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It contains one Word document. It is what seems to be Nick’s investigation of her father’s case. All date stamped. So organized it is like reading a timeline.

General notes: June

Alex dragged after death – jeans rolled up in classic folds, which indicates dragging – but forensics noted that Gabriel English could have easily carried her as he is over six feet four. Query discrepancy?

PC Bryan Michaels said on 03/11/99 (early hours) that Gabriel English displayed clear symptoms of denial. He kept asking, over and over, whether Alexandra English could be resuscitated. He spent the night sobbing in his cell, banging on the door, and asking them to try and resuscitate her, that some people have been known to be revived after minutes and hours. He suggested a defibrillator.

Izzy has to stop reading that part. Her eyes are filmed with tears, her throat tight. Her father, in deep denial, in shock, crying in his cell over the woman he had loved so much.

After a few moments, she begins reading again:

No David Smiths were traced.

June 24th

Address of home entered on to database: no hits. Address of restaurant entered on to database. An entry was thrown up but it was shielded in 2002.

June 28th

Passed the file on the restaurant by colleague.

Witness statement (whistle-blowing) of Rudy Morris, 2002: he was distributing drugs, with Marcus Scott the head dealer. Rudy claims Marcus had been trafficking heroin through the restaurant premises during 1999. Paying the owner to turn a blind eye, to cut it and clean up – commercial kitchen so cleaning easily explained.

Jason Brewer was approached for a statement in 2002: he saw a transaction take place on Sargisson Avenue at 11.30 p.m., 1 August 2001.

Malcolm Graham was approached for a statement in 2002: a friend of his, Ralph Thompson, had bought heroin from Rudy Morris in August 1999.

Steve Eason was approached for a statement in 2002: his son, Oliver Eason, died in 1999 from complications after taking heroin. He confirmed this to be true but had no knowledge of the restaurant being a venue for trafficking and had never been there himself.

Drugs ring investigation collapsed when the dealers being watched destroyed the drugs and evidence before police could get the warrant.

That’s all it says. She sits back in the chair in shock.

Pip’s stepfather?

And her husband, working it out …

But not telling her.