CHAPTER FOURTEEN

 

Jon was already at his desk when Kate arrived at the office.

‘Got you a coffee, ma’am.’ He placed it in front of her. ‘Nothing from uniform, I’m afraid. None of the places that they checked out last night had a cellar with signs of recently being used for a party.’

Kate picked up the mug gratefully. ‘Either they tidied up really well, or there’s somewhere out there that uniform have missed.’

‘I’d go along with the second of those suggestions, ma’am. It’s a massive area, and when the wind’s in the right direction, most of it stinks of cabbage. My bet is on somewhere we’ve not covered yet.’ He sat down and stared up at Kate ‘And we’ve had a call from the hospital. They have identified the drug given to Toni, and it’s definitely not one that she would have ingested herself. It’s a new kind of ‘roofie’, a benzodiazepine tranquiliser that can begin to affect the victim in under ten minutes. It’s tasteless and odourless, and can be easily crushed to a powder. It suppresses the central nervous system and the respiratory system. The poor kid could easily have stopped breathing. It’s a prescription drug, but incorrectly used it’s lethal, a new generation Rohypnol, and when mixed with alcohol, very nasty indeed.’

‘Called?’

‘No confirmed street name as yet, although there has been a whisper about something called, Ooblie. They’ve only come across a few cases. Oh, and it clears the system in twenty four hours, and if they are unlucky, it can leave the victim with permanently impaired memory.’

Kate’s face puckered up in a scowl. ‘Honestly, Jon, it will be a bloody miracle if I manage to steer Marcus and Eddie through to adulthood unscathed. Ooblie?’ she muttered. ‘A corruption of the French, to forget. Very apt.’

Jon nodded. ‘But at least Toni is recovering. She may be discharged later today if her levels are back to normal.’ He handed her the tox report from the hospital. ‘Maybe we should call in on her this morning and see if she’s remembered anything else?’

‘Mm, I agree. Not that I expect too much. We’ve all seen ‘date-rape’ victims before and they rarely recall much about their ordeal.’ She stared at the report, ‘I’ve asked Rosie to get a list of all the areas that uniform checked out last night. I was thinking about visiting a couple of places myself, but I don’t want to cover the same ground.’

Jon walked to the door. ‘I’ll see if she has them, ma’am.’

Two minutes later he was back. ‘Uniform were busy last night, by the look of this list.’

Kate took the print-out from him and skimmed through it. ‘Mm, there’s no mention of that obsolete Pumping House on the river at Pear-tree Corner or the ruined chapel out near Fendyke Village. We could check that one ourselves and pay a call on young Ethan Barley at the same time.’

‘Toni’s ex? Do we need to see him, now that she’s safe?’ asked Jon.

‘We still don’t know what happened to her, do we? And I’m thinking of Emily too.’ murmured Kate. ‘There’s an outside chance he knows her, or he’s seen her around. Harlan Marsh doesn’t have a lot of places for kids to hang out, does it?’

‘True, and a red-blooded boy is likely to remember seeing a pretty girl. Okay, we go see him and the chapel. And where else were you thinking of?’

‘Well, there’s a derelict old property out on the borders of our patch and Harlan Marsh. It’s not too far from where we were yesterday. If it doesn’t have a cellar, then I’ll eat my warrant card.’

‘Not the old sanatorium at Roman Creek?’

‘That’s the place. ‘Windrush’ I think it’s called. I see it’s not on uniform’s list, and I’d call it creepy, wouldn’t you?’

‘Absolutely.’ Jon gave a theatrical shiver. ‘And I know it pretty well. I read up on its history years ago.’ He sat on the edge of Kate’s desk and looked down at her. ‘It has a bit of a chequered past. It started out as a very imposing manor house, fell into disrepair, then became a billet for the Army during WWII. After that it was a TB Sanatorium until it closed in the mid fifties when it was bought privately, but the owner went bankrupt, and guess what? It fell further into disrepair, and was finally won by a local man in a wager. Now, would you believe that?’

Kate looked up at Jon in surprise. ‘And no doubt you do Guided Tours in the summer months?’

‘Reckon I could. I found myself stuck out there for a couple of weeks when I was a probationer. The owners rented it to us for training purposes. Search and rescue, and fire safety stuff. Didn’t you do a course there?’

‘The Force never used Windrush in my time, but I know it from when I was a kid. The older children would tell us it was haunted and scare the shit out of us.’

‘Right, so where first?’ Jon stood up and ran a hand through his dark hair. ‘Toni Clarkson?’

‘Yes, but before we go, would you liaise with Gary Pritchard. Tell him to keep on looking for that mobile drinking club, okay?’

Jon left and Kate called Scott to the office, briefly wondering how long he spent in the bathroom of a morning in order to look that well brushed up. ‘Ever heard mention of a clandestine watering-hole that caters for underage drinkers?’ Kate asked.

Scott looked grim. ‘If I did, I’d get it closed down before you could blink, ma’am. I don’t drink much myself, and seeing kids legless and barfing up in the street is just gross.’

Kate silently agreed, but it was refreshing hearing a young man with similar views. ‘Any luck with the search for Emily?’

‘Nothing, ma’am, but I’ll keep at it.’

‘Good, and perhaps you’d support Clive running the office? At present, there’s little we can do to find Emily that isn’t already being done by uniform. So, you’re in charge here, Scotty.’

‘No sweat, ma’am.’ Scott turned to go then said, ‘And I’ll let you know if I come up with any one who fits her description.’

‘Please do. And ask Clive to keep me updated with anything that comes in. After visiting the hospital, the sergeant and I will be going out to Harlan Marsh.’

‘Very good, ma’am.’

 

The trip to the hospital was a waste of time. Toni had been fretful and frightened, and couldn’t, or wouldn’t, tell them any more than they already knew. In less than a quarter of an hour they were on their way to Fendyke Village.

‘Where to first, ma’am?’

‘The chapel. It’s en route in to the village.’

Fields full of deep green Brussels sprout plants stretched out on either side of the narrow road down which Jon drove.

‘Ah, stinking brassicas. That’s a start.’ said Kate.

‘Don’t get too excited. You can’t walk more than fifty yards out here without falling over some kind of cabbage or another.’ Jon braked to avoid hitting a brightly coloured and idiotic looking pheasant that was running erratically across the road ahead of them. ‘Stupid bloody thing!’ he muttered loudly.

As the bird ducked through the long grass along the side of the road, they caught sight of the chapel.

If it had ever been pretty, it wasn’t now. It lay back from the road some 500 metres down a tree-lined lane. The decorated windows had long since been removed and  boarded up, and over the years the biting east winds had done considerable damage to its structure. But the core still remained, and Jon thought that there were probably still a few old locals who would have remembered walking up the leafy lane in their best suits and dresses to Sunday service.

He drove up the narrow track and parked a little way from the old building. ‘Quite a few tyre tracks,’ he murmured as he locked the car.

‘Probably dog walkers or bird watchers.’ said Kate. ‘There’s a footpath runs alongside the chapel that leads right across to Fendyke and on to the marshes.’ She walked across to the main door and tried the handle but nothing gave. The door was solid oak, scuffed and weather-worn, but still strong and firmly locked.

‘I’ll check the back.’ Jon walked off around the old church and saw Kate look around cautiously before following him. He wondered if she were feeling the odd sensation that he was; the feeling you get when you go somewhere old, somewhere ancient. Somewhere that leaked history into the very air that surrounded it.

The door was just ahead of him, smaller than the front one, but still sturdy and undoubtedly solid oak. ‘Looks shut up tighter than a bank vault, ma’am.’ Jon called back, then placed his hand on its splintery wooden surface, and jolted back as if he’d been electrocuted.

He gasped and tried to catch his breath. He felt as if he’d been hit in the six-pack by an All Black Prop. His body stiffened, and a surge of adrenalin coursed through him putting him on the alert for danger. For a moment he stood like a statue, only his eyes moving, darting backwards and forwards. Suddenly he realised that his hand was still raised in front of him, although he was now some feet from the door.

He remained that way for maybe a minute, then turned to see a horrified Kate staring at him.

‘What the hell was that?’ she asked.

Jon began to relax, then exhaled loudly. ‘Phew, this place has history.’

‘Recent history?’ asked Kate.

‘That wasn’t. That was really old stuff.’ He puffed out his cheeks and shook his head. ‘I don’t know what this place was used for, but it had nothing to do with God.’ He walked slowly across to the low wall that edged the tiny graveyard, and sat heavily on it. He stared up at the grey stone walls of the chapel and frowned. He had seen people, hoards of them, coming and going, all carrying things, dragging things, hiding things beneath their coats. The frown creased deeper into his brow. Whatever they were up to, they all looked furtive and stealthy.

Kate walked over and sat down beside him. He told her what he had seen, then she said, ‘Maybe they were sacking the place?’

His head shook slowly from side to side. ‘No, they were bringing stuff in, as well as leaving with it.’ He looked across the fields to the edge of the marsh. ‘So where…?’ His voice drifted slightly. ‘Their clothes were all bedraggled, wet and muddied. I heard a terrible wind roaring around me, and screaming, Kate, terrible screams.’ He swallowed hard as realisation dawned on him. ‘Oh my God! They were wreckers! It was the cargo from a ship, and they were bringing it here to hide!’

Kate looked puzzled. ‘Did we have wreckers along this coast? I thought that was the Cornishmen’s favourite pastime?’

‘We had some alright. It’s documented. Mablethorpe had its share, and it looks like this area tried their hand at it too.’ Jon shivered.

Kate stared out towards the marsh. ‘Well, the Wash is just beyond this marsh, and then it’s the North Sea. It’s possible, but it’s a very long way to drag illicit cargo to hide. How did they get it here, I wonder?’

Jon rubbed his chin. ‘Tunnels, maybe?’ He paused. For some reason he had a picture in his mind of a long, straight, red-brick tunnel. He shrugged. ‘But most importantly, they were taking stuff down steps, so there’s definitely a cellar here.’

He stood up shakily and they walked back to the chapel to begin a more thorough check of the dilapidated church.

After a while Kate dropped to her knees. ‘Jon! Here, look.’ She tugged at a tangled mass of brambles and nettles, and as he watched, they pulled easily away to reveal some old stone steps, built close against the chapel wall.

‘Was it my imagination, or did those brambles lift up rather too easily?’ Jon stared at the matted carpet of drying plant material.

‘I just thought the same thing.’ Kate lifted the camouflage cover to one side. ‘And I’d say that these steps have recently been swept, wouldn’t you?’

Jon carefully eased his way past her and down the steps to an ancient, iron hinged door. Taking care not to place his hand on it, after his previous adventure with the chapel door, he just stared closely at the lock. It was clean, dark and shiny. He touched it tentatively with his forefinger, then held it up and showed Kate. It was stained with a wet spot of clear oil.

‘Right, so this place is being used for something, but I don’t want to jump the gun and say we’ve found the venue for the club.’ Kate frowned. ‘And I’m guessing that door is too tough to put a shoulder to?’

‘Even if I had a wrecking ball, I’d still place my bet on the door to win the bout.’

‘Shit, I wish we still held key-holders lists.’ Kate grumbled. ‘We need to find out who has access here. Maybe our friendly neighbourhood vicar will know.’

Jon gave the door a final look, then walked back up the steps and helped her replaced the mat of brambles. ‘Let’s go see, shall we?’

 

Fendyke Vicarage was a far cry from jigsaw puzzle prettiness. It was a sturdy 1940’s four bedroom home, built in the grounds of the church and occupied by the resident vicar and his family for however long they stayed in the diocese. And probably because of that, it had a rather plain and unloved look to it. The building itself was austere in its structure, and no effort had been made to make it look like someone’s cherished home. And if the house were not stereotype for a vicarage, then the Reverend Michael Barley was even more of a surprise.

The man that answered the door was around six foot tall, broad as he was high, and wore a full beard that screamed salty sea-dog. Kate’s first impression was that his sermons would be less of a gentle guidance to the paths of righteousness, and more of an indisputable eleventh commandment.

‘Come in, come in.’ He stood back and they eased past his beefy frame.

He led the way down a long hallway and into a large airy lounge that looked out over an overgrown lawn. The room itself was a cacophony of ill-matched colours, with busy floral print curtains fighting valiantly with an even bolder patterned carpet.

Lazing on an ultra-modern leather sofa, one that seemed extraordinarily out of place in the rather dated surroundings, was a black Labrador, a white cat and a spotty youth. All three looked up as they entered, but Kate was hard put to know which expression was the most disdainful.

‘Nicholas, call your brother down, please.’ The vicar turned to them. ‘I thought I’d better have both my sons available for you to talk to. He raised a bushy eyebrow, ‘Whatever the reason for your call, it’s bound to concern at least one or possibly both of them.’

The teenager slouched off silently, and then they heard the name of Ethan, being shouted up the stairs.

‘They are in no trouble, Sir.’ Kate smiled. ‘We just need some help with enquiries regarding a missing teenager.’

The Reverend Barley indicated towards two armchairs, then hoisted the reluctant dog from the couch for himself. As he lowered himself down they heard a sigh of objection from the sofa springs, and Kate found herself wondering if his pulpit were under-pinned in some way.

‘Ah, this is Ethan, my eldest boy, and Nicholas, the baby of the family.’

The baby glowered at them from beneath a long, lank fringe, and flopped back down on the far end of the couch.

Ethan dutifully stuck out a hand for a brief greeting, then dragged a giant leather beanbag towards the fireplace and casually draped himself into it. He was a thin young man, narrow-faced, dark hair, black rimmed designer glasses, and one of those bony boys who wear their jeans so low below their hips that they seem to defy gravity.

Jon gave them a concise précis of Toni’s ordeal, and then asked if either of them knew a girl called Shauna Kelly, or a girl with long dark hair called Emily.

All the time, Kate watched them keenly.

Nicholas’s face hardly moved a muscle, but at the mention of Toni’s name, Ethan had taken a sharp breath and frowned. Kate felt no doubt in her mind that this news really was a surprise to him.

‘Is Toni going to be okay?’ he asked.

‘We hope so. She was a very lucky girl to have escaped with only minor injuries.’ said Kate seriously.

A low growl emanated from the vicar’s throat. ‘Best day’s work you ever did, boy, when you broke up with that girl. She’s trouble. I always said so, didn’t I?’

‘It’s hardly her fault if some bastard spiked her drink.’

‘Language, Ethan!’

‘So, do you have a better word for someone who does that kind of thing?’ Ethan swung back.

Personally Kate couldn’t think of one, but decided not to join the in-house banter.

‘And Shauna, or Emily?’

‘Nah.’ mumbled the baby.

They looked at Ethan.

‘Not Shauna, but a student friend of mine tried chatting up a girl called Emily in a pub in Harlan Marsh, a week or so ago.’ He shrugged. ‘Might not be the same Emily, of course.’

‘Do you know what she looked like?’

Ethan shook his head. ‘I never saw her, but my friend said she was a stunner. He was gutted when she told him to get lost.’

Jon took out is pocket book and wrote down the boy’s name and number. ‘We’ll see if he recalls anything that may help us. Now can you tell me if you’ve ever heard about an illegal, under-age drinking club? One that regularly changes its venue?’

‘Whoa there!’ The vicar leaned forwards angrily. ‘My lads wouldn’t go near that sort of place.’

‘I’m sure they wouldn’t.’ Jon lied. ‘But it doesn’t mean that they’ve not heard rumours about it, does it? The grapevine is pretty powerful when you’re a youngster.’

The vicar sat back again. ‘Mm, I suppose so. Boys?’

Ethan shook his head. ‘I have never heard of it, but I’d guess Toni Clarkson could help you. She was always on about a place where you could get legless for free.’ He shook his head again. ‘Not my kind of scene.’ He bit his lip. ‘And, if you must know, that was one reason why we broke up.’

‘I’m glad she dumped you. Cheap tart.’ grumbled the baby. But Jon had seen his expression when Kate mentioned the drinking club. Baby Nicholas knew more than he was letting on.

‘And you, Nicholas? Anything filtered your way?’

‘Nah.’ He shifted slightly in his seat. ‘Dunno what you’re on about.’

Kate did not believe him, and she knew Jon didn’t either, but neither of them commented. It would be far better to get the boy alone.

‘And finally, Reverend Barley, would you know who holds a key for the old Chapel out on the Fen Road?’ Kate asked.

Kate glanced quickly at two boys. Ethan looked kind of neutral, but Nicholas gave the slightest start, one that he took great pains to conceal.

‘Well, I do actually. Why do you ask?’ The vicar looked faintly bemused.

‘We are checking all deserted and unsafe buildings.’ said Kate quickly. ‘Because of the missing girl. Could we please trouble you to either unlock it for us, or let us have the key temporarily?’

‘Of course, I’ll get it for you now.’ He eased himself upwards, and the sofa sighed again, this time probably with relief.

A moment or two later he was handing Kate a metal key-ring with a tattered card label attached to it.

‘I wouldn’t care to say how long it is since the door was opened, DCI Reynard. I think it must have been last autumn when we had all those terrible high winds. The bell-tower collapsed and we checked inside for other damage. Since then it’s remained shut up.’

Kate thought differently, but just nodded and took the keys from him.

The vicar glanced at the mantle clock and said, ‘I’d come with you, but I have an appointment with one of my parishioners in fifteen minutes time.’

‘No problem, Sir, we’ll bring them straight back.’ Jon smiled enquiringly. ‘Maybe one of your lads would like to come down there with us?’

‘No fear.’ The baby rose from his couch with remarkable speed and headed for the door. ‘Got things to do.’

Ethan placed a hand behind one ear. ‘Oh yeah, I thought I heard the cry of an abandoned Playstation calling.’

‘Get stuffed,’ came back from the hall.

‘I’ll go with you.’ Ethan didn’t exactly sound enthused, but at least it was a voluntary offer.

‘Good boy.’ said the Vicar. ‘Do you have children, DCI Reynard?’

‘Yes.’ Kate nodded, ‘Like you, I have two boys.’

The vicar raised his eyebrows. ‘Both a blessing and a curse, I fear. Something tells me that Nicholas will not be following his brother and his sister to university.’

‘I doubt he’ll even make it to the Job Centre.’ added Ethan grimly.

The Reverend sighed. ‘We mustn’t give up on him, maybe he’ll surprise us all one day.’

Kate glanced at Jon and she knew that he was thinking the same thing. By the look of Nicholas Barley, the only surprise the vicar was likely to get, was a nasty one.

Kate drove back towards the chapel, and glanced in the rear-view mirror at Ethan. He was not the kind of boy that she had expected, considering the rather scathing opinion of Neil and Ellen Clarkson. And above all, even disregarding their age difference, Kate could not imagine him as an item with the belligerent and lippy young Toni. ‘So what are you studying?’ She asked in a friendly manner.

‘Politics and International Relations. I’m doing a three year degree course at Nottingham.’

‘Are you going to specialise?’

‘I’m planning on taking a module in Globalisation in my third year.’

‘Interesting stuff.’ remarked Jon. ‘And did I hear your father mention that your sister is also at Uni?’

Ethan’s narrow face broke into a smile. ‘Oh yes. Daybreak is the brains of the family.’

‘Daybreak?’ Kate butted in.

‘Her name’s Dawn, but she hates it. She calls herself, Danni. I call her my version of her real name. She’s at Oxford studying Humanities. Theology is her thing, and Dad is over the moon. If it weren’t for Nic, he’d really believe that he’d been thrice blessed.’

‘You do know that your brother knows about the drinking club that we were inquiring about?’ said Jon casually.

‘What? Nic? You are kidding!’ Ethan laughed out loud. ‘Nic would need sat-nav to find his own belly-button. He’s thick as sh…, as two short planks. He’d never be clever enough to keep quiet about something like that.’

‘I wouldn’t be so sure,’ said Jon with a knowing smile. ‘He reacted the moment we mentioned it. He almost slid down the back of the couch.’

‘I can’t believe that.’

‘We’ll see, shall we?’ Kate gave a shrug, ‘But, forgive me for saying this, what on earth did you see in Toni Clarkson? You two seem poles apart.’

Ethan took a deep breath. ‘Don’t be deceived by Toni, Chief Inspector. She’s far cleverer than she lets on, and what did I see in her? Well, I loved the way she kept true to herself despite her family’s wealth. I loved the way she kicked against the system. I saw a free spirit, and I think I may know her better than she knows herself.’

‘Very deep.’ Jon murmured, as Kate turned into the lane to the chapel.

‘She’ll calm down as she grows up.’ Ethan spoke gently, like some aged mentor, not an ex-boyfriend. ‘You probably won’t believe it, but Toni can be really sweet, when you get her away from her juvenile friends.’

As Kate pulled up and switched off the engine, Ethan said, ‘She had a close call, didn’t she?’

‘Yes, Ethan, she did.’ Kate looked at him seriously. ‘About as close as it gets. We believe she narrowly escaped being abducted.’

‘Is she allowed visitors?’

‘She may be going home this afternoon, so ring first, but yes, I think seeing a friendly face might do her good.’

They got out of the car and walked up to the front door. Kate had decided to check the main chapel before they went into the cellar.

‘What a dump,’ said Ethan, brushing plaster dust from his skinny jeans.

‘Have you been in here before?’ Jon asked.

‘I was at home when the storm hit. I came down with my father and a few of the parishioners to check for damage.’

‘Did Nicholas go with you?’

The boy frowned. ‘Come to think of it, he did, which was pretty weird. He doesn’t usually help with anything.’

They scoured the old building for some ten minutes, but found nothing but dusty broken masonry and pigeon droppings. ‘Okay, let’s check the cellar, shall we?’

‘There’s a cellar?’ asked Ethan blankly. ‘I never knew that.’

Jon nodded. ‘Well, I suppose it’s a crypt, but yes, there’s a door round the back.’ They both watched his face, but saw only mild surprise. And the surprise intensified when he saw the matted nettles and brambles lift up to expose the steps and the door.

‘Bloody hell!’ He glanced up at Jon and shook his head in disbelief. ‘I bet my father doesn’t know about this. What do you think is down there?’

‘Let’s find out, shall we?’ Kate decided that the boy was not play-acting. He actually looked quite stunned by their discovery.

Jon slipped the smallest of the three keys into the lock. The old door swung open far more smoothly than it had a right to, and Jon stepped inside.

The crypt was a large open area, with a stone floor, a low ceiling, and the remnants of one mega party.

Ethan slipped through the door behind Jon and let out a low whistle.

Jon glanced across at Kate. ‘I think we just found one of the venues for that drinking club.’

Her gaze roamed around the filthy crypt and on closer inspection, Kate decided that one mega orgy might have been a better description of what had gone on. Bottles, cans, plastic glasses, cigarette packets and dog-ends, and dozens of spent candles were strewn across the floor.

‘This is really gross.’ Ethan kicked angrily at a used condom with the toe of his navy and white Converse boot. ‘This was a place of worship.’

Kate noted the disgust on his face. Ethan may be a liberated activist when it came to student politics, but something of his father had clearly rubbed off on him.

‘So was Medmendham Abbey,’ said Jon, ‘…and look what the Hellfire Club used that for.’

‘It’s still gross.’

‘That it is, lad. Now, I wonder how the party-goers got hold of the key for this place?’ Jon mused, with a shrewd glance and a raised eyebrow in Ethan’s direction.

Ethan Barley stared wide eyed for a moment, then said, ‘Nic? Oh no, surely you can’t think…?’

‘I do actually.’

Kate picked her way between crushed lager cans and discarded crisp packets. ‘Sorry, Ethan, but I’m with Jon on this. I think your brother maybe more savvy than you give him credit for.’

Even in the gloom of the cellar, Kate saw Ethan blanch. ‘My father will kill him if he finds out.’

‘I hope you mean that figuratively?’

The boy said nothing.

‘I am afraid that we are going to need these keys.’ said Jon, dangling the ring on his index finger. ‘We need to seal this place up, and get a SOCO down here.’

‘Forensics?’ Ethan’s eyes were growing wider by the minute.

‘I’m sorry, but this may have been the place that Toni and Emily were brought to.’ Jon spoke the words gently, and Kate knew from the tone of his voice that although the student may have stringent views on life, there was something about the boy that he rather liked.

‘Of course.’ He stared at the floor. ‘But if you find evidence that my brother has something to do with this, he’ll be in serious trouble, won’t he?’

‘Up to his sticky-out ears, I’m afraid.’ Jon pushed his hands deep into his pockets. ‘Unless, of course, you could get him to talk to us. Then we’d be a lot more lenient with him.’

‘And Ethan, we need to know if there has been another key cut.’ Kate added. ‘Do you think you could find out for us? Meanwhile we’ll say nothing about suspecting that Nicholas may be involved.’

‘I need some air.’ The boy slowly walked back to the door and up the steps. Shoulders hunched, Ethan walked over to the low wall, the one where Jon had sat earlier when they had talked of wreckers, and sat heavily down.

Kate went over to him, and Jon hung tactfully back in order to give his boss a few moments with Ethan Barley.

Kate adopted the same tone that she used with her teenage sons. ‘We could be wrong. But we have to find out what’s going on, you realise this, don’t you, Ethan?’

He nodded. ‘I’ll help, for my family’s sake, and for Toni and the other girl.’ He looked Kate full in the eyes. ‘Is this Emily in real danger?’

‘What do you think, Ethan? According to Toni, she was drugged and dragged away, to God knows where. She hasn’t been seen since. It doesn’t get much more dangerous than that.’

The boy bit his lip and stared at the ground. ‘I’ll do all I can with Nicholas.’

It seemed there was no more to say and Kate saw Jon walking over to them.

‘I’ll call this in, ma’am, and get uniform down here. Then we’ll get Ethan home.’

Back at the vicarage, Kate gave the boy her card. ‘Any time, day or night, okay?’

He nodded and pocketed it. ‘I hope you find her.’

As they pulled away, she glanced across to Jon, ‘He’s not a bad kid, but his brother gives me the creeps.’ She paused. ‘No mention of a mother.’

‘She’s dead.’ Jon said flatly.

‘You saw her?’

‘I picked up a few vague memories. I saw a woman in the kitchen, playing with the children.’

Kate shook her head. ‘How the devil do you manage to differentiate from one world to the next?’

Jon grinned ‘Years of practise, ma’am. There is always a subtle difference between real and spirit. And regarding the Barley boys’ mother, she was clearly just an old memory left behind.’

‘Do you ever see your sister?’ The words were out before Kate had really thought about what she was asking.

‘No.’ Jon went quiet, indicated and pulled onto the road into town. After almost half a mile, he said. ‘Izzie got all hung up about my gift. She started going to séances and..,’ he hesitated. ‘…some bad people started to fill her head with dangerous ideas. In fairness, no-one knew that she had a psychological weakness, but she became obsessed with the spirit world. And if I wasn’t the way that I am, she might still be alive today, so you can see why we feel responsible.’

‘But why did she kill herself?’ Kate almost whispered.

‘She killed herself, because she wanted to be my spirit guide.’ He pushed down on the accelerator. ‘And of all the hundreds of souls that have seen since, I’ve never once seen my sister.’