘I’ve been testing it for a good few hours. It’s so unusual it might determine exactly where your victim was held before she met her death. You find that, chances are you’ll find your missing girl.’
Daniels locked eyes with Gormley.
It didn’t get much better than that.