Just as Luke parked the car, his phone started to ring. He pulled it from his pocket.
‘Hello, any news?’
William spoke with urgency. ‘I still can’t find her and it’s getting dark.’
‘It’s not been very long.’
‘I have a horrible feeling. Something’s happened, I can tell.’
‘I’m sure you’re overreacting. Maybe she’s gone out for a walk.’
‘No . . . she hasn’t. Have you spoken to Joe?’
‘We’re just outside his house.’
Imogen nudged Luke, pointing to the house window.
‘In fact I can see him. He’s inside.’
‘Is Jade with him?’
‘I can’t tell. I’ll ring back.’
He placed the phone into his pocket, exited the car and strode to the door. When Joe saw them striding to the house he spoke to someone in the room. His face crumpled with anxiety.
The door opened.
‘We’ve nothing to say,’ Dawn said. ‘Leave us alone.’
‘We know what you did with Jade’s baby. We can ring the police if you prefer.’
Dawn held her ground. ‘You do that. It’ll prove nothing.’
‘Oh I think it will. We have evidence.’
She hesitated and backed away, allowing them to step into the kitchen. Joe was hovering in the background, his expression was fixed and his hands clasped under his chin.
She turned to him. ‘It’s your mess. You sort it.’ Then she was gone.
Joe slumped onto a chair and his head rested in his hands. ‘Oh man! What’s going to happen.’
‘I’m more concerned about Jade right now. She’s gone missing. Do you know where she is?’
He stood up and headed to the sink, and held a pensive gaze facing away from them. After a couple of moment’s he turned around, made brief eye contact and looked back to the cupboards. He was biting his lip and rubbing his hands.
‘Joe?’
He shook his head. ‘I spoke to her this afternoon. She never said anything.’
‘Why did she ring?’
‘She . . . she wanted to do something in the baby’s memory. Like a meal or something. She was making arrangements.’
‘What did you tell her?’
Joe shrugged. ‘What could I say?’
‘Okay, did she say anything else?’
‘She . . . she . . . it doesn’t matter.’
‘Go on,’ Luke said, ‘it could be important.’
‘It’s not.’
Joe strode across the room, paused for a moment, and banged his fist against a cupboard.
Their eyes locked. Something had dawned.
‘She said she was feeling impatient and couldn’t wait to meet in two more hours,’ Joe said. ‘The little shit!’
Luke gave Imogen a fleeting glimpse.’
‘I lost my phone the other day,’ Joe continued, ‘just for a few hours. He must have sent her a message. I even checked it just in case. He must have deleted them.’
‘You’re talking about Dylan?’
Joe nodded.
‘Is he here?’
‘No. He’s just gone out.’ Joe’s anxiety flashed between them. ‘But only just. He was late back from school, said he had something on. If Jade’s been missing a while then-’
Luke pressed his hand on Joe’s back. ‘Let’s go.’
‘Where to?’
‘To find Jade and your son.’
‘I’ll try ringing him first.’
Luke agreed and Joe hurried out of the room. He returned moments later and informed them he was not answering his phone. It was hardly a surprise. Luke guided them outside. Joe was reluctant to follow and shuffled in weighted steps.
‘Where first?’ Luke asked him.
‘I don’t have a clue.’
‘Think. Where would he go?’
‘The woods maybe, or the park. It depends what he’s planning.’
‘Has he said anything?’ Luke’s frustration was rising. ‘Come on, Joe. Think.’
‘No, he hasn’t.’
‘What about that drawer?’ Imogen said.
Luke turned to Joe. ‘He has a drawer he keeps locked. There are newspaper cuttings and photos in it. Would he want to do something with them?’
Joe passed him a surprised look.
‘Just answer the question.’
‘I don’t know. I don’t know anything about it. Look, I want to find them as much as you.’
‘Then help us.’ Luke opened the car doors and they climbed inside.
Finally, Joe relented. ‘There’s an old concrete structure at the reservoir, and it provides a bit of shelter. He may be there.’
‘Okay. Let’s go.’
Luke turned on the engine and placed his foot on the accelerator. His phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket, saw it was William, and flung it to Imogen. She explained the situation and ended the call.
‘He’s driving over,’ she said.
He flung her a disapproving stare.
‘I couldn’t stop him. He’s worried.’
It didn’t take long for Luke to arrive at the main entrance to the reservoir. The gates were locked. He stared at Joe. ‘What now?’
‘There’s another entrance. That’s never locked. We can get in there.’
‘Should we walk?’
‘We can’t park any closer. It’s across a field.’
‘Okay, let’s go.’
He locked the car and strode along the path. Joe provided the directions, but he was slow to move and trailed a few steps behind. Luke caught Imogen’s eye and gestured his frustrations.
‘Since you knew what Dylan was doing,’ Luke asked Joe, ‘why didn’t you do something to stop him.’
‘I thought I had. He promised me he’d leave her alone. I took his phone from him, as well as some photo’s he had of Jade.’
‘Did he cause the car crash?’
Joe bowed his head
‘What’s he capable of?’
‘I don’t know, not now.’
The path was ahead. Luke led the way, keen to get ahead and set the pace, and followed the track through the woodland and down to the reservoir. The best of the daylight was long gone and the water provided an important reflective surface, bouncing the little that was left around the woodland. To his far left, he could see the structure to which Joe had referred, and he quickened his steps.
He’s not here’ Luke said.
Joe was looking one way, and Imogen another.
‘Where now?’ he asked.
Joe shrugged.
‘Come on mate. This is serious. Do you want to find him or not?’
‘She will be okay. He won’t hurt her.’
‘You didn’t think that five minutes ago.’
Joe slipped his hands in his pockets, and shuffled back along the path.
‘Where you going?’
‘There’s a disused barn at the other side. He could have taken her there.’
‘Okay. Let’s go.’ Luke elbowed past and started to trot. Imogen remained by his side. ‘Are we driving?’
‘It might be quicker,’ Joe said.
Puffing, they arrived at the car. Luke turned on the engine and the headlights and followed Joe’s directions, following a route that weaved through the streets. It seemed to take an eternity to get to the other side of the reservoir and he was starting to doubt Joe’s motives, but then he was instructed to stop.
‘It’s through that field, turn left, and over the stile at the end. You’ll see it at the bottom of the hill.’
‘Aren’t you coming?’ Luke asked.
‘I have to get back.’
‘I don’t think so.’
Luke opened the rear car door and gestured for him to get out. Joe did so, but refused to follow Luke across the field. Luke considered turning back, but then thought better of it. Time was precious.
Straining his eyes, they followed Joe’s suggested route and arrived at the stile. It was getting ever more difficult to see, even with a weak torch, and he could just about make out a building.
Luke turned to Imogen. ‘Don’t tell Mark I take you alone into the woods at night.’
Imogen gawped, then edged ahead and glanced at her watch.
‘What’s up?’ he said.
‘I just want to get on with this. I have to get home. Someone’s expecting me.’
‘You should have said. I could have taken you back to the office straight from the city.’
‘No,’ her voice was quivering. ‘I wanted to do this. I wanted to see this case through.’
He grabbed her arm, forcing her to a standstill. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?
‘Not now.’ She trotted away.
‘Is it about Mark?’
Imogen did not answer, and carried on, heading to the building.
‘Imogen? Talk to me. You’ve been acting odd for weeks.’
She ignored him and opened the door of the building. A shimmer of light extended into the darkness. ‘Call William,’ she said.
‘Is it Jade? Is she okay?’
There was no reply.