Watch Them Disappear

A completely nail-biting and absolutely gripping crime thriller

Detective Gina Harte

Book 19

Carla Kovach

Books by Carla Kovach

Detective Gina Harte series

The Next Girl

Her Final Hour

Her Pretty Bones

The Liar’s House

Her Dark Heart

Her Last Mistake

Their Silent Graves

The Broken Ones

One Left Behind

Her Dying Wish

One Girl Missing

Her Deadly Promise

Their Cold Hearts

Her Hidden Shadow

Her Last Goodbye

One Last Prayer

Then She Vanished

Their Deadly Truth

Watch Them Disappear

Standalone Novels

The People Next Door

My Husband’s Wife

On a Quiet Street

The Houseshare

Find Me

What She Did

Meet Me at Marmaris Castle

Whispers Beneath the Pines

Flame

AVAILABLE IN AUDIO

Detective Gina Harte series

The Next Girl (Available in the UK and the US)

Her Final Hour (Available in the UK and the US)

Her Pretty Bones (Available in the UK and the US)

The Liar’s House (Available in the UK and the US)

Her Dark Heart (Available in the UK and the US)

Her Last Mistake (Available in the UK and the US)

Their Silent Graves (Available in the UK and the US)

The Broken Ones (Available in the UK and the US)

One Left Behind (Available in the UK and the US)

Her Dying Wish (Available in the UK and the US)

One Girl Missing (Available in the UK and the US)

Her Deadly Promise (Available in the UK and the US)

Their Cold Hearts (Available in the UK and the US)

Her Hidden Shadow (Available in the UK and the US)

Her Last Goodbye (Available in the UK and the US)

One Last Prayer (Available in the UK and the US)

Then She Vanished (Available in the UK and the US)

Their Deadly Truth (Available in the UK and the US)

Standalone Novels

The People Next Door (Available in the UK and the US)

My Husband’s Wife (Available in the UK and the US)

On a Quiet Street (Available in the UK and the US)

The Houseshare (Available in the UK and the US)

Find Me (Available in the UK and the US)

What She Did (Available in the UK and the US)

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Chapter 63

Chapter 64

Chapter 65

Epilogue

Hear More from Carla

Books by Carla Kovach

A Letter from Carla

Go back to where it all began for Gina Harte…

The Next Girl

Her Final Hour

My Husband’s Wife

Acknowledgements

Publishing Team

Raising Readers

To all those who are thinking of taking a new path in life.

Prologue

I throw my clothes on despite not being properly dry, then step out of the shower cubicle, annoyed that my socks are soaked through and my shirt is sticking to my chest. I hate being the last one here but I guess that’s what happens when some prick trips you up and you land in mud and, on top of that, the teacher decides it’s your turn to put all the equipment away.

The changing benches are empty except for a single hockey stick that has been left out, and a green towel that dangles from a hook. I frown because I’m sure I heard voices while I was under the shower.

With every step I take, echoes bounce through the steamy, vacuous room. An eerie chill runs through my body. Even the teachers have deserted me.

The bell for next lesson makes me jump, then my phone vibrates in my bag. I know I’m not meant to have a phone in school, but we all hide them in our socks, clothes or pencil cases. I pull mine out and see that my dad has sent me a message. When I get home, I’m to heat up the food in the fridge for dinner as he has to do overtime at work, and I mustn’t forget to walk our little Yorkshire terrier. Another message flashes up. It’s from an anonymous number.

A bang coming from beyond the changing room door sends my heart racing. I need to leave and I hope that there’s someone else around and the noise can be explained. Why are changing rooms so creepy when you’re alone?

I sprint away from the showers and burst through the double doors to the gym where I stare at the basketball rolling towards the pile of crash mats in the far corner. Someone was here. The gym door slams and I’m left alone with my banging heart.

As I half-jog through the gym, I click on the anonymous message and gasp. My throat tightens and I’m hot, burning hot. The gym spins so I grab one of the monkey bars to keep myself upright. The attached photo is a close-up of my ample butt cheeks with trickles of water running down them. Someone took a photo of me in the cubicle, that’s why I heard voices. I click on the other two photos. There’s one of me, eyes scrunched closed with shampoo all down my face and it’s a full frontal. The other one is of me bent over.

I need to leave, to get out of here and go home. Geography can do one. The whole school can do one. I hate it here. My chest tightens again and… and… everyone’s going to be looking at me.

I’m nearly at the end of the empty gym, my steps echoing through the hall. The stench of sweat and cheesy feet threatens to overwhelm me so I gulp in deep breaths in the hope that I don’t heave. I burst through the main door, lean against the wall and inhale the wintry air. Several kids with phones in their hands stare at me. The pointing, the whispering and the laughing – they’re all closing in on me and growing in number. Maybe twenty, thirty, forty – I’ve lost count. Are there hundreds of them, now?

They grin at my red teary face and the one at the front of the pack points and says, ‘I won’t stop until I destroy you – freak.’

One

Ursula

Monday, 19 January

Ursula half sang ‘Where Is My Husband’ by Raye while sweeping the last of the pet hair from the floor. Like in the song, she wondered where her husband was because he hadn’t texted her back when she asked him if he wanted her to pick up a curry on the way home. In fact, he rarely replied to her anymore.

A few high notes later and a little bit of a dance to wind down, she’d finished and placed the broom back against the wall, ready for all the pet hair that would come tomorrow. The news report earlier told her that today was Blue Monday, a day when everyone was probably depressed but she had no reason to be blue. She loved her life. There – the salon was all spick and span.

She flinched as something crashed against the window leaving a muddy splat behind. She placed a hand over her beating heart. The darkness outside gave nothing away but she already knew who had kicked the ball at her window. She pressed her nose against the glass and looked out. The tall kid with the blond hair stared at her as he swigged from a can. He stuck his middle finger up and turned to the others before kicking the ball again at the empty shop next door.

She was proud of her little business and all that she’d created but she hated the fact that the teens ran amok, destroying everything and scaring her and the other business owners. There was no delaying the inevitable. She had to leave the safety of her salon. ‘Come on, Dooby. Let’s get you home.’ She stepped into the office and collected her very old and frail terrier, the little dog she’d practised on all those years before taking the plunge and opening up her pet beauty parlour. She placed a couple of invoices into Mindy’s tray, ready for her to pay in the morning, then she locked the office door. Ursula could never handle paperwork but Mindy was a whizz at it and it helped that they had become good friends.

Dooby looked up at her longingly. She knew his game. He wanted to be picked up. His little legs couldn’t carry him far anymore so she scooped him up. It was probably safer to have him in her arms anyway. If the teens looked like they were out for trouble, she could run.

On stepping out into the crisp, cold air, she glanced up and down. One youth lit a cigarette and another swigged out of a bottle of cider. All the businesses had reported them to the council and the police, but nothing much got done. For a while, police patrolled the streets, that stopped and what a surprise – the trouble came back. She shivered as she pressed the button to bring down the electric shutters. So far, the youths hadn’t noticed her leaving. She’d clean the dirt off the window in the morning. Dooby started yapping in her arms. ‘Shush.’

She jumped at the loud bang followed by the youths roaring. They were always playing football and using shopfronts as goalposts. One of the boys looked across so she turned away quickly and walked away as fast as she could. The scent of pizza filled the air. That was the only shop still left open at this time. Ursula often opened later for the customers that couldn’t make it during the day, but not tonight. She had no more bookings.

She stepped onto the road and crossed the car park. It was almost empty now, not like when she arrived in the morning. There was a nursery close by and when she arrived it had been full of parents dropping their little ones off so, as usual, she didn’t get a parking space by the door. An eerie silence momentarily filled the air but only until the next goal shooter went for it. The youths howled again. She cut through the path to where her car was parked, trying not to slip on the frosty slabs or get shredded by the overgrown brambles. Then she stepped out onto the side road where she could see her car. She stopped and frowned. Mindy’s car was parked up at the end of the road. She glanced up to see if she could see her friend anywhere but all she could see was a wall of unruly shrubbery and Mindy’s car, but no Mindy. Maybe the car had broken down. Mindy kept saying that it was making funny noises and she’d been late because it wouldn’t always drive well until it had warmed up a bit.

A rustling of trees coming from behind her sent her heart booming again. She turned around but there was no one there. ‘Hello,’ she said. The blond-haired teen stepped out, his pupils dilated. She guessed he had to be close to six feet tall. He stepped closer. She shuffled back a little, hugging her dog. His crooked smile spread across his face and she couldn’t help but shiver. Dooby barked and snapped.

‘Report us again and I’ll burn you, your rat dog and your shop down.’

‘I didn’t…’ It was no use lying, they knew it was her. Most of the other units were empty and the guy who owned the pizza shop loved them. They were his main customers.

The youth kept walking until he was so close, she could smell his cheap body spray. She closed her eyes then nearly fell as he shoulder-nudged her to get past. Relief flooded through her as he kept walking. He’d passed and he was heading towards Mindy’s car. He kicked the back tyre before hurrying into the woodland where she could see him already undoing his fly as he disappeared behind a tree. She’d complained about the stench of urine, too.

Ursula glanced at Mindy’s old blue Fiesta before placing Dooby on the road, much to his dismay. He whined at her feet so she unlocked her car and let him in where he curled up. He was safer in there, away from the youth. ‘I know, I know, Dooby. I want to go home, too.’ She pulled out her phone and pressed Mindy’s number. She had to check on her. Maybe Mindy needed a lift in to work the next day. Her call didn’t even connect. Mindy was always glued to her phone. Maybe she was on Instagram or TikTok. Ursula opened up Instagram and selected Mindy’s profile. On glancing up at the woodland ahead, she hoped that the youth wouldn’t come back too soon. Mindy’s profile loaded. She hadn’t posted anything since yesterday. There was a picture of her chilling on her sofa drinking a piña colada from a can – her favourite wind-down tipple.

She stopped dead as she heard shaking and rattling coming from the driver’s side of Mindy’s car. The youth was still somewhere in the woodland. He wouldn’t be long now so she had to hurry. ‘Mindy.’ That was silly. Of course, Mindy wouldn’t be hiding behind her car and rustling around. It was almost seven that evening. Mindy had left around six. Ursula flinched as the weird sound came again. She took a few more steps towards the car.

She kept her focus on the long dark path that led through the woods. It eventually came out at the industrial estate, but that was about a fifteen-minute power walk away. Maybe the youth had gone home that way. Her heart thrummed harder as she stepped closer to the woodland, and worse still, closer to the weird noise that had now turned into a rattle and a thump. ‘Mindy…’ The closer she got, the less street lamps there were to light up the road. She tried to call her husband again but once again, he didn’t answer.

Come on, Ursula, get your big girl pants on. She furrowed her brows and peered through the back window of Mindy’s car. She couldn’t see anyone in it. She bent down to see if she could see feet underneath it because if there was some weirdo lurking, she was going to run to her car as fast as her legs could take her. As she leaned down, she saw something that looked like a box, but there were no feet.

The thumping sound was coming from the box and that was followed by someone running. It was the youth and he was darting through the trees and then directly at her. He nudged into her shoulder and laughed as he passed. It was okay, he was gone now, but she still had the weird noise to figure out. She dusted herself off and walked around the car. Her gaze fixed on the sight of Mindy’s fluffy white angora rabbit, Hoppy, still in his basket from when Ursula groomed him over an hour ago. She crouched down and looked through the front of the basket at Hoppy. ‘What are you doing here? Where’s your mummy?’

She used the torch on her phone to peer into Mindy’s Fiesta. Not even Mindy’s bag was on the seat. She’d never leave Hoppy out in the cold like this. Mindy loved him like he was her baby. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. That’s when she saw Mindy’s smashed phone on the road. There were red smears on the windscreen – blood. She gasped and almost stumbled back, before grabbing the basket and running straight to her car, where she locked herself, Dooby, and Hoppy in. With trembling fingers, she called the police. Her rear-view mirror was filled with the youth’s dilated pupils and that lopsided grin, then he turned and ran.

Dooby started barking and jumping on her lap as she got through to the police. ‘Help, someone has hurt my friend. She’s gone. There’s blood… so much blood.’

Two

Gina

Gina barely felt the January frost as she leaned her back against her car. DCI Brodie Fraser leaned in and slowly kissed her goodbye in the dark corner of the station car park. His five o’clock shadow caught her chin. She wanted to reach up and run her hands through his brown hair and draw him closer but she was outside her workplace and a chaste peck was all they could share. Her heart already pined for him and he was still with her. She glanced up at the window where all her colleagues were working, knowing she had to head in for a few hours to file the huge pile of paperwork on her desk. She caught Jacob at another window, smiling. He waved and she took a step away from Brodie. It wasn’t a secret that she’d started seeing Brodie after the last case. He didn’t even work out of their station but still, she didn’t want to discuss that element of her private life at work. She hadn’t even told her daughter Hannah, scared she might jinx what they had. It was early days but there was no denying that she craved his presence every moment of the day.

‘I miss you already.’ His warm hand was still holding hers and his light Glaswegian accent sent tingles through her. She gently let it go, knowing he needed to get home to Gloucester, ready for his early shift the next day. Gina was on the late shift.

‘Same. Roll on the weekend.’

He looked up and an almost sexy expression spread across his face. ‘You know what I’d like to do with you right now, Gina?’

She knew exactly what he’d like to do with her. It would be a repeat of earlier this evening and she tingled inside as she replayed it all in her head. Her face started heating up. ‘That will keep me going for my shift, now go before I quit this life and run off with you.’

He let out a laugh and began walking towards his car.

While watching him go, she undid her coat a little to cool down. No way was she going into the station looking flustered. Professional face on, Gina.

As she started walking in, she caught the back end of DCI Chris Briggs turning away from the window and she swallowed. It hadn’t been her who broke up their relationship, it had been him and she’d been hurt. He couldn’t deny her a chance at happiness, surely. She shook that thought away, knowing she was overthinking everything again. She hurried in out of the cold and headed up to her office.

While trying to file away the piles of paperwork that had built up on her desk, she straightened up the photo of Gracie, her granddaughter. She’d enjoyed watching Gracie play the part of the Grinch’s assistant in her primary school Christmas play. Hannah, her daughter, had emailed her the photo soon after and it now took pride of place on her desk, where Gina could see it every day. Seeing Gracie looking so happy reminded her that there was some good left in the world.

Her phone beeped. It was Brodie, the man she’d been casually seeing since the last case where he took over as temporary DCI. He can’t have even left the car park yet. She couldn’t help but smile as she opened the message and imagined him saying the words to her.

Hello gorgeous. It’s been five minutes and I’m missing you already. I seriously can’t wait for Sunday. I really enjoyed being with you. You don’t know what you do to me, Gina. Xxx

The message made her pleasantly shudder. The unknown path she was taking sent flutters through her stomach. A smile formed on her lips as she hit reply. It had been years since she’d felt anything close to this. It was like all her senses had been awakened by Brodie. This new relationship was with an amazing man and it was one she didn’t have to hide. With Briggs working under the same roof as her, they’d kept it a secret when they had been a couple. Brodie was novel and exciting. She replied.

I miss you too. I wish you lived closer, like on my doorstep. X

He was based in Gloucester, only about an hour’s drive, but that felt too far away when they both worked insanely long shifts. He was typing back, already.

I’m thinking about what I’d like to do with you…

She blushed as she read the rest. He was coming to stay with her on Sunday and it was going to be amazing. She threw her phone on her desk as Detective Constable Harry O’Connor banged on her open office door with his big hammy fists. His head shone as the light above caught it. ‘Alright, guv. I just thought I’d let you know that Mrs O is attending a patisserie course in Paris all week so any overtime, count me in.’ He let out a sigh. ‘I miss her when she’s not at home. You’d be doing me a favour. Night or day, I’m here to help.’

Gina sat in her chair, hoping that her colleague couldn’t see that her cheeks had burnt up a little. She cleared her throat and sat up straight. ‘How lovely, the course I mean, not her being away. I’ll see what we have and what comes in. You’re first in line for all the hours. I know Jacob needs a break. As for Mrs O and this course, I look forward to sampling some of her new bakes when she gets back.’

‘And me. She’ll probably be making a million batches up in her unit next week. I’ll bring some in. I’m sure she’ll be looking for people to test them on.’ He glanced around. ‘Do you need a hand with all this?’ He pointed at the piles of paper on her desk.

‘No, I’m good.’ It was her mess and she was going to sort it out. She’d been so busy, paperwork had taken a back seat. There were books of notes that she needed to go through to work out what to throw away and what to file away. ‘And thanks, I’ll keep you posted regarding the overtime. Are you okay?’

He shrugged. ‘I hate going home to an empty house. We don’t really spend much time apart. I miss her but at least I’ll be even more excited to see her on Sunday. It’s like a part of me is missing.’

For the first time in ages, Gina felt the same. She had loved having Brodie in her bed this weekend and hated the thought of having to go home later and sleep by herself.

O’Connor checked his watch. ‘I best go, she’s calling me in ten minutes.’

Harry had always seemed close to his wife and that had been something Gina had, in the nicest possible way, not envied, until now. Brodie was changing her life. Only now could she properly imagine what it might feel like to go home and be all loved up on a couch every night. Marriage hadn’t been that for her. A flash of fear sent a shiver through her. She only had to think of her dead ex-husband Terry and what he’d put her through. The evil in him had seen her with a broken body on many occasions, but her broken view of relationships had lasted for years, way longer than the bruises. His beatings had lived in her head on replay and they still surfaced now and again, but she’d try to quell that fear and anger by remembering how helpless he’d looked when he’d been dying at the bottom of her stairs after she’d pushed him. But that was in the past and Brodie Fraser, he was her present and, dare she imagine it, her future.

For once, she wanted to be at home chatting to him on the phone when he got home and she hoped that nothing major would come in. She had a love life to attend to and she wanted nothing to scupper it. As she started flicking through a notebook, loud throat clearing startled her. Detective Chief Inspector Briggs stood at the door frame. ‘Sorry, I could see you were busy.’

Was he going to mention her and Brodie? She hoped not. She already felt awkward around him. A part of her wondered what he really thought. Did he regret ending their relationship? Now wasn’t the time or place. Maybe there never was a time or place for that conversation.

His scent reached her nostrils. He always did smell good and that same scent used to be left on her pillows, long after he left her bed. Her gaze met his but he gave nothing away. It was as if they’d never been involved. She had no idea how he could turn his emotions off so easily but it was exactly that that had made it so easy for her to move on. She exhaled. That was unfair of her to think. He wasn’t emotionally bankrupt, she’d seen many sides to him. The last case had been hard for Briggs. He’d been the accused, then the victim, and now he was back at the helm, DCI of Cleevesford Police Station, heading up major crimes. He’d done a good job of keeping her distant and she’d accepted that he wanted more than a bit of breathing space. He’d had enough of her and the complications that came with her past. The last case had been the nail in the coffin for their secret relationship. Briggs would always be a huge part of her life and past, and they shared their joint secrets. He would always keep hers and she his. She smiled uncomfortably, knowing he’d seen her in the car park with Brodie. ‘That’s okay. Sit down, come in.’

He shook his head. ‘I don’t think anyone will be doing any sitting for the time being. We’ve had a report of a missing woman. I’m heading up the briefing in the incident room now.’

Her phone lit up and the message flashed on her screen.

Hey, sexy. Do you want me to go on and tell you how I’d like to…

She quickly turned it over. Briggs straightened up his tie and ran his shovel-like hand through his slightly overgrown hair, shifting it from his eyes, and turned to leave. She went to call him back. Should she say something? He’d obviously been hurt to see that message. Or had he? She might have been reading too much into him leaving her office. Maybe he didn’t care at all, and why should he? It had been him who’d turned his back on what they had. She grabbed a piece of paper, screwed it into a ball and threw it across her desk and straight into the wastepaper bin. It wasn’t in her nature to upset Briggs. She’d always care for him. As for the briefing, she only hoped the case was a straightforward one.

She hurried to the incident room to see Briggs standing at the board. DC Harry O’Connor was seated next to DC Paula Wyre. Her long black hair had been twisted into a plaited bun at the nape of her neck and she was pulling segments from what was probably a leftover Christmas clementine before popping them into her mouth. Trainee DC Jhanvi Kapoor was sitting near the door with her coat on. It looked like she’d been ready to leave before being called back. Detective Sergeant Jacob Driscoll entered and grabbed a seat, then yawned. Again, he had his coat on and his normally neat short back and sides stuck up on one side of his head. It had been a long day for all of them and from the look on Briggs’s face, Gina knew that it was really just the start of their day.

They were all seated, except for Briggs. ‘We’ve had an incident reported by a woman called Ursula Grey. She owns Chez Ursula’s, a pet grooming salon at the Ferndale shopping strip. Mrs Grey left and went to her car, that’s when she saw that her employee Mindy Carson’s car was still parked up on the road by the woods. Mindy Carson’s phone has been smashed. There’s blood smeared on the windscreen and her pet rabbit was left in a basket next to her car. Mindy left the salon about six this evening, an hour before Ursula. There have been major problems with the youths that hang around the centre. When uniform arrived, the youths dispersed but Mrs Grey said that one of them threatened to burn her and her salon down just before she called us. Gina?’

‘Yes.’ She raised her brows.

‘You’re senior investigating officer. I want you to report anything you find directly to me. We need Mindy found as soon as possible.’

She nodded.

He continued. ‘Forensics are en route and uniform are searching the area. PCs Ahmed and Smith have already been dispatched to her house and she definitely isn’t home. They said that Mrs Grey was upset. She said that Mindy would never leave her rabbit, and that he was her baby. We are treating this as a possible kidnapping.’

Gina glanced at O’Connor. ‘O’Connor and I can head to the scene.’ She glanced at Jacob. He was her usual sidekick but she also knew that he’d be thrilled at O’Connor stepping in as he also had a lot of paperwork and other tasks to catch up on. O’Connor smiled.

Briggs nodded. ‘Jacob, can you contact the council, see what CCTV they have in the area? We need to identify the youths.’

He yawned and nodded at the same time.

‘DC Wyre and Jhanvi, could you both look into Mindy Carson’s life, see if we can find out who her next of kin is? Check out her social media.’

Wyre nodded and bunched up the peel from her clementine, ready to throw it in the bin.

‘In the meantime, I’ll alert all units. She has to be somewhere. Depending on her injuries, she might not have much time. There was blood at the scene. She’s likely to be hurt and bleeding which means we need to act fast.’

Three

Gina

O’Connor pulled his handbrake on outside the Ferndale shops. Gina couldn’t help but think, what a dump. She knew it was the antisocial behaviour that gave it that impression and she felt for what was left of the business owners and people who lived close by. Litter spilled out from the bins and there was a pile of vomit outside one of the vacant, graffitied units.

To the right of the strip a lemon-coloured sign saying Chez Ursula’s on it cheered the row up. A warm glow radiated from the huge window. It would have looked perfect had it not been for the smear of mud in the middle of the glass. She could tell that Ursula had poured her heart and soul into the little salon but apart from her shop, there was a pizza shop, a boarded-up barber’s and a long-gone sweet shop. Moss and weeds grew from the top of the flat roof that topped the whole strip of shops.

She got out of the car and O’Connor followed her to the pet salon. ‘Looks like forensics are working the scene,’ he said. He pointed to Bernard, the gangly Crime Scene Manager. As usual, his white beard was tucked away in his beard cover as he and his assistants stood in the section that had been cordoned off by police tape. The outer cordon reached further back and a PC guarded the scene.

As they entered Chez Ursula’s, PC Smith glanced her way. She knew he’d already checked to see if their missing woman was home but her house had been in darkness and silence. He held his police hat under his arm. Ursula Grey rolled back and forth on an office chair alongside the huge stainless-steel pet bath. She dabbed her eyes with a tissue. Her long brown hair looked like it had nearly all fallen out of the clip that was loosely hanging from her head. He left her and O’Connor with Ursula.

‘I’m DI Harte and this is DC O’Connor. May we sit?’

Ursula nodded and rolled her chair towards them along the tiled floor to the little seating area where Gina and O’Connor sat. She placed a bunch of keys on the table. One keyring had a Yorkshire terrier on it and another with Ferndale written on it. ‘Do you have any news? The PC said he’d checked Mindy’s house but it’s too far for her to walk home. She wouldn’t have left Hoppy like that and she wasn’t in, either,’ Ursula said.

‘Hoppy?’

Ursula pointed to the most beautiful rabbit that Gina had ever seen. The white fluffball lay on a blanket in a huge basket while munching on some lettuce. ‘He’s Mindy’s baby. She would never leave him anywhere, least of all alone in the freezing cold. That’s how I know something terrible has happened to her.’

‘I can see you’re upset but we need your help. We need you to tell us everything you can so we can find Mindy. Can you think of anyone who might want to hurt her?’ Gina asked as she tilted her head.

‘Where do I start?’

That wasn’t what Gina had been expecting. She waited for O’Connor to take his notebook out.

‘We’ve had so much trouble with the youths around here and before you ask, yes, I’ve reported them. Every time I leave they stare at me like they want to kill me. They know I’ve told the police about them and they probably think Mindy did too, but she has nothing to do with all that. Mindy handles the office and my paperwork, that’s all.’ She frowned. ‘Those kids spend most evenings kicking a ball at my window. I’ve replaced it four times and I can’t even insure it now, but that’s nothing new. All you lot keep doing is giving me a crime number.’ She paused. ‘I can’t help wondering if one of them hurt her. Have you searched the woods? I kept thinking she’d been hurt and maybe she ran into the woods and passed out. I saw the blood…’ She bit her bottom lip and frowned again.

‘I’m so sorry you had to see that. Officers are checking the woods as we speak. Have there been any altercations between Mindy and the youths?’

Someone burst through the main door, followed by PC Smith. ‘Ursula, lovely. Could I book Sheldon in for his usual next Wednesday? He’s looking a bit unruly, total mess, actually. Big mud incident and then there was the rolling in fox poo.’ The man in the slim fit, tucked in shirt and smart coat and blue scarf frowned and glanced at everyone in the salon. ‘Is Mindy around? I think you said there would be a discount if she could practice on him. Sheldon won’t mind if he has an iffy cut.’ He raised his brows. ‘Oh my God, are you okay, lovely? I’m so sorry for bursting in like that. What’s happened?’

‘Mindy’s missing.’

The man placed his hand over his mouth. ‘No way. I’m sorry. I saw the light on. I was next door assembling furniture ready for the grand opening next week and… That’s terrible. Is there anything I can do?’

Gina glanced at the man. ‘I’m DI Harte and this is DC O’Connor. How well do you know Mindy?’

‘I know her from here. Ursula has always tended to Sheldon, he’s my cockapoo. I was talking to Mindy the other day. Ursula’s training her to groom so I volunteered him.’ He shrugged.

‘What’s your name?’

‘Edwin Hammond.’

‘Did you see or hear anything around six this evening?’ Gina asked the man.

‘I didn’t see anything, I’ve been inside since about four and my windows are boarded up. The glazier is booked to sort that on Friday so I can’t see out when I’m in there. Actually, I could hear something going on outside around that time. I heard one of the youths shouting the word bitch.’

‘We’ll need to take your details and could we please take a statement at the station?’

‘Sure. Shall I head there this evening?’

Gina turned to PC Smith. ‘Could you please instruct Mr Hammond further?’

He nodded and took the man outside the salon.

‘So, the youths were harassing Mindy earlier.’ Ursula frowned. ‘There’s a really tall blond-haired lad. He keeps holding his lighter up every time he has a cigarette and says he’s going to burn us down because that’s what happens to snitches. Tonight’s threat wasn’t the first one. We’re scared of them but we can’t do anything, and once again, you lot don’t do a thing and now Mindy’s missing. You have to find her.’ Her fists clenched.

Disappointment in Cleevesford Police was written all over Ursula’s face and Gina couldn’t deny Ursula’s experience. If only they had the budget to have officers on the beat everywhere. That would be a luxury, but they didn’t. ‘Can you please describe them? You said one was blond-haired and tall?’

‘They all blend into one but him, he stands out. All of them wear these puffy jackets with hats on under their hoods and when you see them, they hunch over so you can’t get a good look. The blond one – he’s six foot tall, I guess. He towers over me and he has a wiry frame.’ She began to fiddle with the sleeves of her blue coat by running her chipped pink fingernails over the cuffs. ‘He wears these chunky trainers with orange stripes along the sides and a hoodie. When his coat and hoodie are unzipped, I can see what he’s wearing underneath. It’s always the same clothes. The hoodie is grey. It has a yellow smiley emoji with a cigarette balancing between its lips on the front. His hair is shaven at the sides.’ She furrows her brows. ‘He has a couple of tramlines shaved onto the right side of his head and his eyes are ice blue. He wears an earring in an eyebrow, I can’t remember which one. It’s a silver bar.’

Gina was impressed with Ursula’s recall. Most people only managed a few details. ‘How old is Mindy?’

‘Twenty-eight.’

‘How long has she worked for you?’

‘About six months.’

‘And how long have you known her?’ Gina glanced at O’Connor. His pen scraped on the paper as he wrote.

‘Only since then but we’ve become really close, like besties. We go out together and she hangs out at my place a lot.’ She started to bite one of her chipped fingernails.

‘Did she seem okay when she was here?’

‘I thought she looked ill, sick maybe. She hasn’t felt too good lately but I don’t think it’s anything serious. We groomed Hoppy, she quickly checked her work emails and muttered something about feeling ill before she dashed off. I didn’t overthink it at the time but now I wonder if she had something on her mind. I should have asked but I had a customer come in to collect her dog. I was distracted. Mindy didn’t even say bye.’

‘How long has she not seemed herself?’

‘I don’t know. A few days, a week maybe. Do you think that her going missing has something to do with her looking sick, and by sick, I mean worried, or maybe she wasn’t getting enough sleep?’

‘We don’t know at the moment. We’re just trying to build up a picture of how Mindy was earlier. Has she ever mentioned her past?’

Ursula nods. ‘She was in a bad relationship but she never liked to talk about it so I didn’t push it. Once she mentioned that her ex had been harassing her, like ringing and messaging all the time.’

‘Do you know who her ex is?’

‘No. I don’t know anything about her ex at all, not a name, a place of work, nor an address. I know her brother helped her to leave the relationship with Hoppy and he paid the deposit on the little house she’s living in. This job was her new start and I’ve been trying to build up the business and train her to groom the pets so I can give her more work.’ Ursula swallowed. ‘I was in a similar relationship in my early twenties so I made it my mission to help her all I could.’

Gina shivered a little at the thought of Mindy leaving a toxic relationship, taking her beloved pet with her, and she couldn’t help but think that her ex had caught up with her. She glanced out of the window half expecting to see the youths, but they weren’t there.

‘She never put anything on Instagram that might hint at where she lived or worked. That’s why she never shared posts from here.’

Gina knew that people had their ways. Most people running from a bad relationship or abuse would at some point fall for their partner’s love bombing and promises to change and then they might let their whereabouts slip. Gina had fallen for similar things with Terry in another life. She’d forgiven him for the most terrible of abuses. She’d dished out forgiveness without a second thought back then. ‘Do you know where her brother lives?’

‘Somewhere in Cleevesford, that’s why she came to live here. I don’t know where but I do know that Mindy parks in the car park on the high street when she sees him, the one everyone uses for the supermarket. His house is down one of the narrow side streets where the cars pack in. She didn’t like parallel parking.’

‘Do you know his name?’

She nodded. ‘He’s been here to meet her for lunch. He’s lovely. His name is Lonnie. I don’t think Mindy ever married so he’s probably called Lonnie Carson.’

Gina nodded to O’Connor to send a message to Wyre, who was looking into family back at the station. They knew roughly where he lived and what his full name likely was. ‘May we look at her desk?’ If Mindy was scared or anxious about someone or an ex, she may well have left something behind. Gina didn’t know what she expected to find but it was worth a look.

‘Of course. Knock yourself out. It’s just through that door. Light switch is on your left.’

‘Oh, another thing, could you please head to the station this evening? We’ll need to take a formal statement.’

‘I’ve told you everything I know.’

‘We’ll try not to keep you too long but we need to find Mindy.’

‘I’ll call my husband, tell him I’ll be late.’

As Gina left O’Connor in the salon with Ursula, she heard Ursula calling her husband. ‘Pick up, pick up,’ Ursula said before pausing and waiting. On the second attempt, he answered and Ursula went straight into how Mindy had disappeared, telling him everything.

Gina sat at Mindy’s desk. There was a huge pad with notes to call people about their pets, some crossed out after Mindy had obviously attended to them. She opened the desk drawer and there was nothing but some stationery and a flyer advertising poke bowls. She lifted that up – nothing underneath. The rest of the drawers were full of salon paperwork. She checked the in-tray and there were several invoices in a pile that were clipped together. A sticky yellow note had been stuck to the front with the words, please pay, written on it. Just as she was about to stand and leave the desk, she nudged the mouse and the computer screen came to life. That’s when she saw the already opened email amongst the others. The sender was called OpenMeSmilerX1284552 and the message was sent just before six that evening. Gina went back in. ‘Can I borrow you a minute?’

Ursula nodded and came into the office, followed by O’Connor.

‘See this email, would you mind if I open it?’

‘No. There’s nothing private on this computer. Open whatever you like.’ O’Connor came to her side and Ursula stepped out of the way so he could see. She headed to the door. ‘Can I get you both a drink?’

‘Yes, please. Could I have some water?’ Gina wanted to check out the email without Ursula looking over her shoulder. The rest of Mindy’s inbox didn’t look remotely suspicious.

As soon as Ursula left the room, Gina clicked on the email. There was no message but there was a video. She clicked play. That’s when they both saw a close up of a man with a tattoo of an eagle on his thigh, thrusting into a woman in a dimly lit room. The faces and feet were chopped off the video but the woman did have a large brown birthmark on her hand, and flowery bedding. After twenty seconds some text popped up before the video abruptly ended. Delete this message. Leave the salon now. If I see you touch your phone, I’ll send this to all your contacts. That birthmark is so unique. Gina quickly checked Mindy’s outbox. Mindy hadn’t replied.

Gina reduced the email as Ursula walked in with a small bottle of water and handed it to her. ‘Did you find anything?’

‘Yes. I’m really sorry to tell you this but we’ll need to book your computer into evidence.’

‘But… it’s my business. I need it.’ She pressed her lips together for a second as she frowned. ‘Sorry. You obviously need it to help find Mindy. I have a laptop I can use for now but I’ll need to transfer some things off that computer onto it.’

Gina let out a long breath. ‘I’ll get someone from digital forensics to come here and help you do that. DC O’Connor, could you call Garth?’

He nodded and left the room.

‘Can I ask,’ Gina continued, ‘did Mindy have any distinguishing marks?’

Ursula raised her brows and stared for a moment. ‘You’ve found her, haven’t you? You’ve found a body and you want me to… to…’ Her eyes started watering up.

‘No, it’s just a routine question.’

She placed a hand across her chest. ‘She had a birthmark on her hand, a large one about the size of a two-pence piece.’

Just like the woman in the video. Revenge porn came to mind but it had gone a lot further than that. Mindy had been sent the video and asked to delete the evidence and leave the salon. She shivered. She couldn’t forget that there was blood smeared all over Mindy’s windscreen and that more than likely happened just after Mindy received and opened that message. They were looking for a very dangerous person and she had to find them before anything else happened to Mindy. Someone had been watching her and… Gina shivered. There was no doubt at all in Gina’s mind. Someone had definitely kidnapped Mindy.

Four

Gina

On leaving Chez Ursula’s, Gina scrolled through her messages while waiting for O’Connor to brief PC Smith that he was to wait with her and guard the computer until Garth turned up to collect it. There was a message on her personal phone.

I’m home and I’m totally empty without you. Maybe I can call you in a bit, when you’re tucked up in bed. God, I miss you like crazy, Gina. X

There would be no tucked up in bed for Gina tonight. Mindy was the most important person on her mind. She replied to Brodie and ended the message with a couple of kisses. As she glanced at the bushes dividing the car park and the side road, Bernard caught her eye and beckoned her over. She waved, letting him know that she was on her way. O’Connor came out of the pet salon and walked with her, ready to find out what Bernard wanted to show them. ‘I hope they haven’t found a body.’ O’Connor let out a deep breath, white mist coiling up.

‘Same.’ As they reached the cordon, the officer took their details for the log before passing them some gloves, a coverall and some shoe covers. After togging up, he let Gina and O’Connor into the cordoned-off area.

‘Stick to the stepping plates.’ Bernard pointed at them.

‘Will do,’ Gina replied.

After clunking on the metal slabs that led to the car, Gina glanced back. A small crowd had formed at the end of the road and a uniformed officer was trying to move the people on. Although it was dark, she tried to take in some of the faces just in case the perpetrator was amongst them. A girl holding a phone started video messaging someone and a couple with two barking dogs pulling at leads stared at her. O’Connor’s phone beeped. He took it from his coat pocket. ‘Guv, we have the victim’s brother’s address.’

‘Great. We’ll head there as soon as we’ve finished here.’ She took one last glance at the crowd before giving Bernard her full attention. So many people were taking photos and the last thing she wanted was for anything to get back to Mindy’s brother before they’d spoken to him. News travelled fast in small towns and Cleevesford was no exception. It only took one photo marked up with the words police incident, along with a photo of Mindy’s car to alert a loved one. ‘Bernard, what can you tell me?’

‘Firstly, this scene is a nightmare. There is a mountain of things to process. So much litter, a huge collection of nitrous oxide canisters, even syringes – some fresh, some rusty and weathered. A lot of people come through here. Secondly, it’s been used as a toilet and it’s pretty messy. The lab is going to be busy.’

Gina sighed. A cluttered scene meant everything would take an age and, in the meantime, Mindy was still missing. Not only that, the way she’d been sent that video and those instructions, that was calculated.

‘How’s the search coming along?’ O’Connor asked.

‘Nothing has been found in the woods yet but I know uniform are still out there and a few forensics officers are with them, just in case anything is found. An officer with a drone walked into the woods a while back. Ah, there he is.’ Bernard pointed to the police officer who came out of the woodland holding the drone.

‘Anything?’ Gina mouthed, not wanting to draw the crowd’s attention.

The PC discreetly shook his head. She turned back to Bernard.

‘The car’s unlocked. It was unlocked when we arrived. The team has looked inside but there’s nothing out of place and there’s no sign that a struggle took place inside the car.’

Gina pictured the scene in her head and tried to imagine what might have happened. After seeing that video and message, Mindy rushed out of the salon. She placed her rabbit in its basket on the ground as she fumbled for her car keys. She unlocked the door and as she went to pick the rabbit up, she was caught unaware and then there was a struggle, causing the blood on the windscreen. After that, she disappeared. Gina shivered. The perpetrator was more than an opportunist. They orchestrated the situation. Who was the man in the video and who was her ex? Were they one and the same? She had nothing but questions. ‘How would blood get onto the middle of the windscreen if she was at the driver’s door?’

‘There’s more. If you look…’ He gestured for her and O’Connor to follow him. The portable lights reflected off the car. ‘There’s also a scratch across the paintwork on the bonnet and the blood that you can see is just above it. I’d say that some sort of struggle took place here and there’s also a shallow dent showing that something or someone landed on it with a bit of force.’

O’Connor scrunched his brow as he took the scene in.

Gina stared into the darkness of the woods, wondering where Mindy could be. No one had found any sign of her out there which meant the perp must’ve had a vehicle to take her away. If there had been a dazed-looking, bleeding woman, struggling around the estate, someone would have called emergency services. There had been no such reports. She shivered as she thought of Mindy out there somewhere, all alone and hurt, relying on them to find her and to bring her home. ‘Is there anything else you can tell me at the moment?’

‘As always, I’ll send you the report when I’ve completed it but that’s really all I have. We’re going to be here a while longer and the car will be collected soon and taken to the compound for further investigation, but that’s it.’

Gina checked her watch. It was time to head to Lonnie Carson’s house to find out what he knew about the relationship his sister ran from. She glanced over her shoulder, hoping to spot the tall blond youth Ursula had described, but he was nowhere to be seen. It seemed like a long shot putting him on the suspect list but she also knew that people could be petty. They could commit the most atrocious crimes in the name of next to nothing and because of that, she couldn’t eliminate him or his gang as suspects until she’d spoken to him. She also knew that young people were incredibly clued up when it came to technology.

‘There’s something here.’ A woman in a forensics suit placed an evidence marker down and took a moment to photograph the tiny chain before picking it up with her forceps. ‘We must have missed this the first time. It had been trodden into the earth and was trapped in a clump of grass.’ She walked towards them on the stepping plates until she reached Bernard’s side, then she held the bag up.

Gina scrunched her brow to see the tiny item.

The forensics officer continued speaking. ‘It’s a keyring with a tiny gold rabbit dangling off the end. There’s something engraved on the back.’ The forensics officer held it to the light and scrunched her brows as she read it. ‘It’s a heart with the name Hoppy in the middle.’ She glanced back. ‘There is a bit of flattened grass nearby that suggests a struggle. It looks possible that the struggle reached this area before someone then half-heartedly tried to plump the grass up again.’

O’Connor raised his brows. Gina swallowed. The keyring definitely belonged to Mindy. ‘She must have put up a fight before trying to run and then she was dragged back towards her car. The perp then had to cover up their tracks.’

O’Connor nodded, agreeing with her, as they headed back to the cordon, removed their protective clothing and put it in the bin. She turned to the crowd again and at the back, the tall blond-haired boy in the smoking, smiley hoodie stood out above everyone else. As soon as his stare locked onto hers, he bolted. He knew something about Mindy’s disappearance. She couldn’t lose him.

Five

Tabitha

‘Hey, dumbass. Aunt Claudia said you need to put your bike in the garage because she nearly drove over it.’ Tabitha barged into her brother Brian’s room. As she caught him reducing his computer screen, she stood there with her mouth open rubbing her eyes in the hope that what she’d just seen wasn’t real. His table lamp lit up the sides of his and his equally dumbass friend Curtis’s face. They turned around, pretending to look all innocent. Had she really seen what she thought she’d seen? No, surely not.

‘Have you ever heard of knocking, dipshit?’

She shrugged and walked up to where they were sitting. Curtis grabbed his coat and nudged past her. ‘Catch you tomorrow, Bri.’

Brian sighed as he looked at her and yes she was being judgemental, and to add to that, she was disgusted. ‘What?’

‘What were you looking at?’

‘Nothing.’

The door slammed which meant that Curtis had left. ‘You were. I saw and I know you shouldn’t be looking at things like that.’

‘Tabby, just get out. You’re not welcome in my room, ever.’

‘Fine, I’ll just tell Aunt Claudia that you and Creepy Curtis were checking out some really disgusting stuff together.’ She went to leave but Brian beat her to the door and slammed it before she could step out onto the landing.

‘What I do in my room is nothing to do with you so keep out of it.’

‘Are you an incel?’

‘What? Where do you get this shit from?’ He scrunched his brows.

‘I’m not stupid. I know what I saw. I thought you were better than the Tate-loving dickwads at school but wasn’t I wrong, golden boy? If Mum and Dad were still alive they’d be so proud – not.’

Their parents had idolised Brian and that had narked her. Although disgusted at her brother, she couldn’t help but sneer at him. Perfect Brian with the best grades until he took his GCSEs – the favourite and firstborn had a secret that he wouldn’t want anyone to find out about. Her stomach rolled. That wasn’t porn as she knew it to be. She’d caught Brian looking at porn before and this was far from it. She’d even looked at that trash with her friends and they’d laughed their heads off at the theatre and fakery.

‘You saw some stupid AI video. I came across it by accident. It’s nothing.’

‘Don’t believe you.’ She tilted her head and stared.

‘I don’t care. Just keep your trap shut.’

She walked up to her brother who’d sat back in his gaming chair, then she sat beside him. It was still warm from Curtis’s wide butt. Brian’s phone rang and he grabbed it. ‘Curtis… iPad… err… I’m sure you had it when you left.’ Brian stood and began searching around his room for his friend’s iPad. ‘No way. The toilet. Really? I don’t wanna touch that thing now…’ Brian left the room and stomped across the landing.

Tabitha moved the mouse and clicked on one of the reduced tabs to reveal what her brother and his friend had been looking at.

There was no sound. The video had been muted. That’s when she saw the man in the morph mask standing over the brown-haired woman who looked to be in bed, sleeping. The light coming from his phone barely lit up the room. The woman didn’t move or open her eyes but her chest rose and fell as she lay in the large bed covered in a pink flower print. Just as he began to pull the blanket down, exposing the woman’s naked breast, Tabitha scrunched up her nose and reduced the screen again, then she opened the next one. A man was stripping off in what looked like a very ordinary bedroom. At the bottom of the video there was an eye symbol and the number 4965. She knew that was the amount of people watching. She flicked back to the one with the woman but that didn’t have the eye in the corner. It wasn’t live. She selected the other video again. The man on the screen began walking around, tossing clothing out of his drawers until he found a T-shirt he liked, then he posed in front of his mirror, flexing his muscles. The reflection of his eyes caught hers. She gasped and reduced the window again. After a count of ten, she opened the window up again and it was as if his torso filled the screen, then he backed off and went back to the mirror to put an earring in, a bar type that left a spike out of the hole at each end. He hadn’t seen her. He’d wanted the earring. None of what she was looking at was AI, it was people’s lives, some in real-time, and it was sick.

Her gaze led her to the banner. The platform wasn’t TikTok or YouTube, it was called OpenMeSmiler and there was an option to take a walk down a dark path. She knew what it was. The dark web. Without thinking, she clicked the enter button but a box to enter a code popped up in the middle of the screen. She hit the go back button then took it back to the home screen and could see that her brother’s virtual private network was on and she didn’t need to know he was using that to look at things he wasn’t meant to be looking at. A sick feeling welled in her stomach. She turned to run out of Brian’s bedroom but he came back in and nudged her hard onto his bed. ‘Why are you running off like that?’

‘Why are you accessing the dark web and looking at people being abused? You know that makes you complicit, dumbass?’

‘I told you, I’m not. It’s AI and you say anything to Aunt Claudia, I will tell her about the time I had to collect the morning after pill from the chemist for you.’

At fifteen, that wasn’t her proudest moment and she never wanted anyone to know. She’d gone online, answered all the questions the pharmacist asked but she’d been too mortified to collect her prescription. Their aunt would freak and never let her out again. ‘You promised you’d never tell.’

‘Yeah, well if you say anything, I’ll shout it so loud that boy you have the hots for at number ten will hear.’

She glanced at the screen and back at her brother. His fair hair and fleshed out face reminded her of the brother he used to be – her best friend. ‘Why? Just tell me why you look at that. It’s weird.’ She pointed at his computer.

‘I just came across it, okay.’

This wasn’t the Brian she knew and loved. That Brian had left the room over a year ago, since he’d started hanging with Curtis. Curtis had to be behind the dark web, voyeuristic stuff. He’d already been in trouble at school for taking photos up a girl’s skirt when he was at school. She had to get her brother back, save him from going down this dark path – literally. The path that led to what she imagined was some deeper level of depravity. Her hands trembled as she imagined what might lie at the end of the path? As soon as Brian hit eighteen and flunked his exams, he changed. ‘You don’t just come across that kind of stuff and you threw me on the bed. You’ve never pushed me before.’

‘I’m sorry, Tabby, okay. Me and Curtis were being silly, playing about online and we came across it. As you burst in, I was trying to get rid of it. I’ll get rid of it forever, I promise. Okay.’

‘But what about the woman in the video, and the man. They need help.’

‘They don’t need help. They’re actors. It’s all about clicks. I promise I’ll never go there again.’

Clicks? She wasn’t convinced. One thing she never saw was a single advert and they were everywhere, but what could she do? If she spilled his secret, he would spill hers. ‘Swear a pinky promise like you used to when we were kids.’

‘I pinky swear.’ He linked his little finger in hers. She so wanted to believe him because she loved him, but she knew he was lying. As soon as the heat was off him, she knew he’d be back on the dark web getting into trouble. She made a vow to herself – she was going to watch him like a hawk.

Six

Gina

Gina ran through the cordon. She couldn’t lose the blond-haired youth. The crowd had thickened and the woman who’d been having a two-way video call was recording Gina. ‘Police, move aside.’ She held her identification up and, with zero urgency, the small crowd began to part. She almost tripped over the two dog leads as she reached the road.

‘Over there, guv,’ O’Connor said as he caught up with her. The woman filming heard and kept focusing on them. She knew they’d appear in the ‘What’s Up Cleevesford’ Facebook group later that night, which is why they had to catch the youth and then speak to Mindy’s brother.

The youth darted across the road and half slipped, twisting his ankle slightly. Still at speed, he limped behind a block of flats. Gina sprinted across the road. ‘You go the other side. Cut him off,’ she said to O’Connor. Gina headed to the right of the flats, bursting through an unlocked gate. She struggled to get down the overgrown path, scratching her hands on the wild bramble bushes. There was light at the end of the dark path and she had no idea where it would bring her out. She burst onto a patch of grass, facing a long row of garages. There was a six-foot fence all around the car park, garages and main building. O’Connor called from the other side of the locked gate which was controlled by some sort of coded keypad.

‘I can’t get in, guv. It’s locked.’ O’Connor rattled the gate and pressed a call button on the keypad. ‘Great, no one’s answering.’

‘Go back and come the way I came. He must be in here somewhere. I’ll start looking.’

There’s no way the youth could have escaped through the thick brambles and climbing with a hurt ankle wasn’t likely. He had to be somewhere in the private garden. A man came out of the main back door. ‘Police,’ she said, interrupting whatever he was about to say. ‘Have you seen a tall blond-haired teen in your block?’

He scrunched his brow. ‘I’ve been speaking to my neighbour in the hallway for several minutes. No one has come in. What’s happening? No one can get in here without the code.’

‘Your side gate was open.’

He shook his head. ‘I wish people would lock it. They’re meant to lock it. Idiots.’

‘Could you please go back inside for your own safety.’

‘I’m not scared of some teenager.’

‘Please.’ Gina needed him out of the way. The youth had been desperate to get away and desperate people were dangerous people. She peered over at a neat row of bins.

The man sighed and went back to the doorstep where he stood and watched for a moment before going inside. O’Connor ran onto the scene, red in the face, huffing and puffing. She walked over to the bins and O’Connor flashed his torch behind them. ‘No one there.’

She started by opening the bin lid at the far end, then moved onto the others in turn. She recoiled as the stench of rotting food blasted up her nostrils, but there was no sign of the youth. There was no other way out and she didn’t believe the fence could be easily climbed with a bad ankle and certainly not with the trellis all across the top. It would have broken under his weight. ‘He’s here, somewhere,’ she said. A lump in the muddy border caught her eye. ‘What’s that?’ There were two shiny canisters in a clear bag sitting next to a shrub.

O’Connor pulled a pair of nitrile gloves and an evidence bag from his pockets. He scrutinised it further. ‘Canisters and pills.’

She glanced around again. There were no other hiding places.

O’Connor continued to poke around. ‘There’s a small craft scalpel and it looks like there’s dried blood on it.’

‘Call for backup and bag it.’ Checking for fingerprints would easily link both back to the youth if they were his. The scalpel made her flinch as she imagined a bleeding Mindy, trying to escape her aggressor.

Her heart started booming in her chest. Three cars were parked up opposite the garages. She bent over to see if he was lurking underneath them but she couldn’t see anyone hiding. Two police officers ran down the path to join them. O’Connor briefed them and they hurried to Gina’s side. ‘We need to check the garages. Be prepared, he might still be armed with something else.’

They started with the first of the eight garages. Each was locked until they reached the fifth one. One of the uniformed officers opened it and all four of them stared into the dark. One of the PCs flashed his torch at the garage full of old furniture. A three-piece suite blocked the way. ‘Police, come out with your hands up.’

Clattering came from the back.

‘We know you’re in there. You’re surrounded and there’s no way out.’

Silence. A few more seconds and they’d have to start removing the settee to arrest him. She turned as the back door opened again and the same resident came out. ‘Sir, go back inside now.’

‘No, sorry, I need to go out and I need my car.’

As one police officer went to deal with the man, the youth burst through, knocking the settee onto the other officer. He yelped and fell to the ground. ‘O’Connor, help him.’

The youth darted across the car park, still half limping. As he reached the gate, he threw himself at it and started to haul himself up, then he cried out in pain as he placed his foot firmly onto one of the railings. Gina grabbed his good leg and started pulling him back towards to the ground. She couldn’t let him escape. Mindy’s life might be in his hands. ‘I’m DI Harte from Cleevesford Police and you are under arrest for the kidnapping of Mindy Carson and threatening behaviour. You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.’

‘Go and die, pig.’ He snatched his foot from her and kicked her in the shoulder so hard it sent her hurtling back. Winded, she almost smiled as O’Connor stepped in and dragged him off the railings, pulling him to the floor. The officer who had been dealing with the resident of the flats ran over with the handcuffs. They had him.

‘Name?’ Gina asked as she rolled her shoulder to assess the pain. It was nothing but it had taken her breath away. He glared at her with his dilated pupils. ‘Name.’

‘Kylie-fucking-Minogue.’ He spat next to Gina’s shoe.

‘I know him, guv,’ the police officer interjected. ‘You’ve got yourself a nice little collection of charges for possession, haven’t you, Abel?’ He turned to Gina. ‘This is Abel Holloway, twenty years old. I brought him in a few times last year.’

The youth limped and grinned. ‘You want to know about the woman, don’t you?’

Gina raised her brows.

His eyes were even more dilated than a few minutes ago. From what she could see, he was as high as a kite. He roared and began to kick and scream as O’Connor and the police officer got the resident to open the gates for the police van. ‘She was a bitch and I’m not telling you pigs a thing.’

‘Was?’ Gina swallowed.

He nodded and spat again. ‘She deserved everything she got. Everything.’

He knew something. He could even have Mindy holed up somewhere. Could he have killed her? She stared into his cold eyes and shuddered, knowing she had to get him to speak.

Seven

Gina

Gina watched as the police van pulled away. A forensics officer had come over and taken the evidence off them and uniform were continuing to search the area. She and O’Connor headed back to the scene, meeting PC Smith outside Chez Ursula’s. After updating him, she headed back to the car with O’Connor. She wanted to be the one to speak with Lonnie Carson about his sister, but interviewing Abel Holloway had to come first. She could send one of the other team members to handle that. What Holloway said sent chills through her. She needed him in an interview room, now.

Just as O’Connor pulled onto the road leading to the station, her phone rang. ‘DI Harte.’

It was the police officer who had cuffed Holloway. ‘We’re having to take him straight to the hospital. He’s had some sort of seizure on the way to the station and then he passed out. No one will be interviewing him for a while.’

‘Damn, we need to turn around at the entrance,’ she said to O’Connor.

‘We’re not going back to the station? What about Holloway?’

‘He’s been taken to hospital and he’s out of it. I knew he was high. Probably the tablets we found, which I suspect were MDMA. In the meantime, we need to speak to Mindy’s brother. I know the road he lives on and it is impossible to park there so we’ll park in the supermarket car park.’

Minutes later, he pulled up in the almost empty car park. The last few shoppers were coming out and one of the staff was locking up. ‘Where has the time gone today? It’s gone ten already,’ he said.

They stepped onto the pavement where flecks of frost had started to twinkle. ‘You must be shattered. You came in earlier than I did.’ White mist coiled from their mouths when they spoke. She shivered and put her hands in her pockets.

He shrugged as he locked the car. ‘I’d rather be at work. I’m sorry. I sound really sad.’ He checked his messages as they walked. On exiting his messages, his screensaver came up. It was him and Mrs O on their wedding day. They looked like teenagers. She wondered what it was like to meet the one from the outset in life.

He placed his phone in his pocket as they reached Lonnie Carson’s house. There was a light on upstairs. Gina knocked and a moment later, someone parted one of the curtains and opened the window. A long-haired man frowned at them. ‘Hello.’

‘Mr Carson?’

‘Err, yes.’

‘I’m DI Harte and this is DC O’Connor. May we come in and speak to you?’

He closed the window and a few seconds later, he opened the door. ‘What’s happened? Is it my dad?’

Gina noticed that the neighbour was peering around the upstairs curtain. ‘No. We have an audience. It might be best if we come in.’ She held her identification up which he took a moment to scrutinise before stepping aside for them.

‘Take a seat.’

The small narrow living room leading to a kitchen seemed to be full of handwritten sheet music and lyrics. Three guitars hung up on the main wall and there were another two cradled in stands. Instead of a coffee table there was an amplifier on a trolley with a takeaway cup on top.

‘Sorry about the mess.’ He threw the cup in a bin, wheeled the amp out of the way and sat on a footstool. He frowned. ‘Is my sister okay?’

Gina nodded. ‘Can I confirm your name first?’

‘Lonnie Carson.’ He began poking his finger through his ear stretching ring.

‘And your sister’s?’

‘Mindy Carson. What’s happened? Please, I need to know.’

Gina spoke softly. ‘Her manager left work at seven this evening and saw that Ms Carson’s car was still parked up on one of the side roads close by. Your sister had left at six and her rabbit was left in its basket beside her car.’ Her mind took her back to the blood smear on the windscreen. She swallowed and continued while O’Connor sat beside her. ‘We have reason to believe that she’s been taken. There were signs of a struggle.’ Her thoughts flashed back to the blood and the video. She swallowed her nausea down.

Lonnie stood and started pacing. The veins bulged on his lean, muscular arms. ‘What?’

‘We were hoping you could help us to answer some questions. Can you talk us through your evening?’

‘My evening? Am I a suspect?’

‘No, we’re just asking routine questions and doing everything we can do to help find your sister.’

‘I’ve been in all day, gaming. I’ve been playing other people online, so not alone but on my own in the house. I didn’t get up until one because I’ve been on the road for a few days. I’m a musician, mostly session stuff but I also work with bands and tour when needed.’

‘When did you last see your sister?’

‘Two weeks ago. I looked after Hoppy while she went on a spa weekend with her boss. Ursula has really looked after Mindy. Mindy picked the rabbit up on… let me think… the third of January around lunchtime and I haven’t seen her since. Where’s Hoppy?’

‘Forensics will take him and they’ll be really gentle. He shouldn’t be needed for too long.’

‘Can I look after him when you’ve finished? Mindy doesn’t trust anyone with him. He’s her baby.’

Gina nodded and O’Connor made a note.

‘When did you last hear from Mindy?’

‘Three days ago. She called me.’ He let out a long breath and ran his fingers through his tangled brown hair. ‘I was really busy so I cut her off and now…’ His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. ‘She thought there was someone in her garden. I asked her to go back and check again and she said there was no one there and that she must have imagined it. It was about eleven at night. I was still playing and she later messaged to tell me everything was okay.’ He linked his fingers and began nervously tapping the backs of his hands with his fingers. ‘She wasn’t okay, was she? If someone took her, they must have been following her, stalking her, and I didn’t give it a second thought after that phone call because I was too wrapped up in my own life. Please tell me she’s okay, that she’s still alive… what if…?’

Gina couldn’t make any promises but they hadn’t found a body. They had to assume that Mindy was still alive and that she needed them to hurry up and find her. The clock was ticking. She cleared her throat. ‘Her manager said that she’d recently come out of a relationship and that she’d moved to Cleevesford a few months ago.’

‘I’d been working away, touring for most of the year, playing for a singer, and when I got home she was in a right state. I didn’t press her about it. She just begged me to help her so I did. She stayed with me for a week and then I put a deposit down on a small house for her.’

‘Can I have the details of the person you or she rents the house from?’

He nodded and brought up a document on his phone. O’Connor took the details of the property owner.

‘Was she seeing anyone?’

‘I’m not sure, she didn’t say.’

‘Has she mentioned a man?’ Gina wondered if Lonnie knew who the man with the eagle tattoo was.

‘No, she has dated men. Sorry, she dates men and women, always has done, so she could have been seeing a man for all I know. I don’t know of anyone at the moment, though.’

’Do you know who she was in a relationship with before?’

‘Carmen Spelling. I have the address in my phone somewhere. They lived together in Wythall. Carmen might still be living there.’ He frowned. ‘Mindy said something that unnerved me. I tried to ask her about it but she wouldn’t talk. I was beside myself in not knowing how to help but I thought she needed some space. The house was rented in my name so she couldn’t easily be traced.’

‘What did she say?’

‘She said if Carmen ever found her, Carmen would kill her.’

Eight

Gina

At almost midnight, O’Connor yawned while pulling up behind the police car on Mindy’s road. Jacob and Wyre stepped out of another car and headed towards her door. Gina passed the spare keys that Lonnie had given to them.

‘Good job getting the keys, guv,’ Jacob said as he took them off her. Lonnie Carson had been helpful in handing them over.

Wyre peered through the window but the building was in darkness. The house was similar to Lonnie’s mid-terraced house, but in a quieter outskirt of Cleevesford. Mindy’s neighbour stepped out of her house in her slippers and pyjamas. ‘What’s going on?’ she asked.

O’Connor turned to the woman. ‘Police.’

Gina held up her identification. ‘May we speak to you in a short while?’ She wasn’t going to explain anything on the doorstep but she did want to ask Mindy’s neighbours if they’d seen anyone loitering in the gardens recently. In this instance, she welcomed nosey neighbours.

‘Of course.’ Gina watched as the woman reluctantly went back to her door. ‘Just knock when you need to talk.’

‘Thank you.’ As soon as the woman closed her door, Gina turned to O’Connor, Jacob, Wyre and the two police constables. She needed something from Mindy’s house that could lead them to who had stalked, hurt, and taken her. They all gloved up and entered, gathering in the narrow hallway.

‘Right, Mindy is missing and she’s been missing since six this evening. That’s almost six hours. We have reason to believe she was in a struggle with her assailant and that she’s hurt, given the blood on her car windscreen. Evidence was found at her place of work, suggesting that her assailant knew her routine and that they’d been recording and watching her. We’re looking for anything that might help us to locate her. Check everywhere for recording devices.’

Gina glanced at her watch. She’d requested that two PCs head over to Wythall to bring Carmen in for questioning. She’d deal with her later. Anyone brandishing threats to kill had to be on the suspect list.

She nodded at the PCs and Jacob. ‘Could you three start upstairs? Bag any tech. Garth has collected the computer from Chez Ursula’s so he’s waiting for anything else we bring in. Wyre, could you take the lounge?’ She peered into the tiny snug with its painted woodchip walls and soulless stained and chipped furniture. ‘O’Connor, you and I will take the kitchen.’ He followed her. She switched the light on to reveal several empty ready meal boxes lined up on the worktop. A large two storey cage filled one end of the room where a dining table would normally go.

O’Connor started going through the cupboards. ‘There’s not much in here, just two tins of beans and a packet of dried spaghetti.’

Something sticking out under a shoe next to the back door caught her attention. She gently lifted the shoe. ‘There’s a knife.’ The bottom panel of the white plastic door had some strange dab marks on it. Gina stepped closer to see that they were greasy hand marks. Up a little higher, more dab marks, like a nose covered in a peachy-coloured foundation had been pressed against it. ‘Mindy must have been looking out, knowing someone was watching her. She left the knife there for protection. We need to contact forensics to go through the garden properly, especially after what her brother told us. She must have been terrified.’

A phone on the window ledge also caught her attention. ‘A new burner phone still in its box – opened.’ Gina placed it in a plastic evidence bag and passed to O’Connor to mark up for Garth.

‘Guv,’ Jacob called from upstairs. ‘You need to see this.’

‘What?’ Each step creaked as she and O’Connor ran up it.

‘It’s the smoke alarms. There are two in the bedroom and that made me suspicious. There’s also one in the bathroom. They contain tiny spy cameras. There’s another one tucked inside an air vent. They’re the type that connect to Wi-Fi. Whoever’s behind the cameras is probably watching us now and they might be everywhere.’

‘There’s a smashed-up laptop on the bed.’ She knew she was stating the obvious.

‘And we found the hammer that smashed it on the pillow.’

‘She was trying to destroy it. She knew she was being watched.’ A sick feeling washed through Gina’s stomach. She turned to the bed again and almost gasped out loud. There were small pink flowers on the bedding. It was the same as the bedding in the video that had been sent to Mindy at work from the sender, OpenMeSmiler.

Nine

Brian

Tuesday, 20 January

Tabby still loitered by his door, constantly trying to catch him out, and it was beyond annoying. He wanted to shout, go boil your head, but that would wake Aunt Claudia up and he didn’t need her breathing down his neck while she forced him to turn his tech off and get into bed like he was a five-year-old. Their aunt wasn’t even that old being their Mum’s little sister, born fifteen years after, but she was stuffy. ‘Don’t you have school tomorrow, Tabby?’

Tabitha ignored him, pretending not to be there.

‘I can hear you breathing like a dying warthog.’

‘I do not breathe like a warthog, least of all a dying one.’ She peered around the door frame in her skull and cross bones pyjamas. ‘Can I come in?’

He nodded. ‘Look, I’m sorry for threatening to tell Aunt Claudia about the morning after pill. Also, that thing you saw earlier, it was an accident. Shall we watch something together, then we should both get some sleep.’

She nodded and sat next to him. He clicked onto one of his favourite YouTube channels where auditors filmed things that cheesed people off. His sister lay her head on his arm as he pressed play. It was just like when they were kids, when Mum and Dad were still alive. They’d watch on-screen arguments, thinking it was funny. A man with a drone is approached by someone in a security uniform. There’s an argument, almost a fight. The police turn up and they don’t even know the man is allowed to film. He’s not doing anything against the law. Then the cop radios the station to check and the stupid security guard has egg on his face. They both laugh. ‘Tabby, you should seriously get some sleep now. You only have about six hours left and you have to be up for school.’

She yawned and nodded.

Great, now he could get down to doing what he really wanted to do.

‘Night, bro.’

‘Not dumbass?’

‘That was a slip up. Night, dumbass.’ She smiled and left his room but annoyingly she didn’t fully close his door.

Her bedroom door creaked, which it always does when she opens and closes it. Then he heard the hum of something playing on her telly. It was just him and his computer again, exactly as he liked it. He clicked back onto his messages and started typing.

Hey, are you still up? Did you watch the audit link I sent you? See that guy’s annoyed red face when the copper turned up and let him carry on with his drone filming?

He was typing back already. Brian couldn’t help checking out the face on his new friend’s profile photo. Cody from somewhere in the middle of Wales. He imagined Cody would have a Welsh accent. He liked the way his hair was all brushed over the one side of his head. Cody’s profile told him that Cody was also eighteen and he was set to get four As to study computer science at uni. He looked clever, much cleverer than Brian. Brian had been a straight-A student until their parents died, he’d been such a disappointment to himself. He didn’t really know why Cody enjoyed chatting online with a loser like him.

Bri, you’re such a laugh. Keep sending them. It’s just me and my mum living in the middle of nowhere and I get so bored. I’m glad you’re still up because I can’t sleep.

That was it. Cody liked him because he was funny and Brian was okay with that. He liked being funny. He replied.

Same.

Did you get the chance to look at that stuff I sent you? It’s like Big Brother on steroids.

My stupid little sis caught me so I had to shut it down.

Serious? WTF.

He didn’t want his new friend to be angry with him. This was top secret stuff and he was meant to guard it. He panicked, knowing he needed to reassure Cody.

Don’t worry. I told her it was some AI bull crap and she ate it up.

Okay, I guess. Try to be careful because I gave you the pass to get in and I don’t want to be chucked out. It’s too good. VPN?

Yeah, I used a VPN like you said. Neat!

Are you ready to go down the dark path yet?

I’m not sure. I’m worried I’ll get virused and I can’t afford another computer if something goes wrong.

You haven’t got virused yet. I wouldn’t let that happen to you. It’s not what you think but you’ll like it. You’ll get to see loads more comments too, not just the ones under the video. It’s like a private club. Exclusive. I have a spare code if you want it.

Brian left his fingers hovering over the keys. He’d told Tabby that he was done with the live streams, not that she properly knew what they were. The more he thought about the idea of never logging on again, the more he knew that was never going to happen. What harm could it do? The people being watched didn’t even know. It wasn’t hurting them at all and it was just a laugh. It’s not like anyone made contact in real life. Curtis had found it funny when Brian showed him earlier, so it must be okay. Brian’s stomach flipped. He’d really betrayed Cody’s trust by showing Curtis but Cody would never know. He let out a laugh. They’d been watching the man bleaching his anus hair two days ago. The woman who was nearly always broadcast asleep in bed with the morph exposing her breasts, she had a really funny snore that made him laugh. She was also a goer in the bedroom. When the man with the eagle on his thigh came over, they barely made it onto the bed. He felt a stir in his pants and tried to ignore it. He frowned as he wondered what had happened to her. She hadn’t been live all day. The last scene was there to watch on catch-up. Okay, he wasn’t innocent and it wasn’t all for laughs. He got to see real peoples’ bodies, something he’d never experienced in real life, and it was intoxicating. He’d only seen his dad naked once when his dad had drunk too much one night and had to run to the loo to barf.

Bri, are you still there?

Soz. Needed to piss. Yes, and yes to the code. I’m ready to walk the path.

Cool. I’ll ping the code through. Are you around tomorrow?

Brian had to pot wash and prep at the café between ten and four but he couldn’t wait to get home because he was going to save the path for then, when his annoying sister wouldn’t be spying on him.

I’ll be at my computer around five. You?

At college in the day so catch you then. Speak tomoz.

He stiffened as a shuffling sound came from the landing. He crept towards his door and saw the back of Tabby as she closed her bedroom door. His stomach sank as he wondered if she’d been peering through the slight gap in his door, right at his screen. A part of him wanted to drag her out of her room and give her a good shake, telling her that if she ever spied on him again, her life wouldn’t be worth living but he heard stirring coming from Aunt Claudia’s room so he closed his door.

A minute later a code pinged through. Brian’s hands shook as he clicked to open it. He was finally going to walk down the dark path.

Ten

Gina

As Gina left the team taking photos and collecting evidence from Mindy’s house, she stepped outside with O’Connor. Before they’d even walked up the neighbour’s path, the woman flung the door open and let them in. ‘So, what’s happening over there?’ she asked.

‘There’s been an incident and we need to ask you a few questions?’

‘Of course, take a seat.’ The woman pulled her dressing gown cord tighter and sat on the single chair while Gina and O’Connor took the settee.

‘When was the last time you saw your neighbour, Mindy Carson?’

‘This afternoon. I’d just come home from work and she was leaving the house. She had her rabbit in a basket, said she was taking him for a groom. I poked my fingers through the slats and stroked his nose. She said how cold it was, then she got in her car and left before I could say anything else. I wanted to speak to her about something but she was gone in a whoosh so I didn’t get the chance. I’ve knocked a couple of times but she doesn’t answer, which is totally weird.’

‘What time was this?’

She shrugged and began twirling a piece of her sandy coloured hair. ‘Erm, let me think. I got home about four. It must have been about four fifteen.’ The neighbour paused. ‘I’ve been trying to speak to Mindy for a couple of weeks but she keeps herself to herself. I wondered if she was running from something or someone. I’ve met her brother. He came to look at the house several months ago. When she moved in, I thought, I’m single, she’s single – I thought we could be friends, but she didn’t seem to want that.’

Gina couldn’t help but think of Mindy’s ex. With any luck, Carmen would soon be at the station awaiting interview. ‘What did you want to speak to her about?’

‘Is she in trouble? Has she done something wrong?’

‘No, she’s missing.’

The woman’s lips parted as she took that in. ‘I see.’ She frowned and continued. ‘I was a bit concerned about the men.’

‘The men?’

‘Well, there’s one who comes regularly. I never get a good look because it’s always at night but I hear them, well… I hear the headboard knocking. She has a man in her life but he doesn’t stay for long. Soon after, I hear her front door slam.’

‘Is that why you wanted a word?’

‘Goodness, no. She’s entitled to a love life. It doesn’t exactly go on long. It was the other three men. They creep me out. I once saw two outside her house. It looked like they were just walking past the back gate, on the footpath, but they seem to peer over for a bit too long.’

Gina waited for O’Connor to catch up with the notes and she continued. ‘When was this?’

‘There’s one man who goes around the back, that’s been going on two, maybe three weeks. The other two I saw peering over the fence was only three or four days ago. I wish I could remember exactly when these things happened. It was late. I saw them out of my bedroom window. At first, I thought they were looking up at me, and then I thought, why would they be? My light is off. It was around eleven at night.’ She paused. ‘It was Wednesday. I remember thinking I had to be up early the next day and I was annoyed I couldn’t sleep. I had to be up at six.’

‘Were the two men together?’

‘Yes. I saw them whispering to each other.’

‘Can you describe them?’

‘I only had the moonlight to see with and a slight glow coming from Mindy’s house so not exactly. They were stocky and broad-shouldered. That’s all I could tell. They had woolly hats on and thick coats. It was a cold night.’

‘Did you call the police?’

‘No, again, with the man that comes and goes around the back and the one that she has sex with, I err…’ She looked down. ‘I was worried that Mindy had issues, maybe with money which is why I wanted to speak with her. I didn’t know if they were clients, I mean I thought she might be doing some sex work on the side and I didn’t want to get her into any trouble.’

Gina let out a slow discreet breath. She thought of the knife and the greasy marks on the back-door window. Mindy was scared. Gina knew this wasn’t about sex work. ‘Tell me about the man who comes around the back?’

She nervously tapped her feet on the carpet a couple of times. ‘Again, he’s always wrapped up in a hat and an overcoat. He comes really late, more like in the early hours. He never looks up but, I don’t know…’

‘What are you thinking?’ Gina could tell that something was whirring in the neighbour’s mind.

‘I couldn’t swear that it was a man, come to think of it.’

Gina waited for O’Connor to make a note to ask about Carmen’s whereabouts last Wednesday.

‘It could’ve been a lean man, though. I don’t know.’

‘Did you hear a knock at the back door?’

‘No, but I did open the window slightly and I thought I could hear the sound of a key in the lock. It was when Mindy was home so I thought she’d given him or her a key.’ The neighbour looked to the side and bit her bottom lip. ‘Mindy had a damaged window. It wouldn’t shut properly and the man who owns her house was meant to come over and fix it. She said something to me about it in passing, while getting in her car. I don’t know where I’m going with this.’ She let out a laugh and waved a dismissive hand. ‘What I heard wasn’t anyone going through a window. It was definitely someone unlocking the back door. I think I’m just scaring myself now.’

Gina took a moment to think. She wondered if that’s when whoever sent Mindy the video of herself in bed with the eagle thighed man had managed to originally get in and take a spare back door key and got a duplicate cut. It was a possibility that was worth considering at this point. There was a chance that Mindy didn’t know this person was entering her house. ‘Can you describe the man who turns up at the front door?’

‘Him, yes. I’ve even said hello to him as I’ve left. He’s about my height, that’s five eight. He has a nice smile, thin lips, white, mid-thirties, with a cockney accent. I can see why she’s attracted to him.’ She huffed out a breath. ‘I hate to sound like a gossip because it’s really none of my business.’

‘Mindy is missing. If you do know something, it’s important that you tell us.’

‘I get so disappointed in men these days. The dating pool is dire.’ She bit her lip again and continued. ‘He was wearing a wedding ring.’

Eleven

Gina

Given that it was the middle of the night and most of the country were tucked up in their beds, there was a hustle and bustle in the incident room. There was no way Gina could sleep even if that was an option, not with Mindy being out there still.

O’Connor stood beside Gina as she headed up the briefing. Given the blood at the scene, they were against the clock. She was out there somewhere and she was injured. Jacob slumped into a seat and began rubbing his eyes. Wyre and Kapoor sat at one side of the table. Even Wyre’s usually pristine hair had made its way out of her tight bun. Briggs entered and stood to the side of the boards that he’d started marking up with all the information they had so far. A pin in a local map pointed to where Mindy had been taken.

Gina passed O’Connor a board marker so he could continue noting down what they knew so far. ‘Quick catch up. Jacob, did you have any luck contacting the council with regard to the CCTV near Chez Ursula’s?’

‘Yes, I called out-of-hours and there isn’t any working CCTV near to the shops or around the estate. There is one camera at the far end of the shops but it doesn’t work. It was vandalised several months ago and hasn’t been fixed. The PCs who conducted the door to doors recovered a lot of doorbell footage but nothing relevant has come from that yet.’

‘Typical. In the age of technology, we don’t even have any CCTV. Wyre? Jhanvi?’

‘Yes, guv,’ Wyre replied.

‘You found her brother’s address so thank you for that.’ Gina updated them on everything Lonnie had said while O’Connor wrote on the board. ‘Did you get a chance to look at her online presence and social media?’

‘That was quite straightforward, however, she doesn’t appear much online.’

‘That figures. We know she left a relationship abruptly and in her brother’s words, Mindy was told by Carmen that if she ever found her, Carmen would kill her. Mindy was more than likely trying to keep a low profile. But she does post on Instagram and she has a TikTok account. Did you see any threats on her profile?’

‘No, guv. She doesn’t use her TikTok and on Instagram, she only has forty followers and all interactions coming from them were positive. The accounts seem genuine. We also checked the dating sites but unless she’s using another name, we found nothing. However, on Instagram, we did find a photo posted about a year ago. In the background, if you zoom in, you can see her address on an envelope.’

‘That happens a lot, sadly. People get caught up in what they’re posting and they don’t think. Was that the address she shared previously with Carmen Spelling?’

‘Yes.’

‘So, the whole world could have found out where she lived before. We don’t know how many people followed her profile a year ago.’

‘Her profile is currently set to private. We don’t know if it was back then.’

‘Did a witness called Mr Hammond come in to give a statement?’

Wyre nodded. ‘Yes, I interviewed him.’

‘He heard the youths calling out the word bitch at the time Mindy left but did he have anything else to add?’

‘Yes. He said he saw the youth, Abel Holloway, holding a lighter up several times when Mindy or Ursula came and went. He said he’d also reported this. I checked and we do have reports of threats and antisocial behaviour on file but due to lack of evidence, we weren’t able to make any arrests.’

‘Has anyone heard back from Bernard regarding the crime scene?’ Gina asked.

A hum of noes filled the air. Gina knew that was wishful thinking. She waited for O’Connor to list the scene details. Blood on Mindy’s windscreen – the dent in her car – the keyring – details of the youth – Abel Holloway and the craft knife. Then there was the video. Gina continued, ignoring the shiver at the back of her neck. The video had got to her.

‘The man in the video with Mindy has an eagle tattoo on his thigh. On the surface, it looked like they were engaging in consensual sex.’ She went into detail about all the strange visitors that Mindy’s neighbour had spoken about. ‘And at the end of the video, a text pops up.’ Gina nodded to O’Connor to share the message.

O’Connor opened his notebook, stood at the front and read it out loud. ‘Delete this message. Leave the salon now. Say nothing. If I see you touch your phone, I’ll send this to all your contacts. That birthmark is so unique.’

Gina cleared her throat and waited for O’Connor to write that up on the board. ‘Mindy’s birthmark is large and clearly visible on her hand. She would have been scared of the perp releasing the video. Tonight was well planned. Someone has been watching Mindy. There are spy cameras set up in her home, the type of covert gadgets you can buy cheaply off the internet and connect to Wi-Fi. They don’t have a hard drive so that is making things harder for us. We can’t just replay whatever they caught in the hope of getting a close-up of the perp. The data would be accessible from wherever the perp resides. As for the video that was sent to Mindy at work, I suspect that was filmed through her laptop camera or another device located on her chest of drawers, opposite her bed – perfectly in position for that video to be taken. She either had to give the perpetrator access, maybe through an email link, or it’s possible that the perp got into her laptop when the spy cams were planted. Given that we found her laptop smashed up in her bedroom and a burner phone downstairs, we know she doesn’t trust her tech.’

Gina felt her stomach turning. The thought of someone breaching her privacy in that way made her feel sick to the stomach. The video of Mindy having sex was one thing but it was all the other things a person does when no one’s looking. She might have been reading a book, crying, having sweet conversations with the man she was sleeping with, snoring… anything. Every element of her personal life would have been on show. ‘Have digital forensics come back with anything yet?’

Wyre shook her head. ‘Nothing you haven’t just mentioned. I checked with Garth not long ago. He has Mindy’s computer from home and he thinks it might be salvageable. The only damage is to the screen but it’s not going to be a fast process. He said not to hold your breath just in case. As suspected, the pay-as-you-go phone was new, so there’s nothing on it. It looks like Mindy had started setting it up earlier. The smashed-up phone found at the scene wasn’t a contract phone either. Garth was able to get into it but it was also quite new. All it had in it was her brother’s and Ursula’s phone number. It was also connected to her Instagram but there were no relevant personal messages on it, and no trolling of any kind. We’re looking a little deeper into her small follower list but no one stands out. I’ve listed all the names so we can cross reference them with any suspects that crop up.’

‘How about the computer taken from Chez Ursula’s?’

‘Garth is going through all that as we speak. He hadn’t found anything else before the briefing.’

Gina stared out of the window through the open blinds. Police cars came and went from the car park, their lights glistening on the frosty road. She shivered. ‘Mindy has tried everything possible to contain all this. She’s done such a good job, we barely have anything.’ She paused. ‘Do we have Carmen Spelling here yet?’

Jacob stifled a yawn. ‘She got home just before the briefing. She’s apparently a bit merry but they’re bringing her in so they should arrive soon.’

‘Any news on Abel Holloway?’

Wyre piped up. ‘The PCs who took him to the hospital said that he’d swallowed a few MDMA pills. He was trying to hide them when you chased him. Hospital staff are currently treating him but the fact that he got immediate medical attention is a good sign. They said to call back in the morning.’

‘Who took Ursula’s statement when she came in?’

‘I did,’ Wyre said.

‘Anything stand out?’

Wyre shook her head.

PC Smith cleared his throat. Gina hadn’t noticed him come into the room. ‘She’s still standing outside cursing her husband for not collecting her,’ he said.

Gina furrowed her brows. ‘I thought she had her own car?’

‘I asked her about that. She said she drove home to drop the dog off. The dog had got distressed and peed in the car so her husband dropped her off at the station in his car and said he’d clean up the pee while she was being interviewed, then he didn’t come back for her.’

‘Bring her back in,’ Gina said. Wyre was definitely missing some information when she interviewed Ursula. ‘There’s something I need to ask her.’

Once again, Ursula was sitting in a chair with the recorder rolling and Gina was waiting for her answer. Ursula mumbled something under her breath as she scrutinised the photo taken from the video that Gina held out in front of her. ‘Ursula, can you repeat what you just said a little louder, for the recorder.’

‘Sorry. My husband has an eagle tattoo on his thigh. It’s a winking eagle, just like that one.’

Twelve

Gina

Gina bit her bottom lip, leaving Ursula with her thoughts for a few seconds. It was clear that there was another thigh close to her husband’s.

‘Why would you want to know that?’ Ursula frowned, went to speak and stopped.

Gina felt for the woman. Not only did her husband have an eagle tattooed on his thigh, it was a winking eagle. That seemed like a niche design and from what Gina remembered, the eagle on the thigh in the video did look like it had one eye shut but she’d dismissed it at the time because the lighting on the video had been low.

‘Why?’ Ursula wiped her watery eyes. ‘How could she do that to me? How could he hurt me like that? I let Mindy into my home. I helped her all I could and she did that to me.’

Gina didn’t have the answers but she did need to find Mr Grey. She suspected he was the man entering Mindy’s house through the front door. ‘Does your husband have an accent?’

‘He’s from East London.’

Just as Mindy’s neighbour had described. They’d tried calling him. Ursula had called again, but he wasn’t answering. She left O’Connor with Ursula and headed into the corridor where she met Jacob. ‘We need all units on alert for Spencer Grey and we need to arrest him on suspicion of Mindy’s kidnap.’

‘I’ll get that sorted, guv.’

‘Then go home and get some sleep. It could be a while before we get him.’

‘Thanks, guv.’

Wyre headed down the corridor. ‘Carmen Spelling is here.’

Gina checked her watch. It was almost three in the morning. ‘O’Connor and I will interview her in a minute.’ She updated Wyre on what they’d just found out. ‘Can you delve a little deeper, try to find out where Mr Grey could have gone to, and organise the search warrant for his house? Also, Ursula has no money or cards on her which is why she was frantically pacing outside. Could you also arrange for uniform to drop her home and remain with her? If Mr Grey returns, I want him arrested and brought in immediately for questioning.’

He was high up on her suspect list. He had access to Mindy’s house and her life. Her mind went back to the other men, especially the one who’d been entering Mindy’s house through the back door and her thoughts went straight to Carmen, the woman who was now at the station and had threatened to kill Mindy. Could there even be more than one person involved?

After a quick gulp of coffee, Gina and O’Connor were sitting in another interview room with Carmen. O’Connor introduced them for the tape while thirty-two-year-old Carmen nervously bit her stubby nails. Her lank black hair fell over her face as she leaned forward. The smell of stale whisky had already started to circulate around the room. ‘Do I need a solicitor?’ Her fake leather jacket squeaked as she shifted in the chair.

Gina was nervous that they didn’t have enough to arrest Carmen on. Hearsay of a threat wasn’t proof but so far, Carmen had cooperated. ‘You are here voluntarily to speak to us about your relationship with Mindy Carson. As you know, Miss Carson went missing yesterday evening. We are concerned for her safety and we’re urgently trying to locate her.’ Carmen let out a long slow breath and frowned. ‘We can stop if you’d like a solicitor. Would you like us to stop?’

‘No, I don’t have anything to hide. Ask me whatever you like about Mindy.’

‘Thank you. Your cooperation with the investigation is much appreciated. Miss Spelling. Do you drive?’

She nodded. ‘I have a van.’ She cleared her throat. ‘I’m a plumber.’

‘Can you tell me where you were on the evening of the fourteenth of January? That’s last Wednesday.’

She shrugged and took a sip of water. ‘At home.’

‘Was anyone with you or can anyone corroborate that you were at home?’

She shook her head and sipped more water. As she placed the glass down with her shaky hands, water slopped over the top. ‘No.’

The neighbour had reported that there were people out the back of Mindy’s house on the evening that Carmen had no alibi. ‘How about Friday the sixteenth, at eleven that evening?’

‘Home alone again. I live alone. I would’ve been in bed.’

That was the night Mindy’s brother received a call from her, telling him she was scared. Gina pictured her terrified, sitting on the kitchen floor holding the knife. ‘Why did Mindy think that if you found her, you’d kill her?’

Carmen sat up, her eyes wide and pupils dilated. Her eyes began to well up. ‘I… I…’ She couldn’t get her words out.

‘We take threats to kill seriously, especially if the person they were aimed at has gone missing under suspicious circumstances.’ Gina needed Carmen to hurry up and tell her something, anything, before it was too late. ‘Mindy went missing between six and seven yesterday evening. There was blood left behind and there were signs of a struggle. Did you come here to make good on your threats and take her?’

‘No, I loved Mindy, I still love Mindy. Why would I hurt her?’

‘Where were you around six yesterday evening?’

‘I’d finished a job in Cleevesford. I fitted a bathroom and got off around four.’

‘Where was this?’

‘Four Seasons House. It’s a bed and breakfast on Frogmore Drive.’

Gina tried to picture where that was. It was rural and about five miles from where Mindy vanished. No automated numberplate recognition – perfect for kidnapping someone. ‘And after that?’

‘I went for a walk. Just down the road from there, by the lake.’

‘Did you see anyone while you were there?’

She shook her head.

‘Why did you threaten her?’

‘I…’ She wiped the trailing tears with her sleeve. Gina pushed a box of tissues across the table and Carmen took one. ‘I was angry. That threat, it was just hot air. Have you ever been angry and said something mean?’

Carmen wasn’t even denying the threat. ‘Can you tell me a little about your relationship and your break-up?’

‘She left me last June and took our rabbit, Hoppy, with her. Earlier that day, we argued and by the time I got home from work, she’d left with her stuff. I called her over and over again but she wouldn’t answer until the next day.’ She bit her bottom lip, then continued. ‘I thought we were happy until that moment. We’d talked about children, marriage. We’d started looking into adoption, then she left and my life fell apart. Up until then, I had this picture in my head of what our family would look like, of our wedding and it was all gone, just like that.’ Carmen clicked her fingers.

Gina frowned. ‘Did you threaten her because she left?’

‘God no. I’m not some sort of controlling monster.’

‘When did you threaten to kill her?’

‘When she answered her phone the next day. It’s not what you think. I am not an abuser she had to run and hide from.’

‘Why did you threaten her?’

‘The house I live in, it’s rented. I’d been saving up for a deposit to buy our own house so we could finally start our new life together. A week earlier I’d told Mindy about the little nest egg and we were so happy. After she left, I thought sod it. I decided I was going away, last minute to Bali, but when it came to pay for it, my card was declined. I logged in to my account and the whole fifteen thousand pounds I’d saved was gone. She’d transferred it to her personal account.’

‘Did you report this?’

Carmen wept into her lap. ‘I never gave up hope that she’d come round, that we’d sort this out, and I felt guilty because I did drunkenly threaten to kill her. I harassed her. I called her non-stop. I thought you’d arrest me for all that which is why I didn’t report her. Most of all, I still had this hope that everything would be okay, that she’d eventually come back to me and bring the money with her.’ She paused. ‘I haven’t hurt her. I wouldn’t.’

Gina couldn’t help but feel for Carmen but then again, her alibis were non-existent. She had a van which would make it easy for her to kidnap Mindy. She looked strong, quite muscular compared to Mindy. In the video, Mindy looked a little soft bodied and petite. They’d have to check with Carmen’s neighbours, see if any of them saw her on the nights in question so she couldn’t be ruled out yet as a suspect. ‘How did Mindy seem before she left?’

‘She hadn’t been herself for a while. She wasn’t working. I wondered if there was someone else. I confronted her but she told me I was being stupid. She’d been distant, distracted and jumpy, and I woke up in the night on occasion to find she wasn’t in bed. When I went to check on her, she’d be in the living room, sitting there in the darkness and on approach, all I’d hear was her slamming the lid of her laptop down. One night, I asked her what she was doing and she looked up at me and smiled and said, “nothing, everything’s just fine”, but I know beneath her smile she was carrying some deep, dark pain. She shut me out and I don’t know why.’ Carmen bit a piece of skin from around her thumbnail. ‘Whatever happened yesterday, I think it began around then. I was never a true threat to Mindy but someone was. Whoever was bothering her then has to have taken her.’

Gina exhaled slowly. She didn’t want to get this wrong and letting Carmen go now risked her destroying evidence. Spencer Grey was definitely a suspect but she had to keep the investigation open. ‘Carmen Spelling, I’m arresting you for the kidnap of Mindy Carson. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.’

‘I came here voluntarily. I answered all your questions. Someone out there has her and it isn’t me. You’re making a huge mistake.’

‘We’ll need the keys to your van and house.’ Mindy had been bleeding. They had no time to waste. Gina couldn’t afford to let any more of it tick by. A woman’s life was at risk.

Carmen threw her keys onto the table and hiccupped. Gina checked her notes. When the PCs arrived to bring Carmen in for interview, there was no sign of a van on the drive.

‘Where’s your van?’

‘Parked by the lake near Frogmore Drive.’

‘Why is it still parked there if you went for a walk after four this afternoon?’

‘I left it there.’

‘Why didn’t you go back?’

Her dilated pupils fixed on Gina. She shrugged and carried on talking, but slurring a little more. ‘I walked to the pub after leaving the van by the lake and I drank too much. When the pub closed, I went back to my van. I was going to sleep in it but it was too uncomfortable so I called a taxi and you know the rest. Your lot brought me in.’ Carmen started to weep. ‘It’s the anniversary of our first date. Last year we went there for a walk and had a pub lunch to celebrate. I was missing her so I stopped there and went for a walk. I wanted to be close to her again.’

They needed to find the van, now. How close exactly did Carmen want to be to Mindy?

Thirteen

Gina

O’Connor drove through the windy roads for what felt like forever. They needed to hurry. Mindy was alone, in a van and freezing cold. Every second mattered. As he turned another corner, he pressed the brakes and clutch together, propelling them both forward as he waited for a startled deer to hurry out of the road. ‘Great driving,’ Gina said, her hands shaking from the near miss.

‘That was so close.’ He went into first gear and started driving again. One more road and two minutes later, they saw a sign for the lake’s car park.

‘Here.’ She pointed for him to take a left.

He pulled up in a space at the back. The pitch-blackness felt suffocating. The few stars in the sky did little to add any light to the scene but the blue lights from PC Smith’s car that followed behind along the potholed road helped.

‘There’s no van. The car park’s empty.’ Gina scrunched her brows as she looked across the empty car park.

‘Wait.’ O’Connor pointed. ‘There’s a dust road that’s half covered by overgrown brambles and trees.’ He started the car up again and drove down it, hopping along the uneven ground until they reached another smaller car park where the white van was parked up. The police car followed. ‘There’s the van.’

Gina stared at it. Carmen had threatened to kill Mindy and as the interview wrapped up, Carmen had kept crying over how much she only wanted to be close to Mindy. By the looks of where she’d left her van, Gina was sure she’d planned for Mindy to never have been found. She shivered as she thought of the lake. Was that where Carmen had planned to eventually dump her body?

PC Smith ran with another PC towards them, torches in hand. ‘Ambulance was right behind us, guv,’ PC Smith said.

Gina stepped out and followed them. The chill in the air was now a full-on frost. The keys rattled in Gina’s shaking hands. It was so cold, her fingers were numb. If Mindy had been shut in a van in this temperature for hours, she would have more than the bleeding to worry about. She fumbled in the lock but there was no need, the doors weren’t even locked.

PC Smith flashed his torch inside the large Transit and a woman lay on a single mattress set to one side, next to the piled-up tool bags and strips of copper pipe on the other side. ‘Mindy, I’m DI Harte from Cleevesford Police. You’re going to be okay. Are you injured?’

There was no answer. The woman lay in the foetal position, her dark hair draped across her cheeks, covering her face. Gina reached for her wrist under the blanket. ‘She’s quite warm and there’s a pulse.’ She nudged the woman. ‘Mindy… Mindy… You’re safe now.’

She let out a murmur.

‘Mindy…’

The woman lifted her head and stared at them with one eye open. ‘Carmen? You came back.’

‘No, it’s not Carmen. It’s DI Harte, from Cleevesford Police.’

Mindy pulled the blanket over her head and scrunched up into a ball underneath it.

‘DI?’

‘Yes, that’s right. We’re here to help you. Are you able to stand and let me assist you out of the van?’ Gina spoke slowly. Mindy slurred like she’d been drugged and she worried that she wouldn’t be able to take in what Gina was saying.

Gina kneeled next to her, taking PC Smith’s torch while O’Connor waved to get the attention of the paramedic who’d followed them on foot through the narrow road.

The stench of vomit hit Gina’s nostrils.

Gina let out a long breath, relieved that Mindy had been located. Whatever happened between Mindy being taken from Ferndale shops and ending up here in the back of her ex’s van, that was for Gina to find out. Mindy would have her moment to fill them in. She reached down and helped Mindy up to a standing position where she swayed and held on to the near side of the van. ‘We’re going to get you out of here, Mindy. There’s an ambulance waiting.’ The paramedics were there, ready to help Mindy into the ambulance. ‘You’re safe now, Mindy?’

The woman mumbled again. ‘I will never be safe.’

Fourteen

Gina

Mindy rubbed her eyes as Gina led her out of the van.

A paramedic hurried over and took over with his colleague. They led her to a gurney, ready to wheel her along the bumpy road and into the main car park.

‘I don’t need you. I don’t need an ambulance.’ She started hitting out at the paramedics and nearly fell as she stepped away from them. ‘Where’s Carmen? Where is she?’ Her hair still stuck to her face, making her look ghostly with the lake behind her.

‘It’s okay. We have her at the station. Like I said, Mindy. You’re safe. The paramedics are here to help.’ Gina tried to look for blood. There had been a struggle when she was attacked at the Ferndale shopping strip but she couldn’t see anything. Maybe it was too dark.

Gina flashed her torch directly at Mindy and Mindy squinted, using her hands to shield her eyes from the brightness. There was no birthmark on her hand. It wasn’t Mindy.

‘Carmen said I could sleep in her van to be safer.’

Gina frowned.

‘I’m homeless but I sleep out here, by the lake. The woman who owns the van… we were drinking all afternoon in the Slippery Fox. She bought me dinner and drinks but she did go on and on about missing her ex – said I looked like her. I listened to her non-stop yakking and misery, but I can’t complain. Actually, I felt sorry for her.’ The woman shook her head and hiccupped. ‘I didn’t break in, honestly. She said where she was parked and told me that I could come back here to sleep if I wanted and when I got here, the van was empty so I let myself in. It’s cold out there so I was grateful. Sorry. You can arrest me if you want, at least I’ll get somewhere warm to stay.’ She squinted. ‘Why are you here? Is she some kind of serial killer or something?’

They were no closer to finding Mindy. If what their homeless woman said was true, Carmen was in the pub at the time Mindy was taken. She wanted to kick the panel of the van. Time was running out and Mindy was still out there, bleeding, and they had no idea where she was.

Fifteen

Unknown

I click my fingers and speak in a low voice that I hope disguises who I am, at least for now. ‘Come on, Mindy. We have work to do.’ Somehow, I sound gruffer than ever. This is all easier than I ever thought it would be.

With wide eyes, gaze darting everywhere, she finally settles on looking at me but she can’t see me, I make sure to wear the morph mask. I realise I’m staring because I can’t actually believe I’ve done this. A part of me is terrified because I’ve crossed a line here, one in which I can never go back on but the other side of me is euphoric. My veins buzz with excitement.

The scent of her perspiration tickles my nostrils through the material. I savour it but then again, it’s not the first time I’ve been up close and smelled her. I’ve inhaled her on many occasions, she just doesn’t know about all the other times. The mask is doing little to put her at ease but do I care? Not really. Wow – dopamine hit. Her fear is really tingling my senses. One thing is for sure, she can never see who I am underneath the garb that hides me so I can be anyone I want to be.

‘I know this isn’t what you’re used to. I’ve lain on your bed, it’s comfy, so comfy.’

She stares, confused and disturbed by what I’m saying as she sits rigid in the chair I’ve chained her to so there’s no escape. Now she knows I’ve been checking out her house, not just watching her through her laptop. I want to shout. Yes, Mindy. I’ve been all over your house with you in it. I’ve watched you sleeping and lay next to you, feeling your soft breaths on my forehead. I inhale and exhale, willing the tension in my shoulders to leave.

It’s cold but then again, it’s her fault for constantly fidgeting until the blanket on her knees dropped onto the floor. I was only trying to keep her warm because, well, that’s the kind thing to do and I’m a kind person.

She trembles before letting out an unexpected piercing scream so I force the ball gag over her head and push the ball into her mouth.

I glance at my smartwatch. It’s time to prepare for the performance but first, she needs some rest. I’ve bound her so tightly that not even Houdini could escape, if he was still alive. Then, I have work to do. I need to put my plan in motion and there’s a lot of it to get through. I’m going to introduce her to the dark path that I’ve created for all those that I carefully select to enter. Only a special kind of person gets to travel my path and enter the tavern. They’ll see why they were so special soon. I’ve built up their expectation, now I have to deliver.

Her eyes are still wide because she doesn’t know what’s on the agenda. Her breaths behind the ball gag come quick and sharp. She tries to garble some words out. Her throat is so dry now I can’t make out what she’s saying, all I can focus on is the ugly string of drool hanging from her chin.

I always thought money made the world go round, but now I know it’s power and that comes from influence. Money helps, I won’t deny that but some people have a magnetism about them that others can’t help but follow. It took forever but I’ve cracked the code. I have my trusty online followers – my disciples. OpenMeSmiler – that’s me – is a God to them and now I will give them what they want. So far, it’s been tame but we’re ready for the next level.

She’s exhausted herself, thank goodness. It’s time to begin, to let her know exactly what I’ve seen before I lead her to the next chapter. I press the remote and the TV comes on. The video is ready to play.

Tears roll down her face as she sees the montage I’ve put together. Her lying in bed, her crying alone, the time she let Hoppy sleep in her room, the time she was touching herself, thinking that not a soul was sharing that moment with her. Her having sex. I let out a laugh. That video I sent to her, I knew the police would be able to recover it and it’s all a part of my plan.

I knew Ursula would report her missing when she saw the rabbit left by the car. I am the narrator in this story and boy it’s an exciting one. The police did exactly what I thought they’d do next. They searched her home. They found the devices I’d left behind. I don’t care. They’re not traceable back to me. I glance at Mindy and laugh. She deserves this.

As the video comes to an end, I wait for her to watch the finale.

We watch as the police came and went through Mindy’s bedroom. They missed one device set into the wall with only a pin hole coming through the wallpaper, but I didn’t miss them. I’m pleased with myself for planting that one. It took a lot of effort working it through the wall cavity from the loft. I laugh and clap at the end of the video.

The show is about to begin. It’s time to play.

Sixteen

Gina

Daylight had soon rolled around and she was already driving back to the station. O’Connor had stayed behind for a while longer to process the homeless woman and Gina had been grateful to leave the station for her bed. At some point soon, the double espresso she’d necked should kick in, but it hadn’t yet.

They had nothing so far on Carmen. Gina knew they’d be letting her go if the pub had provided an alibi. ‘Morning,’ she said to Nick the desk sergeant as she headed through to the incident room. O’Connor sat at the main table working through a few notes. She frowned. ‘You did go home, didn’t you? You do know I can’t approve twenty-four seven overtime?’

O’Connor laughed and passed her a thick piece of buttered toast on a plate. She saw the greasy paper bag that it must have come from. ‘I bought extra toast from the café on the high street, just in case. And, yes, I did go home, got myself a couple of hours and couldn’t sleep anymore so I came back in. The bed’s cold when you’re alone. I can’t wait for my wife to come home.’

Gina didn’t have the energy to think about her cholesterol today so she happily took the toast and began gobbling it down. ‘Any developments?’

‘I followed up on the pub alibi with PC Smith last night. The woman who manages the Slippery Fox opened up and although not too happy about the hour, she showed us the CCTV and it confirmed that Carmen Spelling was there all evening, including the time when Mindy went missing. We’ve had to let her go for now.’

‘How about Spencer Grey? Has he turned up?’

O’Connor shook his head. ‘No sign of him. I’m not sure if it’s guilt or if he’s hiding from his wife.’

Gina glanced at the board. ‘We still don’t know who the other visitors to Mindy’s house were. Two people peering over the fence and another entering through the back door. Maybe we still can’t fully rule out that Carmen might be one of those people or that there is more than one person involved. Why are so many people hanging around her house? Have you heard anything back from Garth as yet?’ She hoped digital forensics would be able to cast more light on the situation.

‘No. His team left late last night and they’re resuming this morning.’

Briggs cleared his throat as he walked in. His gaze caught Gina’s and even after everything that had gone on between them, she still felt a little something when he looked at her. She wondered if he was remotely hurt at having seen her with Brodie in the car park last night. If he was hurt, he was covering it well. He smiled.

She smiled back. ‘Morning.’

‘I’m working on the press release for later. I’m going to approach it as we’re looking for a missing woman and put Mindy Carson’s name and a photo out there. We don’t want to give the kidnapper any reason to hurt her so it will be just an appeal for her whereabouts and safety to start with, until we have more information and we know how to play this.’

‘Agreed. We don’t yet know who we’re dealing with or why the perp has her.’

‘I’ve just come off a call,’ he continued. Gina and O’Connor looked up at him. ‘I’m up to date with last night so I can brief the team when they arrive soon. You and O’Connor need to head straight to Cleevesford General. Abel Holloway has come round and the staff have said you can talk to him as long as you keep it brief. He’s not in a good way.’

‘How about the knife, sir,’ O’Connor said. ‘There was blood on the knife.’

Briggs checked his watch. ‘I’ll call forensics now. I requested that it be fast-tracked.’

Gina shivered, a bloodied knife had to provide some of the answers they were looking for. It was too much of a coincidence that Abel Holloway had been running away with a bloodied knife while they’d chased him. Her stomach turned as she thought about the blood smeared down the windscreen and the threats coming from Abel to burn the salon down. He wanted Mindy hurt, even dead.

Seventeen

Tabitha

She sat at the table picking at the pancakes that Aunt Claudia had made. It was rude that Brian still hadn’t come downstairs but Tabby knew that Brian had stayed up really late because she’d been watching him through the gap in his open door. Her thoughts returned to their aunt and her strange behaviour. She’d been out a lot lately and acting a little strange, like she was nervous about something. Breakfast had been a surprise. Their aunt didn’t make breakfast every day but she had some news, apparently.

‘Can you call your brother again? What’s taking him so long?’ Aunt Claudia began straightening up her suit ready to leave for work. Her blonde hair in a French pleat – pristine as usual. She zipped her laptop bag up and placed it on a stool.

Tabitha shrugged, left her food and walked to the bottom of the stairs before bellowing at the top of her voice. ‘Dumbass, get down now or I’ll eat your pancakes.’

A few moments later, he was pulling his T-shirt on over his head as he hurried down. ‘Good, they’re probably disgusting anyway.’

‘Don’t let her hear you say that. Be kind, you dick.’

He puffed his cheeks up and blew out a long breath. ‘You’re so annoying. Your voice hurts my head.’

‘You’re so annoying because your ugly face hurts my eyes. No wonder you’ve never had a girlfriend.’ She gave him a light friendly punch on the arm.

‘Great, you got up before I left,’ Aunt Claudia said, passing him a plate full of pancakes. He grimaced and took them. However good Aunt Claudia thought she was at cooking, both she and Brian knew that her food was awful. ‘Sit.’

‘What is it?’ Tabitha asked.

‘Thank you for being interested. I’ve got a promotion at work. You’re looking at a manager now so I’m going to be out of the house a lot more.’

‘Congratulations.’ Tabby hurried over to their aunt and hugged her. She never stopped being grateful that Aunt Claudia had taken them in after their parents had died. Without her they’d have definitely ended up apart, in care. Brian sat at the table, pushing bits of over eggy pancake around his plate. The kitchen smelled like a sulphury drain. She knew what was on Brian’s mind, omelette and chocolate sauce do not go. ‘Brian.’ She raised her brows and he came over and hugged Aunt Claudia, too.

‘Happy for you, Auntie.’ He sat back down and poured juice.

‘Were you tapping away into the early hours, Brian? I’m getting concerned that you’re not getting enough sleep?’

He looked up. ‘I’m fine. I don’t need sleep.’

Tabitha swallowed, worried about what her brother was getting up to on his computer. Aunt Claudia was always so busy and hardly ever in, she wouldn’t even notice if something was really wrong with Brian. She’d seen snippets of messages between Brian and some boy named Cody. She swore to herself she’d keep an eye on him and she had. What was down the dark path?

Aunt Claudia cleared her throat. ‘Well, the promotion means I have to go on a couple of training days. A space became free on the course but I don’t have all the details yet. I’ll be leaving either later today or tomorrow, and, well, you guys are sixteen and eighteen so I’d like to think I can leave you here on your own overnight. Can I?’

Aunt Claudia had never left them for a single night. Tabitha glanced at Brian, wondering if he’d be left in charge. He was the oldest. With him in charge, he’d boss her around. There would be no one to tell if Brian got into trouble when he went down the dark path and she was scared of what that might mean. She couldn’t get those two videos out of her mind. The woman with the flowery sheets and the man who’d been happily going about his day, clearly not knowing that he had an audience. Truth be told, she was scared of what Brian was getting himself into. Their dead dad wouldn’t be proud of Brian junior for spying on people.

‘Of course you can. We’ll be fine, won’t we, Tabby?’ he replied, interrupting her thoughts.

Aunt Claudia raised her perfect brows. ‘I’ll be getting next door to keep an eye out. I don’t want anyone around here. Well, maybe one person each. Curtis for you, Brian, because, well… it’s like he lives here anyway, and one of your girlfriends, Tabby. Any sign of a party, I’ll have to come home and you will blow this promotion. Do you both understand how important this is for me, for us? The money would make the world of difference.’

Tabitha nodded.

‘No parties. Got it.’ Brian put his untouched breakfast by the sink and headed to the door. ‘I best have a shower before work.’

‘Tabby, you’ll keep an eye on him, won’t you? I worry about how much time he spends on that computer.’

She opened her mouth, wondering if she should open up to Aunt Claudia about what Brian had been watching online but she closed it again. If she was to say something, she’d ruin Aunt Claudia’s promotion because their aunt would end up staying home to be with them and she didn’t want that. This set up worked because they didn’t cause her any trouble. She grabbed her school blazer from the back of the chair and slipped it on. ‘Like Brian said, we’ll be fine. He’s only watching dog videos on YouTube. He’s sad like that.’

Aunt Claudia checked her watch. ‘And we’re still not getting a dog.’ She smiled. ‘I knew I could rely on you guys to be so responsible.’ She came over and hugged Tabitha. ‘Right, you best get your stuff and go to school. Oh, one more thing, Tabby, can you ask Brian to stop off at the chemist over the next couple of days? They have my prescription ready and I don’t have time to collect it.’

‘No probs,’ she replied. Tabitha bounded upstairs, two at a time until she almost bumped into Brian. ‘Aunt Claudia said can you pick her tablets up when you get the chance?’

He ignored what she said. ‘Why were you lurking outside my bedroom door last night?’

She swallowed the lump in her throat. Damn, he’d seen her walking back into her bedroom. ‘I wasn’t.’

‘Were. Don’t bullshit me, Tabby.’

‘Okay, I’m worried about you after seeing those videos.’

‘I told you. They’re nothing. Everyone watches them.’

‘Did Curtis drag you into all that?’

‘No.’ He scrunched his nose up. ‘If you want to know it was your revolting ex, Abel.’

She stared at him.

‘I found a card in my pocket with the site advertised on it. I think Abel put it there because I’d been hanging around by the shops.’

‘He is not my ex, by the way. I wish you’d stop calling him that.’

‘Really? Because I had to get the pills that prove you had a thing with him.’

‘It wasn’t a thing. It was a one-time thing and Abel Holloway was a bad mistake.’

‘Whatever.’ He stared at her. ‘You should worry less about me, Tabby, and more about the long dark path you’ve been taking. You know Abel is a drug dealer, don’t you? I could go to the police, tip them off and tell them where he keeps his stash. In fact, I might just do that.’

She swallowed and stopped herself from saying what she thought. Brian was right, she wasn’t doing so well herself. Only she knew where Abel kept his stash and she’d accidentally blabbed to Brian. He’d accidentally told her when he’d been high. Abel would come for her if the police found out. She had to warn Abel. Brian might not care about Abel and his temper but she certainly did. Brian shrugged and grinned, obviously feeling like he’d played a masterstroke in distracting her from what was going on in his life.

Please don’t take the dark path, Brian. In her heart she knew something terrible awaited her brother if he did and she knew something terrible would happen to her if she didn’t get to Abel and warn him. That was her only way out of this because if she crossed Abel, he had something on her and he’d ruin her life in a heartbeat.

Eighteen

Gina

Gina stood next to O’Connor at the nurses’ desk, waiting to be pointed towards Abel Holloway’s room. The nurse confirmed that he was fit to be interviewed. ‘It’s the second room on the left,’ the nurse said, before turning back to her computer.

On reaching the room, she nodded towards PC Ahmed, who sat on a chair outside the door, reading a super car magazine. ‘Morning, guv, DC O’Connor,’ he said with a nod.

‘Morning. How’s the patient?’

‘He’s rough but awake. Not yet well enough to be taken to the station. They have him under observation and he’s likely to be in for at least another day. I asked if he wanted a solicitor and he told me to get lost and said no because he’s innocent. His mother has been informed on his request but she wants nothing to do with him after he got high several months ago and trashed her flat. He lives alone in a bedsit.’

‘Has it been searched following his arrest?’

‘Yes, guv. He barely has anything. There was a tablet. It’s with digital forensics but on the surface, it looks like there is nothing incriminating on it. A burner phone was recovered at the scene but it looks like it had been reset to factory settings.’

Gina peered through the little window wondering what Abel had to conceal when he reset his phone. Another nurse was taking his vitals and filling in a chart. She returned the clipboard to the back of the bed and opened the door with a smile. Gina and O’Connor entered as she left. Gina sat on the chair, right next to the bed, and O’Connor sat on the other plastic chair that had been pushed up against the corner sink. He took his work mobile phone out to record the interview on. Unfortunately, Mindy was still missing and the interview couldn’t wait. Her life was in their hands. O’Connor started the recording and introduced them both, stating where they were and that it was eight thirty in the morning.

‘Abel Holloway, I’m DI Harte and this is DC O’Connor. You have been arrested for the kidnapping of Mindy Carson.’

O’Connor continued talking Abel Holloway through the process and once that was completed, Gina started. ‘You’ve waived your right to a solicitor and agreed to this voluntary interview.’

‘Yep,’ he replied with a croaky voice.

‘Where is Mindy Carson?’

He groaned as he sat up, his face ashen with dark circles under his eyes. The hospital gown hung off his thin frame. He reached towards his side table and picked up a plastic glass of water and sipped. ‘Beamed up by a spaceship.’

Gina sighed. She knew this interview wasn’t going to go well.

‘Where were you between six and seven yesterday evening?’

‘In a world of my own.’ He laughed.

‘You were seen in the vicinity of where Mindy Carson went missing.’

He leaned his head back on the bed frame and slowly exhaled. ‘I hung out, played football and that’s it. The others will tell you that, I was in sight at all times.’

‘The others?’

He reeled off several names of the youths he claimed were with him at the time, giving their addresses.

‘Thank you. We’ll check out your alibis.’ Gina knew that they’d more than likely lie for him. ‘You threatened Ursula Grey last night at around seven. You said you’d burn her shop down.’

‘I didn’t. She’s a liar.’

‘Where were you on the nights of Wednesday the fourteenth and Friday the sixteenth of January, at around eleven p.m.?’

‘With my mates, the same names I’ve already given you. I always hang out with them.’

‘You didn’t like Ursula Grey and Mindy Carson, did you? There have been numerous reports made by Mrs Grey of intimidation and antisocial behaviour and they name you in those reports. Did you hurt Miss Carson as an act of revenge?’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. No, never. I wouldn’t hurt anyone. Yeah, they weren’t happy with me and the others playing football by their shop because the ball hit their window a couple of times. Maybe you should look at Ursula.’ He smirked. ‘Chez Ursula and her dodgy husband. He’s always giving her assistant this smarmy look. He follows her out to her car and touches her arse.’ He grinned.

‘Did he follow her out to her car last night?’

He shrugged. ‘I don’t know because I was playing football. He did threaten to smash my face in, though. He sounds like a violent man. Look, just check out my alibis and let me go.’ He folded his arms.

‘Mr Holloway. Where is Mindy Carson?’ She had to press him.

‘I told you, I don’t know.’ He paused. ‘Okay… I saw a white van pull into the road, where Mindy parks but I don’t know if it was anything to do with that woman going missing.’

‘What make was the van? How big? Did you get the registration?’

He smirked again. ‘Don’t know, don’t know and no. I don’t go around remembering registration numbers, do I?’

‘You don’t know if it was a big van like a Transit or a small van, just a bit bigger than a car.’

He shook his head.

‘Was it a van? How would you see a van from the shops?’ If he saw a van it would be a larger type of van, like the one Carmen owned, but that van had been ruled out. Then again, she wondered if Abel Holloway was trying his hardest to get all attention off him. Maybe there wasn’t even a van.

‘That’s all I have. Take it or leave it, but that’s it. You pigs are stupid.’

She wasn’t going to get much more from him other than smirking or insults. ‘There’s also the drug charges but the team will interview you regarding those back at the station when you’re well enough to attend.’ Gina’s main focus was finding Mindy. It was time to mention the knife. ‘Tell me about the knife we found by the garages last night?’

He shrugged again. ‘Don’t know anything about a knife.’

‘So, when we get the results back from the lab it won’t have your prints on it?’ There was no point lying and she had to make Abel see that.

‘Okay. It’s mine.’

‘There was residue of blood on the knife.’

His sunken eyes widened. ‘What?’

‘There was blood on Mindy Carson’s windscreen. How did the blood get onto the knife?’

He shook his head and frowned. ‘You’re framing me. You. Are. Framing. Me.’ He swiped the box of tissues and his water off his bedside table and accidentally dislodged his cannula. The monitor started to beep. ‘I’m not talking to you, pig. I want a solicitor, now. I’ve changed my mind. I’m not saying anything else. No comment.’

A nurse rushed in as O’Connor declared the end of the interview.

‘I guess he kicked off, guv?’ PC Ahmed asked.

She nodded. ‘Yep. It’s safe to say that he’s feeling a lot better now. I’ll leave it to you to organise the interview for the drugs and canisters found at the scene.’ Her phone buzzed. It was Briggs. ‘Sir.’

‘Gina, Wyre has an address for Mindy’s landlord and he’s home right now. A PC headed there earlier and spoke to him. We don’t have anything to arrest him on at the moment but we need to be aware that he could have access to the property. He doesn’t have any other properties. He inherited the one Mindy rents from his mother when she died. I’ll message you the address in a moment.’

She quickly briefed Briggs with a summary of the interview. ‘Great, O’Connor and I will head straight there.’

‘I’ve managed to speak to Bernard,’ Briggs said. ‘It’s about the knife and the blood.’

She listened to the rest of what he had to say and wanted nothing more than to scream.

Nineteen

Gina

O’Connor turned the engine off after parking outside the large double-fronted family home on the quiet estate. Gina still reeled from what she’d been told about the blood on the knife and O’Connor had barely said a word while driving. No wonder Abel had shut down on them completely after being accused of hurting Mindy with his knife.

It was smears of tomato sauce. Abel probably used it to slice pizza up. She couldn’t believe that O’Connor thought it was blood but she had to let it go. Maybe it was an error any of them could have made.

Gina took in the frost-kissed lawn and naked trees that she knew would bloom beautifully come late spring. ‘Wait, I recognise this address,’ Gina said to O’Connor as she unclipped her seat belt. ‘Where are your notes from this morning?’

‘On the back seat.’

Gina reached over and grabbed the book. She flicked through until she reached the list of Abel Holloway’s alibis. ‘Curtis Dunton, age eighteen. An alibi of our suspect, is the son of the victim’s landlord. That seems a bit of a coincidence.’

O’Connor nodded. ‘I’m with you there, guv.’

‘Maybe Holloway has an accomplice, making it easy for him to be able to get hold of the keys to Mindy’s house.’

‘I think we’d best speak to them.’

As they approached the front door, a dog began to bark and a few seconds later, a stocky man who looked to be in his early forties answered. ‘Rex, basket, now.’ He pointed and the Alsatian left the hallway. Gina took a mental note of the roofing van parked up on the drive and she wondered if there was any truth in what Abel Holloway had said about there being a white van around when Mindy went missing.

‘I’m DI Harte and this is DC O’Connor. May we come in?’

‘Of course. Excuse the mess. I live with my son and, as you can see, we’re not the tidiest of people.’ She entered and tried not to look in the overflowing washing basket that they had to dodge to get into the kitchen. She glanced back, thinking it would be better to look. What if there were some bloody clothes in sight but then again, Mr Dunton knew they were coming. If there was any evidence around, it would probably have been destroyed by now. ‘Take a seat, if you can find one.’ He ran ahead, picking up the several coats that had been flung over the bench seat at one side of the table. ‘Can I get you both a drink? Coffee pot is on.’

Eyes still heavy from lack of sleep, Gina needed more than her morning espresso. ‘Please.’

He poured two coffees and placed them in front of her and O’Connor. No offer of milk or sugar but she didn’t care. O’Connor winced as he politely sipped it but Gina enjoyed the rich roast.

‘The PC from Cleevesford informed me that there has been some issue with my tenant. He said that you needed to speak to me about her. I know her brother deals with the tenancy but it’s Miss Carson you’re referring to?’

She nodded. ‘Yes, she went missing between six and seven yesterday evening under suspicious circumstances. Mr Carson gave us her spare key to enter the property and we found something very disturbing.’

‘What’s happened to my house? Is Miss Carson okay?’ His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, reaching the top of his navy round neck jumper.

‘Your house is okay. Can I ask if you have any surveillance cameras in the property?’

‘No, never seen any need. The woman next door is always nosing out of the windows. Who needs cameras when you have nosey neighbours?’ He began tapping his fingers on the wooden table. ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t take this lightly. I didn’t think. My last tenant was sick of the neighbour interfering in her business so she left. When my mum was alive, she joked about the woman next door always collaring her on the doorstep.’

‘Several covert cameras were found in the house, some in the bedroom and bathroom.’

He raised his brows and remained silent for several seconds. ‘Seriously?’

‘Yes. Do you know how they could’ve got there?’

‘No. Could Miss Carson have put them there?’

‘It’s not looking likely that she did. How many smoke alarms do you have in the house?’

‘Two, one on the ceiling of the upstairs landing and another downstairs in the hall.’

They weren’t the smoke alarms in question. ‘So, you’ve never installed any in the bedroom?’

‘No. I can see where this is going now. There were a couple of old detectors from days gone by that I left up there. My mum had them fitted but I never took them down. I was renting the house out so I just left them. Has someone put spy cams in them?’

‘I’m afraid to tell you that covert surveillance devices were found inside those detectors and in other places. When was the last time you went to the house?’

‘On the day she moved in. I was meant to book a time for her six-monthly inspection but I didn’t get around to it and I guess she seemed nice enough and I trusted that she hadn’t wrecked the place.’

‘Do you have spare keys for the property?’

‘No. It’s not something I’d do. I know she said she was getting a key cut for her brother because she asked me if it was okay.’

Gina had no way of being sure that he didn’t keep a spare but she could hardly search his house. ‘How is Miss Carson as a tenant?’

‘Good. As I said, nice enough. I get my rent on time. Her brother seemed okay, too. I have no concerns.’

‘Do you know if she was having any issues?’

‘She’s just my tenant. I know her brother mentioned that she’d possibly escaped an abusive relationship.’

Gina let out a discreet sigh. ‘Is your son Curtis Dunton?’

‘Yes. Why do you need to know who my son is?’

‘His name has been given as an alibi. We need to speak to him, to ask if he was with our suspect?’

‘He’s not in. I’m not sure if he even came home last night. I didn’t check.’

‘Do you know where he might be?’

‘He’s eighteen. He stays with friends. Sometimes he doesn’t come back for a few days.’

‘Can you give us the names of the friends he might be staying with?’

‘Is he in trouble?’

Gina shook her head. She didn’t know if Curtis was in trouble yet. ‘We just need to know if the suspect was with him at the time of Mindy’s disappearance.’

‘He mostly hangs out with a kid called Brian. They’re best friends and he stays at his house a lot. I don’t know Brian’s surname but I have an address because I’ve picked Curtis up from there.’ He grabbed his phone from the table. ‘Maps app,’ he said, under his breath. He started scrolling and reeled off the address. ‘I don’t like that kid. Curtis was always easy going until he met Brian. Anyway, you can’t pick your kid’s friends for them, especially when they reach adulthood. I know Curtis is a good kid so I trust him to make good choices in life. I try not to be one of those helicopter parents.’

An iPad on the table lit up and Gina managed to catch some of the message. ‘Is that yours?’

‘No, it’s Curtis’s. He must have popped back at some point then because he took it out with him yesterday when he went to Brian’s. I must have been in bed.’

The message from the very Brian they’d been talking about sent a shiver through Gina.

I’m taking the dark path, mate. There’s no going back. I’m doing it!

Twenty

Tabitha

As soon as the lunch bell went, Tabitha sneaked through the broken bit of fencing at the back of the field, then she hurried over to the Ferndale shops. She had to find Abel but she couldn’t be late back, either. Yes, their thing had been a one-off but she’d once liked Abel, they’d been friends. What he threatened her with after was unforgivable.

She remembered one of those nights in the past, when she’d been captivated by him, when he told her that he’d been selling a few pills because his mum had thrown him out. He’d seemed so cool and grown up, and if she’d care to admit, just the right amount of dangerous. She hated that he’d ended up on the streets and all she tried to do was be there for him.

Her phone lit up but it was just a stupid meme from one of the girls at school. She tried to call Abel for the fifth time, just in case the dead tone was a temporary thing but it happened again. He’d obviously got a new phone. All she wanted was for him not to think it was her doing if he should get arrested. If it was, he’d flip and he could be cruel to those who were against him. As far as she knew, he’d only told her where he kept them and that was because he’d been high.

As she ran towards the pizza shop, the place where he hung outside, she was surprised to see that none of his friends were hanging around, playing football. She half expected to see Curtis and she was prepared to give him a dirty look or even tell him what she thought of him. Her brother was getting into something dark and it had to be because of Creepy Curtis, not Abel or not some card he found in his pocket. Brian was lying. On spotting a boy in a hoodie walk past, she ran over to him. She instantly recognised him as one of the gang. ‘Hey, where’s Abel at?’

‘Alright, Tab. Haven’t seen you about for a bit.’

‘Since me and Abe split, I’ve been doing my thing, you know?’ Even she didn’t know what she was on about. What exactly was her thing? Her only thing at the moment was spying on her stupid brother, avoiding Abel’s revenge and revising for her exams. She then felt herself cringe inside. Her and Abel didn’t exactly split because they never really had a relationship, so she had no idea why she said that. What they had was an awkward one-off. Super cringe.

The boy raised his brows. ‘Whatever.’ He laughed.

‘So, where’s Abe at? I need to speak to him.’

The boy blew out a breath. ‘He got arrested last night. You should have seen it. The pigs chased him around the back of those flats and dragged him away soon after. I heard someone mention a knife and some pills.’

Damn, damn, damn. Had Brian already reported Abel to the police? She’d be in so much trouble once he caught up with her. The thought of him carrying out the threat, the one she couldn’t even think about, sent a sick feeling whirling around in her gut. The boy continued. ‘A woman vanished so I think it might have something to do with that.’ The boy swallowed. ‘It’s one of the ones Abe keeps having a go at.’

Maybe it wasn’t over the pills. Tabitha glanced over at the shops. There was only one place that Abel had a problem with. ‘The dog parlour and the women who worked there.’

‘Yeah, they keep reporting us to the police and council. I mean, we only play football. He was angry, that’s all. He wouldn’t really burn the shop down but you know Abe, he lets his big attitude run away with him and gets into trouble.’ Tabitha knew different. She knew Abel was dangerous when he was angry and he bore a grudge like no one she’d ever met before. She didn’t want to be in his firing line, least of all for being the person who got him arrested. At the moment she had no idea if he was arrested because of a missing woman or the pills. He’d come straight after her as soon as he was bailed.

A chilly gust made Tabitha hug herself over her puffer coat. ‘I’ve got a message for him.’ If it was to do with the missing woman, then he still needed to move his stash or her life wasn’t going to be worth living.

The boy raised his brow and had a quick puff on his vape. The toffee scent was soon carried away by another gust of wind. ‘Okay. What’s that?’

‘He needs to move his stash. I…’ She didn’t want to tell him that her brother might dob Abel in and that she didn’t want him to ruin her life because of it. ‘I was in… err…’ Tesco, school, the corner shop – none of those places seemed right.

‘Spit it out, Tab.’

‘I was at the pub with my aunt and I overheard a conversation from the loo. Two men were talking outside but I couldn’t see who they were, but they were talking about Abe. They followed him and knew where he kept his stash and they were going to tell the police because he sold a tablet to his son and made him really sick.’ There, an elaborate lie but it would still result in Abel moving his stash from the library air vent.

‘If they followed him, why didn’t they have it out with him?’

‘Don’t ask me?’ She could kick herself on how stupid all that sounded, and she had the nerve to call Brian stupid. ‘All I know is that someone knows and it could get Abe into trouble. Just tell him to move his stash. Can you do that?’

‘Yes, will do. Can’t have him going down for supply even though he’s barely doing any supplying.’

They both knew that Abe dealt in the bare minimum to pay for food and clothes, and it was never enough. That’s why he always wore that same old top with the smoking emoji on it. She almost wanted to kick herself for feeling sorry for him again. She had to remember he was a huge threat to her. ‘Great. Tell Abe when you see him.’

‘Cool.’ The boy waved and ran off across the road.

Please let his arrest be about a missing woman, not the pills. If Abel got a whiff of her leading the police to him, those photos would be all over social media and her friends, Aunt Claudia and Brian would see everything. Sickness churned away inside her. She needed to walk it off before going back to school. Everything will be okay, she kept repeating to herself. If those photos were out there, she’d know about them by now.

Tabitha saw some loose police tape flapping in the wind so she jogged towards where it had flown from. As she ran from the car park, through the little path that led to a road and the woods she saw that a large section had been cordoned off. She thought of the woman who had disappeared. Abe was a lot of things but she couldn’t believe for one second that he was involved in that. A splattering of rain hit her hair. She pulled her hood up, not wanting to go back with a frizzy mass on her head. As she stared into the woodland, she was sure she saw someone. That’s when she caught the top of his dyed-blond head of hair. ‘Curtis.’ By the time she’d hurried around the police tape, he’d vanished back amongst the trees. As she turned back, she saw a police car approaching so she casually started walking away.

‘Excuse me,’ the police officer said as he got out of his car.

She glanced up. ‘Hi,’ she said with a smile as she threw her school bag back over her shoulder.

‘Shouldn’t you be in school?’

‘I’m sixteen, just out to grab some lunch.’

‘Do you take this route often?’

She shrugged. ‘Sometimes.’

‘We’re asking people who regularly take this route if they were around yesterday evening between six and seven when an incident took place. A woman has gone missing and we’re trying to locate her.’

She scrunched up her nose. ‘I was at home then.’

‘Well, thank you for your time.’ He went to stand next to a sign that was appealing for witnesses.

‘Who’s missing?’ she asked.

He pulled up a poster on his tablet. ‘We’re concerned for her welfare. Her name is Mindy Carson.’

The name wasn’t familiar to her but she recognised the brown-haired woman from the pet salon. She held back the shriek she wanted to let out, shrugged and muttered a no before hurrying away.

Another police officer standing outside the salon stared at her. It was like the police could tell she had something to hide. A man walked towards the salon door. ‘Sheldon, come back now, you naughty boy.’ The man’s little dog left the lamp post he was peeing up and he scooped it up before entering the shop. Both he and the other woman who worked there looked like they were gossiping, then they turned to stare at Tabitha. Were the photos out? She wondered if Abel thought she’d already grassed him up.

As she scarpered away from the salon and the police, she took a deep breath and leaned against the wall, rain hitting her face and smudging her make-up. Her stomach was doing somersaults now.

The woman in the poster was the woman in the video that Brian and Curtis had been watching and Curtis had been lurking in the woods. The woman was missing. What the hell had her brother got himself into?

Twenty-One

Gina

‘Guv, there’s also someone called Brian on Abel Holloway’s alibi list. I remember the name,’ O’Connor said as he took a right and turned the windscreen wipers on.

‘Well remembered.’ Gina knew that what they saw on Curtis Dunton’s iPad would be inadmissible as evidence as they had zero permission to use it. Curtis wasn’t under arrest for taking Mindy or, in fact, any crime. ‘We have an address so let’s head to Brian’s house and with any luck, Curtis will be there, too.’

‘The road he lives on isn’t too far from the Ferndale shops.’

She checked a map using her phone and saw that it would only be about a ten-minute walk for Brian to reach the shops. The words in that message sat at the front of her mind. ‘“I’m taking the dark path, mate. There’s no going back. I’m doing it!” What do you think Brian means by that and why is he telling Curtis?’

O’Connor indicated left. ‘I think it’s a metaphorical path. He’s into something and it doesn’t sound good.’

‘I don’t know how we’re going to find out more about this dark path, but I’m worried that these lads are into something bad, something we’re not getting right now. It has a dark web feel about it and given the video we saw from OpenMeSmiler that was sent to Mindy just before she disappeared… it’s all giving me the ick.’

‘Same.’ He turned into a treelined avenue, every one of them pollarded and looking slightly post-apocalyptic in front of the dismal sky. At least the rain had stopped.

‘Here it is,’ she said as O’Connor drove past the number they were looking for. He pulled up against the kerb before they stepped out.

A wide Victorian semi stood proud at the end of a longish drive. Evergreens led the way to the door. Gina caught a glimpse of the interior through the sparkly clean bay window. Open plan, and everything looked shiny with wooden floors and the large glass doors out the back. O’Connor knocked while she stayed back, surveying for any sign of life inside but she couldn’t see anyone. Her gaze was drawn to the back garden and it was an impressive size.

OpenMeSmiler – she tried to conjure up an image of who might be using that name and she knew it could be anyone. All they had was the ghost of a person or persons, no description and no personal details. They also still had to find Ursula’s husband, Spencer Grey.

‘I don’t think anyone is in, guv.’

‘We might have to drop a note through the door, asking Brian to contact us. If we don’t hear anything by this evening, we’ll get someone to pop back. It was a long shot following the alibi list but then that message… I can’t get it out of my mind. We can’t drop the ball on it.’ She stared through the window one more time, standing in silence as O’Connor prepared a note. That’s when her eyes met an intruder staring through the glass at the other end of the house. A chill ran through her as he ducked to the left. Someone had been watching the house, just like the men that had been lurking around the back of Mindy’s house. She darted towards the back gate. She couldn’t let them escape. ‘There’s someone in the garden and he’s running. We can’t let him get away. Call for backup – now.’

Twenty-Two

Gina

Gina fought to budge the rusty slide lock just over the top of the gate, catching her finger on a sharp bit. ‘Ouch.’ She snatched her hand back, checking to see if she’d cut it but she hadn’t quite pierced her skin. O’Connor took over, eventually managing to wiggle the reluctant lock open. As they sprinted down the passageway, a teen boy flung himself over the back of the fence. ‘Tell backup to hurry and cut him off at the back road,’ she said as she trudged over the soggy grass, her boots sinking into it with each step. ‘Stop, police.’ The boy ignored her.

‘Done.’ O’Connor half tripped over his feet but managed to somehow catch up.

Gina searched for a back gate but that would be too easy. If there had been a back gate, the boy wouldn’t have been jumping over the fence. She peered over the top, her fingers digging into a strip of slimy moss. ‘He’s heading down the passageway. I’ll climb over, you head back onto the road and cut him off. Hurry, before he gets away. We can’t lose him.’

If nothing else, Gina was sick of chasing boys around. Last night it was Abel Holloway and now, another boy. She climbed up the rickety fence, hoping that it wouldn’t give way underneath her weight, then she threw herself over, landing with a thud on the other side.

The boy rattled the wooden gate at the end of the dark path as if he was trying to break it off its hinges, or maybe it was stuck. ‘Stop, police.’ She held her identification up and started running towards him, cursing as she noticed the tear in the underarm of her coat.

One final shake of the gate later, the boy dislodged whatever had been jamming the gate and he burst through. Great, she’d lost him. She held on to her aching side, wishing she were much fitter but the climbing and the running got harder with each year that passed. She refused to believe she was too old. Fifties was not too old so she’d keep running and jumping without complaint. As she reached the end of the path, she let out a breath, relieved to see that the boy had bounced into O’Connor’s chest. ‘Name?’ he asked.

‘Let me go. I ain’t done nothing.’

‘In that case, was that your garden?’ O’Connor asked.

The boy looked down at his feet. ‘It’s my friend’s house. He sometimes has his earphones in so he doesn’t answer. I’ve got a key but I forgot it so I threw a few bits of gravel at his bedroom window. I ain’t done nothing. I told you.’

Gina shook her head. ‘You were in a garden, looking through a window that isn’t yours when the owners are out. That looks suspicious. How old are you?’

‘Eighteen.’ That was a good start. Had he been a minor, things could have got more complicated.

‘You’re going to have to tell us what your name is. There’s no getting around that.’ Gina folded her arms, waiting. A police car stopped behind O’Connor, ready to take the boy away if she had to make an arrest.

‘Curtis. Curtis Dunton. I was here to see Brian. He’s my mate. I promise you, my mate Brian lives there and I even have a key, like I told you.’

Gina let out a long breath. ‘Curtis Dunton, we were looking for you. We’ve just come from your house.’

He slowly swallowed and stared wide-eyed under the rim of his hood. ‘Am I in trouble?’

She wanted to ask all about the dark path but she couldn’t. First Abel behaving suspiciously and now Curtis. The two youths definitely had things to hide and she was going to find out what they were.

‘There was an incident last night. A woman went missing and we have someone in custody. They’ve given your name as their alibi.’ She held her side and it still hurt. ‘Why did you run?’

‘’Cos I didn’t know who you were and you were chasing me, and you were police and I thought you might think I was burgling the place. You need to just get hold of Brian and he’ll tell you it’s fine.’

‘Where is Brian?’

Curtis shrugged. ‘He was meant to be at work today but he didn’t turn up. He works at a café just next to the community hall. I thought he’d be at home but he isn’t.’ Curtis started staring behind her. She turned to see another boy walking across the road. His gaze locked onto Curtis’s. ‘That’s Bri. Looks like he’s home now.’ Curtis started to wave. ‘Bri, Brian. Tell the cops that I’m allowed in your back garden. They just chased me over your fence, thinking I was trying to burgle your place.’

‘It’s okay. He virtually lives with us. He’s my mate,’ Brian said as he walked towards them. ‘Where’s your key, Curtis?’

Curtis shrugged. ‘Forgot it, didn’t I?’

The taller teen in a dark-blue coat shifted his lank, damp hair that fell over his eyes to one side. Gina was losing the will to live as the two boys started chatting away about what had just happened. ‘Right, Brian, we need to talk to you. How old are you?’

‘Eighteen.’ His Adam’s apple slowly bobbed up and down. ‘Talk to me? What about?’

That message you sent to Curtis, she wanted to say but she held that comment in. The boys in front of her weren’t under her arrest and she’d sneaked a look at that message. ‘Can we go into your house? Would that be okay?’ A couple of neighbours started to gather on the streets.

‘Er, yes.’ Brian led them all back to the front of the houses, got his key out and opened the front door. ‘Can I see your IDs?’

Gina and O’Connor held them up. She popped hers back in her inside pocket and wiped the slimy moss off her hand onto her coat. The torn coat was a write-off now anyway.

‘We’ll go in the kitchen,’ Brian said. ‘And, check your shoes. My aunt doesn’t like shoes in the house but it’s okay as long as there’s no muck on them.’

Gina checked her shoes and followed Brian in as O’Connor and Curtis trailed behind. ‘DC O’Connor, would you speak to Curtis in the living room and I’ll speak to Brian in the kitchen area?’ The open plan area was large enough to have private conversations and it was just an alibi confirmation.

Brian sat on a bar stool at the kitchen island and began to continually half spin on it. ‘Am I in some sort of trouble? You’re not arresting me, are you?’

The fact that he looked genuinely worried told Gina he was up to something. Between that and the message, she knew she had to keep him at the back of her mind throughout the investigation. ‘No, you’re not under arrest. We’re just following up on enquiries and your name has come up. Last night, a woman went missing near the Ferndale shops. We have someone in custody and he’s put you down as his alibi. Can I take your surname first?’

He frowned. ‘Thurston. It’s Brian Thurston.’

‘Thank you.’ Gina made a note. ‘Abel Holloway said you were outside the Ferndale shops, with him, yesterday evening between six and seven. Were you?’

He scrunched his brow and went to speak but stopped.

Gina could see that there was some sort of inner battle going on in his head, from his creased brows to his false starts and the stuttering that failed to produce any coherent words. She wondered if Brian had already taken the dark path. ‘It’s important to answer honestly. If you don’t, it would be perverting the course of justice, which is a serious charge.’

His shoulder slumped. ‘I was here.’

‘Alone?’

‘With Curtis. We were hanging about in my room and my sister was in. I was home between six and seven last night and Aunt Claudia came home soon after. Me and my sister live with my aunt. This is her house.’

Gina headed through to where O’Connor was speaking with Curtis about the exact same thing. O’Connor left Curtis on the leather couch and headed over. ‘Curtis was here with Brian.’

‘That’s what Brian said.’

‘But he passed the shops on the way. He didn’t stay but he said he saw Abel, but that was about four.’

Gina stood between the kitchen and lounge area. Four that afternoon was a lot earlier than the incident and Brian confirmed that Curtis had been with him at the time of the incident. Either way, Abel using him as an alibi didn’t stack up. ‘I’d like to thank you both for helping us with our enquiries and, Mr Dunton?’ She glanced at Curtis.

‘Yeah?’

‘Don’t run away from the police in the future. There was no need for it.’

‘Sorry, err, officer.’

‘It’s DI Harte.’ She was left with the question, why did Abel Holloway lie about his alibis? She knew there were several more names on the list that would be followed up by uniform so she’d wait until they’d been checked out before confronting Abel.

‘I heard that a woman from Chez Ursula’s went missing by the shops last night,’ Curtis said. ‘Is that why you’ve got Abel?’

‘I can’t discuss the case at the moment as we’re currently investigating,’ Gina replied. ‘Do you know anything about her disappearance? We’re appealing for witnesses so if you can help, that would be great.’

She paused, wondering if one of the boys was about to offer them some free information, but the boys shook their heads.

‘No,’ Curtis replied. ‘I just wondered. My dad’s taken our dog to Chez Ursula’s before for a bath, when he stinks.’

Gina frowned. Mr Dunton never mentioned that he knew Mindy outside of being a tenant, but then again, she didn’t ask. She was keeping Mr Dunton at the back of her mind for now. He could have access to the house but could wasn’t enough. She fired off a quick message to Wyre back at the station to have a look into Mr Dunton and his past.

Her phone beeped. It was a message from Jacob.

Guv, we have Spencer Grey in custody.

Twenty-Three

Brian

As soon as the police drove away, Brian stepped from behind the lounge curtains and joined Curtis in the kitchen. Curtis passed him an energy drink out of the fridge. ‘Why would Abel say we were with him?’ he asked.

Brian struggled to think straight so he took a long swig of the sickly liquid, hoping that it would wake him up a bit. He’d felt so groggy since being up half the night. ‘I don’t know. Why would Abel have anything to do with a woman from a dog salon disappearing? I know he didn’t like those two women but then again, there’s a lot of people he doesn’t like, but what are we talking about? Kidnap?’

‘He told the cops we were with him for a reason. He expected us to lie.’

Brian shrugged. ‘Maybe we should have. I mean, you walked past the shops to get to mine. Maybe he assumed I was with you and that was all there was to it. We should have just said we were with him.’ Brian had no loyalty to Abel after he got his sister into trouble but he blamed Tabitha, too. She was such a stupid douche and she chose to have sex with him.

‘No, mate. I’m not going down for Abel so I said what I know.’ He paused. ‘I had an uncle who lied to the police once, he got arrested for perverting the course of justice. I remembered that because it sounds like pervert and at first I thought he’d been a perv but it means… I don’t know… lying to the police or something like that.’ He put his can on the worktop.

‘Why did you run? You couldn’t have made us look more suspicious.’ Brian didn’t need people, especially the police, poking into his life while he’d been watching the live streams. He didn’t need to be given a slap on the wrist and have his computer taken away from him.

Curtis shrugged. ‘Dunno. I thought you’d done the dark path thing and that they were after you. I thought they’d think I was you or that I’d been logging on as well so I panicked.’ He paused to pick at a spot on his chin. ‘Did you do it?’

‘No. Anyway, I think we can forget the police now. They’re after Abel, not us. We’re safe and I don’t think they’re coming back.’

‘You know what we watch is illegal?’ Curtis leaned on the island. ‘I don’t think it’s right.’

‘Well, I wish I never gave you the login if you think like that.’

‘I haven’t used it. We shouldn’t be watching people, should we?’

‘We’re not hurting anyone. They don’t even know. It’s a victimless crime.’ Brian wondered if he was just talking crap. He knew it was illegal but he couldn’t stay away.

‘If my dad found out, he’d go mad and I don’t want to make him mad again. It’s not safe. Someone will trace us to OpenMeSmiler.’

‘That’s the beauty of it. They won’t. It’s on a part of the web that’s hidden. We use a VPN like Cody said whenever we’re on the net at all. It’s a laugh though, isn’t it?’ He knew he was taking all the precautions he needed.

Curtis took another swig from his can. ‘I guess you’re right. I’m just feeling paranoid right now. So, when are we taking the next step?’

‘We?’ Brian was under the impression that Curtis had been all ready to back out.

‘Yep, as long as it’s on your computer.’

No, no, no – he wanted to do the next step alone. ‘I wasn’t going to bother. Given what’s happened, I think all you said before was right. I’m not looking again. I’m going to disable everything and drop it.’

‘Seriously?’ Curtis raised his brows.

‘Seriously.’

‘Whatever. Maybe it’s for the best. I went to the café looking for you earlier. You weren’t at work today, were you?’

Brian shrugged. Great, he could do without people spying on him. The truth was, he couldn’t get Cody and the long dark path out of his mind all night and by morning, insomnia had left him a bit spaced out. ‘I woke up with bad guts so I called in ill.’

‘But you were out.’

‘I went for a walk. Geez, are you the walking police now? Anyway, I’m not feeling great so I’m going to bed for a bit. I’ll message later.’

‘Okay. I should go home. I have to walk Rex while Dad’s at work, then I’ve got to go for this job my dad found for me. I’m sure I’ll be a terrible candidate.’ Curtis laughed.

As soon as Curtis slammed the door behind him, Brian was up the stairs and logging on to OpenMeSmiler. The police were gone. It was all about Abel, not Brian. Abel was obviously chief suspect and more than likely guilty, so the police weren’t coming back. He had to take the path before Cody got back from college. It was time he did it and he had to do it all on his own.

He opened the site and the box came up. He copied and pasted the passcode that Cody had sent him. A message flashed up.

You are about to take the long dark path of which there is no return. Are you ready?

He typed, yes.

Are you sure because once you see, you can never unsee?

He typed yes, again.

Black and green whorls filled the screen, hypnotising him as they disappeared into each other with new ones instantly taking their place, then it was as if he, the watcher, had been spat out into a dark room. He breathed as silently as he could so that he’d hear any instruction that might come through his speakers. Nothing was happening. He hit his keypad and pressed the arrow keys – again nothing. His cursor wasn’t even moving on the screen. His computer had crashed. Maybe Cody sent him a virus and his computer would never work again. He sighed, wondering if the bit of money he had saved from his café job was going to be spent on getting his silly mistake sorted.

He almost fell from his gaming chair as a robotic voice boomed from his speakers. ‘Don’t turn me off. Wait and be patient because the best things are yet to come.’

‘Hello.’ He wondered if they, whoever they were, could hear him, but no one answered.

‘Use the arrow keys to navigate the path.’ That voice again, haunting and robotic. His heart almost felt like it was about to stop when a face covered in graphic armour filled the bottom corner of the screen. ‘I am your guide. Walk the path.’

He used the up arrow to move forward, hearing his screen avatar’s footsteps on the ground. As he reached the end, there were two doors. He pressed the arrow key forward after lining up with the left-hand door and hit enter. Nothing happened. He did the same with the right-hand door and it slowly creaked open. He yelled as the guide’s armoured face filled the screen and laughed demonically, then he entered the room through its mouth.

He stared at what was before him, mouth open and heart banging, listening to that voice again.

‘You have the power, Brian. Use it wisely.’

Twenty-Four

Gina

Eager to interview their prime suspect, Spencer Grey, Gina entered the incident room. PC Smith was sitting at the table. Wyre was tapping away at a computer in the corner and Gina could see that she was looking into Curtis’s dad, Jackson Dunton. ‘You have Spencer Grey?’ she asked Smith. ‘How was he caught?’

‘ANPR got him on Brendon Road. I was close by and managed to pull him over. I arrested him for Mindy’s kidnapping and now he’s waiting in interview room one. His car is currently in the compound and he said he doesn’t need a solicitor because he didn’t do anything.’

‘Hm, that’s why he vanished last night. How did the search of Ursula and Spencer Grey’s home go?’

‘We found nothing incriminating, guv. No sign that Spencer has a secret location. He doesn’t have any tech which seemed odd, although Ursula said he used to have a huge gaming PC that he got rid of and she said he works away a lot. We took his phone and there are a lot of messages between him and someone named Ron, who we know is Mindy. I’ve printed them out.’ Smith passed the messages to Gina who quickly read them. Lots of sexual stuff and arrangements to meet up, but there was nothing relating to the video in there. A couple of messages caught her eye, ones that were more alarming.

‘Did you check his photos and videos?’

‘Yes, and there’s nothing of concern on there either, although Garth is taking a look through it as we speak. Maybe digital forensics might find something we couldn’t.’

‘What does he do for a living?’

‘He’s in the scaffolding and inspections business, but for tall buildings. Quite specialist stuff, where you need a brilliant head for heights.’

‘So, there’s a chance he might have access to buildings that aren’t being used. That’s interesting. Thanks for looking into that. Definitely keep digging.’

O’Connor walked with Gina through the station corridors until they reached the interview room. It was time to find out where Mindy was being held.

They’d been in the interview room for several minutes now. Gina stared at Spencer. He looked into his hands while sitting further back from the table. Their thirty-five-year-old suspect appeared to not have much to say.

‘I’ve changed my mind. I want a solicitor.’ He sat back and ran his thick fingers through his sandy hair. His muscles looked like they were about to bulge out of his thin knit jumper.

Damn. She knew they weren’t going to easily get him to talk.

O’Connor ended the interview for the tape and they left the room.

Minutes passed and then almost an hour had gone. Gina drank her coffee and peered over Wyre’s shoulders in the incident room. ‘Anything on our landlord, Jackson Dunton?’

‘No, but there is something on his son.’

‘Curtis Dunton?’

‘There was an investigation into an incident when he was fifteen and still at school. He was given a slap on the wrists for forwarding an upskirting photo of a fellow pupil to a friend. The girl reported that her ex-boyfriend at the time had sent it to Curtis and many others.’

‘He has an alibi for yesterday evening.’ She thought of the dark path message again. She knew that Curtis and Brian were heading into something bad, something she couldn’t do anything about. Seeing that message pop up had been an absolute thorn in her side.

‘Solicitor’s arrived, guv,’ Jacob said as he entered the room. He continued speaking while O’Connor tucked into a pasty. ‘Would you like me to assist with the interview?’

Gina nodded, giving O’Connor permission to stand down and have a break. He’d worked a lot through the night and had been with her all morning. She wanted to let him enjoy his pasty and call his wife in peace.

As Gina and Jacob walked back to the interview room, Jacob rubbed his eyes.

‘How are you doing?’ she asked.

‘Better, guv. I got a good block of shut-eye last night. O’Connor’s wife needs to go on holiday more often, it’s like a holiday for me.’ He paused. ‘After the interview, shall I collate all the details from Abel’s alibis. I gather O’Connor is enjoying being in the thick of it.’

‘He’s really missing his wife. It’s taking his mind off her being away.’

‘Great. That’s good. Oh, to be in love. I’ll go through those alibis then.’

‘That would be great. You could also go with Wyre or Kapoor, back to the hospital to question Abel again about the false alibis he gave. I think some of the teens would lie for him. If he’s the ringleader of this little gang by the shops, they might be a bit scared of him. Also, he still doesn’t have any alibi so he’s still in the picture.’

‘You’re right. Let’s get this interview done,’ Jacob said as he pushed the door to the interview room open.

‘Guv,’ Garth called as they were about to step in. He ran down the corridor with a printout in his hands, his old battered leather jacket flapping along with him.

Gina took one look at Spencer Grey and closed the door on him.

‘I’ve found some messages on Mindy’s phone that had been deleted. Spencer sent them to a phone Mindy had been using at five forty-five yesterday. He was out there, waiting for her. You need to see them.’

Twenty-Five

Brian

So far, Brian was underwhelmed. He had power, but power to do what? He’d gone down the dark path and through a gaping mouth and all he got was an interface that looked exactly the same. The woman who was sleeping, having her breasts photographed by a man in a morph mask. This time it was just a photo. Wait. There was a big red button to click with the word tavern written across it in black capitals. The robotic voice came through his speakers again. ‘Come on, Brian, open me smiler. Click to open.’

He clicked the button.

The sound of what he could only guess was something like an air raid siren blared out, filling his bedroom.

‘Brian, what’s that racket?’ Aunt Claudia knocked on his door.

He had no idea she was home. The last thing he needed was her walking in and giving him a lecture on internet safety. He turned the volume down and reduced his screen before opening the door. ‘Sorry.’

‘What on earth are you doing?’

‘It’s just a game. I’ve turned it off. I was just going to start looking for jobs.’

She sniffed. No, he hadn’t had a shower or even a wash for two days now and she could tell. OpenMeSmiler had swallowed up all his waking hours. ‘I hope you didn’t smell like that when you went to work today.’

‘I smell because of work. I’ll shower in a minute.’ Go away, he wanted to say to her but arousing her suspicion was something to avoid.

‘Do. I’m going to be working for the next couple of hours, then I’m going to pack. That training I told you about, I’ll be leaving tonight for a couple of days so I need to know I can depend on you and Tabitha to look after yourselves, and it starts with cleaning yourself up.’ She looked at him and smiled. ‘Love you loads, favourite nephew.’

‘Love you, too, Aunt Claudia.’

Something was different about his aunt. She’d been to have her hair and nails done, and she smelled of flowers. It was only now he wondered if she was meeting up with a man for a couple of days and work had been an excuse to get away. He listened as she hurried downstairs before heading back to his computer. He opened everything up again and turned the volume up only slightly this time. He looked at his earphones. No, if he put those on and his dipshit sister came back, he needed to hear her. A message in a speech bubble coming from the mouth of the armoured face popped up.

Answer questions to enter the tavern. Click okay to continue.

He clicked okay. Another speech bubble appeared.

Do you agree to preserve the secrets of the tavern for only yourself and share them with no other?

He swallowed nervously before clicking yes. This is something he’d never share with Curtis. He regretted even telling Curtis because he’d betrayed Cody.

To ensure you do, I have to show you something. Sit back, grab your popcorn and enjoy.

Popcorn flew out of an on-screen candy-striped box and the robotic voice replaced the speech bubbles.

Click play, when you’re ready.

He had no idea whether he was communicating with an AI or a real person. The clapperboard came down and a countdown flashed up. Three, two, one and… the video started. It was him on his bed, touching himself, looking all hot, sweaty and disgusting. He stared at his webcam, mouth open as his hands started to tremble. How? He grabbed some old Plasticine from inside his desk drawer and stuck it over the lens. He couldn’t breathe. He gasped and gasped before grabbing his bin and throwing his energy drink up in it. ‘I… I… don’t want to do this. Delete it now.’ He threw his phone at his keyboard. He stood, pacing, wondering if the crazy bastard at the other end could even hear him.

‘Chill… chill, Brian. It’s insurance. That’s all. All you have to do is not tell anyone else. Only special people get to enter and everyone in here has gone through what you have. It’s called trust and I don’t know you. Play by the rules and I’ll delete the video but trust takes time to build up. Click the button, Brian. Enter the tavern and your life will never be the same again.’

‘What if I don’t want to click?’

Demonic laughter came quietly through his speakers sending shivers across his neck. ‘Then, I’ll do it for you. You’re one of us, Brian. You took the path. The tavern button is nothing more than a bit of fun.’

‘Who are you?’

‘Your new best friend.’

Brian watched as the tavern button depressed without his input and once again, he was plunged through darkness on the screen. He’d come in through the thread under the woman’s photo, so this must all be to do with her. The screen was like his first-person point-of-view avatar, he was falling and falling into a deep well until he heard the gentle thud, thud, thud of music and the clinking of glasses followed by laughter coming from behind the black door with the tavern sign nailed to the front. He was being carried forward, no choice to go back and no option to quit.

As he floated through the door a spotlight came on a screen in the screen. Underneath were a succession of comments. Above the screen was an address and a name. Mindy Carson. He thought he’d just been watching, that no harm had come to anyone, but then he read the comments.

You should see her tits for real. She doesn’t close the curtains at the back of the house when she changes. You can see over her back fence.

I managed to get into her house, saw her lying in a bath with a towel over her eyes. In case you wondered, the back window is easy to jemmy. I got so close I could almost lick her face.

Get her. Come on, just do it already, cowboy.

She deserves it. She deserves all of it. I hate those f****** Stacy’s.

Sickened by what he was reading, Brian sat back, not knowing what to do next, outwardly panicking. He knew his eyes were red raw from fighting the tears and he knew he was pasty and that his room stank of vomit. He knew that incels were obsessed with Stacy’s. She was really sexy and they all hated that she probably wouldn’t look twice at them. Then the messages changed, the same one repeated over and over again by different users.

Let me in.

Each one of them, the same request.

Brian didn’t even have to click or ask to be let in, he was given no choice as the large fortress gates on the screen creaked open revealing a dungeon surrounded by ancient looking brick and barred up windows with no glass. The whole screen shifted like there was a glitch and for a second, he saw a more normal-looking room. It wasn’t a real castle, fortress or dungeon. The woman sitting in the middle of the room chained to a metal chair that had been screwed to the floor – she wasn’t real either. He looked again. She was real. It was Mindy. She coughed and opened one of her eyes, just a smidgen. She was real, alright. The ball gag prevented her from speaking and he was sure she’d been drugged. It was like she had no muscle at all, the way she was slumped. The screen went black and a message filled the screen.

Come back at 1am GMT for the big show.

He knew that meant Greenwich Mean Time. The armoured face appeared again and the speech bubble came up.

I expect you there Brian. Remember what we said about trust, I meant every word. Show me I can trust you because we know what will happen if my trust is breached.

He stared at the screen and Mindy’s eyes stared right back at him. Wide, stark, eyes full of fear, followed by a blood-curdling scream from behind the ball gag.

Twenty-Six

Gina

Gina read the messages that Spencer had sent to Mindy. Garth stood waiting for her to finish.

Mindy, I love you, please, you have to meet me. I know where you are because I’m outside. I have never loved Ursula like I love you. I’m leaving her.

I’m waiting. Why aren’t you coming out? I’ll come in there and both of our lives will be blown apart, yours more than mine. Don’t make me do it…

Gina read a couple of earlier messages. Mindy had broken up with him two days previously. ‘Is the recipient’s number registered to Mindy?’

Jacob shook his head. ‘She didn’t have a contract phone.’

Gina frowned. ‘Garth?’

‘Yes.’

‘Did you find anything at all, in maybe a hidden file on the crushed phone at the scene?’

‘I wish we had. It’s destroyed, reset and the SIM card had been removed. I was about to tell you all that. I have a few things to share but I’ll talk everyone through them after you’ve interviewed Spencer Grey.’

‘Okay, well we best head in and see what Mr Grey has to say for himself. Thank you for this.’

Garth nodded and headed back up the corridor. Gina pushed the door open and waited for Jacob to sit next to the recording device so they could get started. Spencer’s solicitor looked to be around thirty and her white hijab framed her face. The solicitor whispered a few words to Mr Grey before sitting back in her plastic chair. Jacob went through the motions again, introducing them all for the tape. It was now almost five that afternoon, nearly twenty-four hours since Mindy had vanished into thin air.

‘Mr Grey, where is Mindy Carson?’

He shrugged.

‘For the camera, Mr Grey shrugged,’ Jacob said.

Gina continued. ‘Tell me about your relationship with Mindy?’

The solicitor whispered to him behind her hand.

‘We had a relationship.’

‘Had?’

‘She broke it off the night before last.’ He rubbed his stubble and looked away. ‘You have my phone, you can see she contacted me.’

‘Tell me what happened, Mr Grey?’

His shoulders slumped as he and his solicitor whispered again for a few seconds. ‘We had something. I didn’t intend for anything to happen but she was always around our house.’

‘Our?’ Gina needed him to clarify.

‘My and Ursula’s house. She kept inviting Mindy round all the time because Mindy had run from a bad relationship and Ursula kept saying that Mindy needed help. Mindy needed to work more hours than Ursula could afford to pay her so we dipped into our savings. God, I hated bloody Mindy then, but something happened. I don’t know how, really. It was like it was meant to be when we kissed. Mindy felt awful because Ursula had helped her so much and I felt like a right rat because Ursula and me, we’ve been married for ten years now.’

‘So, you began an affair with Mindy?’

He nodded.

‘Can you speak for the tape?’

‘Sorry, yes.’

‘You sent Mindy a message yesterday at seventeen forty-five. “Mindy, I love you, please, you have to meet me. I know where you are because I’m outside. I have never loved Ursula like I love you.” Then there was another immediately after. “I’m waiting. Why aren’t you coming out? I’ll come in there and both of our lives will be blown apart, yours more than mine.” Did you harass Mindy when she came out of Chez Ursula’s before forcing her into your car and taking her?’

‘No.’

‘It’s not looking good for you, Mr Grey.’ Gina paused to let her statement sink in. ‘What does OpenMeSmiler mean to you?’ Spencer Grey would have had access to Mindy’s home. He’d have plenty of opportunity to set up the cameras and link them up to her Wi-Fi. Given the last message he sent to her, he was clearly obsessed.

The solicitor whispered to him and he shook his head. ‘I can deal with this myself,’ he shouted before turning away from her. The solicitor dropped her pen on the table. He pressed his lips together and stared at Gina and Jacob for a few seconds. ‘I could go no comment all the way but your questions are absurd so I’ll humour them. Open me friggin’ what?’

‘Smiler,’ Gina repeated.

He shrugged. ‘Don’t know what that means.’ He sniffed and scratched his nose before looking away.

‘You were outside Chez Ursula’s and Mindy left. What happened then?’

He shrugged. ‘I don’t know because I didn’t hang around. I knew sending that message was a huge mistake and I felt like a fool so I drove off.’

That was convenient, Gina wanted to say. ‘Did you see anyone else around?’

‘Only the kids that do Ursula’s head in. They were kicking a ball around.’

‘Where were you parked?’

‘By Mindy’s car so Ursula wouldn’t see me through the front window.’

‘What time did you leave?’

‘About a minute after I sent that message. As I said, I knew I was making a fool of myself. I took my sorry ass out of the way.’

‘Where did you go?’

‘Home, then I got a call from Ursula telling me what had happened and I panicked.’

Gina checked her notes. ‘You brought Mrs Grey to the station after that so she could make her statement but you failed to collect her. Where did you go then?’

‘I stayed at my mum’s house. She’s on holiday. I’ve been watering her plants. I needed to get away because I thought you’d see the messages I sent to Mindy and blame me, so I bought myself some breathing space in the hope that she’d turn up.’

‘Can anyone verify that you were at your mother’s house?’

He shook his head. ‘She lives in the countryside and has no neighbours.’

‘Does she have a doorbell camera or CCTV?’

He shook his head. ‘No.’

An empty house in the middle of nowhere was a perfect place to hold a kidnap victim but it was all sounding too easy. It was possible he’d taken her there first before moving her on to another location. Gina couldn’t dismiss that he may have left a clue behind or even Mindy. They had to check the land, outbuildings, sheds. ‘We’ll need the address and keys to the house.’ Mindy’s safety was her first priority and if Mindy was there, they were going to find her.

‘What? I can’t give you my mum’s keys, she’ll go mad if she knows the police have ransacked her house. You can’t go in there.’

‘Mr Grey, Mindy is missing and we have reason to believe she’s hurt and needs urgent medical attention. She hasn’t been seen since yesterday and you were the last person to contact her. If you don’t give us the keys, we are still going in.’ She knew they could in the name of saving life or limb.

He let out a slow breath and started whispering with his solicitor. ‘They’re with my things that you took when you lot arrested me.’ Beads of sweat formed at his brow. Could Spencer Grey have been stupid enough to lead them right to Mindy?

‘I’ll also need a list of the locations that you’ve been working at recently and your employer’s details so that we can verify what you say.’

He folded his arms and leaned back, staring up at her almost through his eyelashes. She wanted to look away but she wasn’t going to give Spencer Grey the satisfaction of making her do that. ‘Okay. The details are in my phone. I don’t have them on me right now.’ He wiped the sweat with the back of his arm.

‘And your mum’s details?’

‘They are there, too. Under Mum.’

‘How familiar are you with covert surveillance devices?’

‘I’m not. I’m in the business of scaffolding.’

Gina continued. ‘You can get these kind of devices anywhere and they’re very cheap and simple to use.’

‘If you say so, DI Harte.’ He rolled his eyes.

She was getting to him and him slipping up and telling them exactly where Mindy was would be the perfect outcome. It was time to push him over the edge. ‘I’m going to show you something.’ Gina paused. If Spencer didn’t make the video, it would be a shock to him and she had to bear that in mind, but right now he was at the top of the list as a suspect and it was evidence.

‘Okay.’ He unfolded his arms, not taking his eyes off Gina until she opened the laptop and clicked play.

‘I’m showing Mr Grey a video of him and Mindy Carson having sex.’

He broke eye contact with Gina and shot a glance towards his solicitor. ‘What? This can’t be real.’

The video ran, showing his eagle tattoo going back and forth as he and Mindy had sex, on the same flowery quilt cover that Gina had seen on the bed. Mindy’s birthmark was also clearly on display. She paused the recording. ‘That’s a very distinctive tattoo. Is that you, Mr Grey?’

He swallowed. ‘Yes.’

‘Did you covertly record yourself and Mindy, using her laptop or another device in her bedroom, before emailing it to Mindy yesterday evening while she was at Chez Ursula’s?’ He pressed his lips together. ‘Did you send it to get her to leave? Were you so angry that she broke up with you, you resorted to threatening her with this private recording?’ Gina pressed play again until the message came up at the end. She watched Spencer slowly read it. Gina read it aloud for the tape. ‘The message at the end reads, “Delete this message. Leave the salon now. If I see you touch your phone, I’ll send this to all your contacts. That birthmark is so unique.”’

‘But, why would I send it to everyone? I wouldn’t want Ursula or anyone to see that.’

‘You declared your love for her in the messages you sent just before you disappeared. You said you were leaving your wife for her. You were upset because she dumped you. Is that correct?’

He went to open his mouth and then closed it again.

‘Mr Grey. Where is Mindy? She’s bleeding and she needs medical treatment. It’s not too late to do the right thing. If you love her, you’ll tell us.’

He began to seethe, breathing in and out until the veins on his temples bulged. ‘I do love her.’ He slammed a fist on the table, making the laptop and their paper cups of water bounce. ‘Whoever did that violated me, too. Don’t you see?’ He paused. ‘I’m a victim. Whoever recorded her, recorded me, too, and you’re treating me like I’m a criminal.’ He folded his arms.

The solicitor butted in. ‘My client has had enough now. He has no more to say.’

‘But—’

‘Mr Grey, please let me do my job.’

The interview was over. Gina needed to grab Mr Grey’s keys and head over to his mother’s house.

Leaving Jacob to tie everything up, she left and hurried back to the incident room where Garth was sitting at the head of the table. ‘We’ve had a big breakthrough. We’ve found OpenMeSmiler.’

Twenty-Seven

Gina

‘What is it, Garth?’ Gina was intrigued to know what he’d discovered. She spotted PC Ahmed coming into the incident room. ‘Can you organise a small team to search a location in five minutes?’ Getting over to Spencer’s mother’s house was their priority and she wanted to be there. If Mindy was in that house, she was going to be there for her. A lump gathered in her throat as the blood on the windscreen intruded on her thoughts.

PC Ahmed turned to go back the way he came, already on the case. They had five minutes tops, so Garth had to convey his findings fast.

Wyre and O’Connor hurried into seats, chairs scraping around the table. Briggs entered and leaned against the dusty blinds that covered the window to another dark, gloomy evening. ‘Mindy’s face is out there now and we’ve had a lot of calls, but none that have led to any useful leads. We need a proper break in the case.’ He looked to the side and exhaled.

‘Great.’ Gina buttoned her overcoat up as Garth spoke. Jacob joined them, quietly sitting at the back of the room.

‘The team have managed to find OpenMeSmiler on the dark web. It was quite straightforward actually. By using DuckDuckGo through the Tor browser, you simply hit the Onionise toggle switch in the search box, and then you can find the dark web links. The problem is, we need to be allowed in so I’ve used a sock puppet – sorry – a fake me, that they will hopefully be able to trust. I already have this identity set up so there is some history there. It’s the one we use for monitoring and it has no heat on it whatsoever. Given the nature of the video that I analysed, I’ve also created a new AI image and I’ve started the process of creating an account with OpenMeSmiler. I used Proton Mail to hide my email address and provided encrypted emails, so by sending them that info, together with my fake persona, the perp should hopefully take the bait.’

Gina was lost but continued listening, knowing that Garth knew what he was on about.

‘Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, it’s practically impossible for us to find out who the operator is, and where they are, due to the very nature of what the dark web is.’

Gina sighed, knowing that Garth was a genius but even geniuses had their limits and couldn’t magic answers out of thin air at breakneck speed. It might take him weeks to get admitted onto OpenMeSmiler. ‘Is there anything else that might help us because Mindy is hurt and we need to find her now.’

He raised his brows and smiled. ‘Yep. I’ve been trawling social media and I’ve checked through a few manosphere groups, some of the very radical ones that we monitor – there are a few mentions of OpenMeSmiler. My fake profile is trusted in most of them.’ He smiled again and cleared his throat. ‘It appears that the groups users get poached and I’m certain that some grooming would come after but this would then be conducted through private chat. I’ve looked at the profiles inviting these men and each time a different identity is used. The profiles are AI created. I’ve tried to reverse image search for them, and all details are only used once and we can’t trace them. The only reference we have is the person pulling the strings talks with another man about being a football supporter so I believe our perp slipped up that time and is a local because only local teams are mentioned. A local would make sense – someone had to have taken Mindy. But then again, the perp might be pretending to like whichever football teams the targets like to gain their trust.’ He paused. ‘There is another thing to consider.’

‘That is?’ Gina’s attention went to the clock behind Garth. This was all interesting but she had one more minute and she and O’Connor needed to leave. It was as if O’Connor could sense what she was thinking as he did the zip on his coat up.

‘Doxxing. The perp could be anywhere and might not have been the one to take her. If her address has been leaked and she’s been targeted, it could have been any site user that took her.’

Gina almost gasped out loud. Mindy’s nosey neighbour mentioned seeing men peering over the fence and she also told them about the damaged back window. Was it some random person caught up in this whole dark web, misogyny rabbit hole, or was it her dumped lover who was the last person to contact her before she went missing? ‘You’re doing a great job, Garth. Stay with Wyre and Jacob and keep working through the tech and let me know straight away if you find anything else. O’Connor?’

‘Yep, I’m ready to go, guv.’

‘Great. I’m sorry to cut this short, everyone, but the team is ready. We have an address to check out and I’m hoping that we find Mindy. If we don’t and what you’re saying is true, Garth, she was targeted and the culprit could be anyone.’ Gina wanted to scream with frustration. If Mindy had been doxxed it might be impossible to narrow down their suspects. She feared it was game over and she didn’t want their kidnap case to turn into a murder case.

Twenty-Eight

Brian

Brian tapped his fingers on his desk as he waited for Cody to return his message. Tabitha had come home and gone straight to her room. She’d said hi as he came out of the shower but that was it.

Cody, are you there? I need to talk to you, now.

Cody hadn’t even opened his last message. It was as if he’d vanished into thin air. Blood pulsed through his veins, sending him slightly woozy. Cody had encouraged him to take the path. As a friend, Cody could’ve warned him that OpenMeSmiler videoed newbies to the tavern in their bedroom. He fought the urge to heave again as he ran through how he’d bring all that up with Cody. Did the same happen to him or was he some sort of big joke? Was the woman who had gone missing in that video? She couldn’t be.

This was serious and the police – they’d been to speak to him that day. Ugh, he had no idea what to do. He flinched as someone knocked on his door. He reduced his screen as Tabitha barged in. ‘Tabby. What do you want? And don’t just come into my room.’

She looked up at him under her fringe and shrugged. ‘Just seeing what you were up to. What you doing on there?’ She pointed at his screen.

‘Nothing.’

‘So why are you sitting in front of your computer?’

‘Tabby, you’re not my nagging wife.’

‘Sexist, much.’ She scrunched her nose up at him. ‘You didn’t report Abel, did you?’

‘What do you care? You’re not with him anymore and he’s a dick.’

‘I do care. Just tell me.’ Her eyes watered a little. She sniffed and looked away for a few seconds.

‘No, Tabby. Leave me alone and stop hanging out with losers.’

She sat next to him. ‘I miss you, Bri. We used to be close.’ She laid her head on his shoulder and he reciprocated. He’d been mean to her and he wanted to spend time with her and hug her but he needed her to leave so he could message Cody again. ‘Are you okay? You’ve been tapping your feet on the floor non-stop. I feel like I’m leaning on a road drill.’

‘Well don’t lean on me.’ He paused. ‘Sorry for saying you were like a nagging wife. I was a douche and it was sexist.’

‘Are you okay? It smells… I don’t know… ill?’

‘Yes.’ He’d had a shower. What was his sister, a sniffer dog?

‘Actually, it’s your room. It smells kind of sicky in here.’

Okay, he’d disposed of the vomit but his sister was on his case now. ‘Oh that. Don’t tell Aunt Claudia. I’m not ill. I had a few drinks in the night when you went to bed and woke up sick. I didn’t go to work.’ He couldn’t tell her that he’d been so disgusted on seeing himself on video that he’d instantly lost his stomach.

‘I got your back, bro. Just remember that when you think of spilling my secrets. I’d keep yours to the ends of the earth. But.’ She held a finger up for attention and smiled. ‘I’d go downstairs and nick one of those stinky reed diffusers and put it in your room, or Aunt Claudia will guess herself.’

‘Thanks, Tabby. I’ll get one in a minute.’

Tabitha smiled and left. He opened up his screen, needing to see a message. Still no Cody.

A minute later, Tabitha barged back in again with a reed diffuser. She hugged him after plonking it on his desk.

‘Thanks.’

Aunt Claudia made them both jump. ‘Right, I’m off. Did Brian tell you about my training?’

Tabitha looked at him. ‘No.’

‘I mentioned it this morning.’

‘Oh that.’ Tabitha smiled.

‘I have to go tonight for a couple of days. I’m about to learn how to sell the perfect smile.’ She raised her brows and showed her perfect white teeth.

Brian had zero interest in what Aunt Claudia did for a living, something to do with selling dental equipment but the word smile did get his attention. He looked at her. Had she looked through his computer while he was out? Smile – why say that exact word now? She never spoke about her work normally. He looked away and the hairs at the back of his neck prickled. Aunt Claudia was nothing like Mum and Dad who both had manual jobs, preferred crafting and were artsy. They could barely operate a tablet or phone but Aunt Claudia had built her own computer websites, and had maintained server rooms in the past. She was a wizard. Uneasiness crept up his arms, landing at the nape of his neck and sending him into a barely visible shiver. He couldn’t trust anyone at the moment because he had no idea who was behind the masked face on OpenMeSmiler.

Aunt Claudia beamed as she left his room. ‘Oh, Brian, don’t forget to collect my prescription when you get five? Bye, kids. Be good. Remember the neighbour is watching and I have the video doorbell so I’ll know who’s been coming and going. Also, no trouble, I’m always watching.’ With that she went.

Tabitha jumped up and down, clapping. ‘It’s just us, bro. House to ourselves. Pizza and chocolate for dinner?’

‘Cool. I’ll be down in a bit. Get the biggest pizza you can find out of the freezer.’

Tabitha left his room excitedly. There was no way he’d manage pizza or even chocolate with that video on his mind. He needed Cody to answer his messages.

Cody, I’m going out my mind, mate!!!!! Where are you???

Three dots came up and a message from Cody followed.

I can’t talk here again. I’ve been hacked. I have your number. Look out for my message. We have to meet. DO NOT TRUST ANYONE!

Twenty-Nine

Gina

Spencer Grey wasn’t making it up when he said his mother’s house was in the middle of nowhere. O’Connor had driven them down single-track winding roads for about a quarter of a mile and the police cars that followed had just pulled up. Gina’s eyes were struggling to adjust to the darkness of the countryside.

PC Ahmed exited the car behind them, holding his torch out. As he walked nearer to the tiny chocolate-box cottage, covered in ivy, the intruder lights flashed on.

Gina stepped out and they all hurried towards the front door. O’Connor got the key out of his pocket and passed it to her.

Despite trying, none of them at the station could contact Spencer’s mother but with life or limb at risk, they were going in. ‘Can one of you head around the back? If Spencer isn’t our only perp, I don’t want anyone escaping.’ She slotted the key in the lock and turned. The door creaked open with a slight nudge. On stepping into the tiled hallway, Gina turned the lights on. ‘Check the ground floor. O’Connor and I will go upstairs.’ The two PCs headed along the hallway as Gina and O’Connor ascended the narrow staircase. ‘Mindy, it’s the police. Call or make a noise if you can hear me.’

Shuffling came from upstairs but Gina couldn’t pinpoint it. She burst through the first door – nothing but an empty bathroom with a dripping bath tap. Her heart began to thrum as she burst through the second door which was a neatly decorated bedroom with a single bed in it. She flung the only wardrobe open and it was full of clothes, but there was no sign of Mindy.

‘That noise. Where’s it coming from?’ O’Connor frowned and headed towards what had to be the main bedroom.

They entered, following the shuffling. The room was empty. Damp on one of the walls made the emerald-green paintwork look more like a murky sea green. She looked up. ‘It’s coming from the loft.’

‘Downstairs is clear, guv,’ an officer shouted from the hallway.

‘We need to check the loft.’ Gina glanced around the room and spotted the loft pole behind the door. She grabbed it and headed back out onto the landing. One of the PCs ran up the stairs to assist while another waited on the stairs. She used the pole to open the hatch and get hold of the ladders. Once they’d swished down, she stepped onto the bottom rung. ‘Police, we’re coming up.’

The rustling and scratching got louder with each step. She heard something that sounded like a faint squeal. ‘Mindy?’ An earthy scent hit her nostrils. She sniffed again, detecting ammonia. ‘Mindy.’

As she reached the top step, the PC passed her a torch and she aimed it in the direction of the noise. She stumbled back as the bats came at her while trying to escape. She slipped down several metal rungs, heart pounding and quite upset that she’d disturbed the endangered bats. They’d clearly been coming and going through the damaged roof, the same side the damp had trickled down from.

‘You okay, guv?’ O’Connor asked as he helped her steady herself.

With a hand across her banging heart, she caught her breath. ‘Bats. It’s just bats. We should leave them be.’

PC Ahmed called up. ‘I’ve checked the two outbuildings. Both were unlocked and there’s nothing in them. There’s no sign that Mindy has been in either. On the way back, I spotted a vehicle of some description, large and white. It’s at the back end of the land.’

‘It could be the large white van we’ve been looking for. Maybe Abel’s information was truthful.’ Finally, a good break in the case. She hurried downstairs with O’Connor on her tail. ‘Let’s go and check it out.’

They jogged across the rubbly yard in the darkness with only the constables’ torches lighting the way. She caught sight of the white vehicle but couldn’t see the front or sides. It had been parked front first into an overgrown space. As they got closer, Gina pushed through the spiky branches until she could see the vehicle. ‘It’s a small motorhome.’ She tried to prise the door open but it was locked. ‘Mindy, I’m DI Harte from Cleevesford Police. Shout if you can hear me.’ She nudged forward, scratching her already torn coat on another clump of thorny branches until she reached the passenger door. It was unlocked. She glanced back to the others who could barely get through.

With trembling fingers, Gina stepped up and kneeled on the seat, her knees digging into the cushion. ‘Hello,’ she called as she reached back down, taking a torch from PC Ahmed. She fought with the curtain that divided the cab from the space behind it. Again, there was another curtain at the back, concealing what was beyond. ‘I’m going to climb over.’

Her limbs ached as she got into positions she didn’t know she was capable of, before landing like a lump on the other side. She used the cooker to pull herself up. All she could hear was her own pulse banging in her ears as she stumbled towards the back curtain, hunched over so not to scrape her head on the roof.

She gasped as she snatched the curtain open. Several items of women’s lacy underwear had been left on an unmade bed. There was a photo on the wall of Spencer and Mindy, laughing and eating hot dogs at what looked like the Birmingham German Christmas Market and the most alarming thing, reddish-brown stains all over the bed. Blood.

Thirty

Brian

As soon as his phone rang with an unknown number, he answered. ‘Cody?’

‘Bri. I didn’t expect to have our first chat like this but you need to do what I say and we don’t have much time, okay?’

Cody didn’t sound much like Brian thought he would. His voice was much lower. ‘Did they film you, too?’ He had to know if it wasn’t just him.

‘Just meet me and I’ll explain everything.’

‘But you live in Wales. I can’t come to Wales.’

‘I got the train earlier. I’m in Cleevesford. As soon as that weirdo threatened me, I knew I had to see you but I don’t know if they’re listening. Where can we meet? Somewhere quiet but not too quiet, if you know what I mean?’

Brian understood and he felt the same. Neither of them had met before. They were both running scared and struggling to trust. He could easily be trying to trick Cody and the same, Cody might not be who he says he is but Brian did trust him. They were friends. He needed to get his aunt’s prescription so maybe they could meet outside the late opening supermarket on Chamberlain Drive. He blurted out the name of the supermarket in the hope that no one had infiltrated his phone. He’d never used his phone to log in to OpenMeSmiler. ‘Can you get there?’

‘Just looking it up on Maps. I can be there in fifteen minutes. I don’t want to go inside. It’s too public and I’m not sure if I’m being followed. I’ll take a few extra turns to check.’

Too public, too private. Brian needed the Goldilocks of places to suggest. One that was just right and would keep them both safe. ‘There’s a dog walking park opposite. It’s near the skatepark. It should still be busyish at this time. Head down the path opposite the shop entrance. It’s lit up. There’s a bench to your left after you’ve walked the path.’

‘Okay, see you there.’

Brian grabbed his black hoodie and pulled it over his head, leaving the hood up. As he ran down the stairs, Tabitha called him from the kitchen. ‘I’ve put the pizza in. It’s pepperoni and I added extra cheese.’

‘Great. I’m just popping out. Won’t be long.’

‘But it’s nearly done.’

The smell of grilled cheese sent his stomach contracting in a bad way. That video had sent his appetite packing. ‘I’m going to get some chocolate and Aunt Claudia’s prescription. I won’t be long.’

‘Okay, can you grab me some salted caramel ice cream?’

‘Will do.’ Before she could delay him any longer, he opened the door and slammed it closed, running off into the night, ready to meet Cody under a cloak-and-dagger situation. If only he could turn back the clock and never have delved into the world of OpenMeSmiler. Whoever put that card in his pocket had reeled him in good and proper.

After a few twists and turns through the maze-like estate, past Chez Ursula’s and beyond, he finally arrived at the entrance to the dog park. In the distance he could hear the skaters rumbling up and down the slopes. It didn’t matter that it was cold, it was a prize hangout. He took a left and sat on the bench. Cody was nowhere to be seen. A boy came up behind him. ‘Cody?’ Brian stood. Should he try to shake his hand? He felt so hopeless when he met new people. The boy stared and carried on, taking his skateboard with him. Oh well, he did look a bit like Cody but it wasn’t him. He checked his phone. Cody was running late. His pulse quickened as he imagined his friend running through the streets with someone chasing him.

A couple passed by, giggling and holding hands, then a man with a dog lead jogged past, calling out for his dog. The man ran off up the path, his winter overcoat and football scarf flapping behind him as he went off chasing the runaway hound.

Brian checked his phone again. Cody hadn’t messaged or called and he was now really late. It had been over thirty minutes since they spoke on the phone. He glanced behind, to each side, then deep into the gaps of the trees. The dog walkers had gone and he was alone, in darkness.

The distant rolling of skateboard wheels seemed even further away now. He shivered as a gust of wind caught the surrounding trees. He tried to phone Cody again but all he got was a dead tone. What if they’d caught Cody? They knew he was coming to warn Brian about something and they’d got Cody first, and now they were coming for him. He stood and went to run but something stopped him. He turned slowly under a street lamp, trying to calm down and act normally just in case anyone was watching him. Maybe whoever was behind OpenMeSmiler knew where he’d planned to meet Cody. He stared into the trees again.

‘Hello,’ he said, but the wind carried his feeble voice away. A rustle here and a rustle there. It was like there were people hidden amongst the branches. Had his location been leaked? Was he a part of the game now? How could he have been so naïve? He went from perfectly still, breath held, to sprinting. They didn’t know where he lived. They’d never find him and he’d only told Cody his real name. Heart hammering like it was going to eject itself from his mouth, he headed straight into the supermarket, blending in with the many people coming and going. What was he doing? What day was it? Prescription and chocolate, or was it ice cream? He couldn’t let on to Tabby how bad things were. There was no point scaring or upsetting her so he had to keep it together.

After a few deep breaths, he headed towards the pharmacy at the back. ‘I’ve come to collect a prescription. It’s for Claudia Forster.’ He handed over his card to pay, having forgot to ask his aunt for the money. On tapping it, he stood, shoulders hunched and pulling his hoodie strings as he waited. He glanced up and down the aisles. People with trolleys and people with kids – all without a care in the world. A woman with a basket looking at hair dye. A man bending over to check out the allergy pills and paracetamol. Was it the same man he had seen in the park? The one who’d been calling his dog. Stop it. He was getting paranoid now. Brian checked his phone again and again, nothing. Not a message or a call. Cody had vanished and if Brian didn’t lie low, he’d vanish, too.

‘Can you confirm the address?’

He glanced up at the woman behind the pharmacy counter, holding the white paper bag containing Aunt Claudia’s medication.

‘Seventeen Bramble Avenue.’

She handed him the bag and he left the shop, not looking back. He took the long way, heading back on himself, taking random routes and checking to see if he was being followed but he couldn’t see or hear anyone. He darted to his front door, checking one last time to see if anyone was watching him, then he turned to the house to put the key in the lock, staring into the camera doorbell, wondering if he was on film right now just like all the other victims that he’d been watching. Damn, he’d forgotten the ice cream and chocolate.

He had to go back. As he power-walked through the roads, his phone beeped. It was a message. He stared, hoping that it was Cody and that Cody was okay. It was Aunt Claudia.

I got an alert on the doorbell cam. Bri, don’t stare into the camera like that again unless you need help. I mean, what was that? Sorry, do you or Tabby need help? Is everything okay?

He let out a long breath, feeling both disappointed that it was his aunt, but miffed that she’d watched him gawping into the camera. After the video, it was violating to feel like he had zero privacy. He didn’t need her on his case so he replied, saying all was okay. As he headed between two blocks of garages, he saw a white van parked at the end of the car park, engine running and just the faint outline of a person in the driver’s seat. He should’ve turned back and ran home. The driver turned the van and started backing it towards him. It was coming closer and closer. ‘Jerk,’ Brian said as he stepped out of the way. Someone stepped out and his heart started banging. It was time to run.

Thirty-One

Tabitha

Brian had lied to her. He’d been gone far too long and he’d looked shifty. She didn’t believe that he’d skipped work because he’d had a drink in the night and got sick. She’d been in his bedroom for five minutes now, staring at his computer screen. All she had to do was to nudge the mouse and see if he’d left anything open. A red blob caught her attention. She pressed it and sniffed her finger – Plasticine. It was covering his camera lens. She left it where it was, trying hard not to move anything she didn’t have to. She nudged the mouse and the screen lit up. ‘Whoops, it was an accident, Brian. I was looking for paperclips.’ She smiled, knowing that was her excuse if he caught her.

There were three reduced windows on the screen. She expanded the first and checked out the gaming site. The forum he was in looked cool. Everyone was chatting about a game she quite fancied playing herself. Even though it was a war game, not her first choice normally, she enjoyed a bit of ass kicking sometimes.

She clicked on the reduced second window and recoiled at the search that had brought up pages of websites and links. How can someone spy on you through your computer? Now she was getting somewhere. She knew why Brian had concealed his camera now. She hugged herself and frowned, not knowing what to do with that information. She couldn’t ask Brian about it. If he knew she’d been snooping, he’d freak. Yes, he’d never believe she came looking for stationery.

She enlarged the last window and gasped as she almost stumbled into the radiator. He was on that site again – OpenMeSmiler. There was a new video to click on. Brian promised that he was done with it. He swore, and he’d let her down, and now he was in some kind of trouble. She had to tell him that she’d snooped. He needed her help but she had no idea what to say.

She left her finger hovering over the play button, not wanting to see but not being able to resist. Her gaze fixed on a still of the video. It was the woman who’d gone missing. She pressed play and stared wide-eyed at the pre-recorded video with seven thousand likes.

The woman sitting in a chair. Someone in a morph mask taking photo after photo after cutting off each layer of her clothing, then he rested the huge knife on her chest before drawing with the tip on her skin from her front to her back, then the video ended.

‘What are you doing?’ Brian rugby tackled her onto his bed, then slammed the screen down.

‘Brian… what?’ She didn’t have the words.

‘I’m scared, Tabby. There was this van… I ran… I’ve stuffed up big time and they’re coming for me.’

Thirty-Two

Unknown

I smile because there’s nothing like a perfect smile, is there? I can’t help but let that smile turn into a laugh as I glance up at Seventeen Bramble Avenue, in the hope of catching a glimpse through the windows at the ball I’ve started rolling. The lights go off, one by one. Panic is setting in but they won’t do anything. Why? Because I have all the power. I create the game, I make the rules and the price of losing is hell. No one ever wants their compromising videos sent out into the world.

The woman next door turns her porch light on. I lean against a tree opposite, one of the many that don’t stand next to a street lamp. I hold my phone to my ear and start walking up and down as if talking on my phone. No one suspects a person who is always there, always in plain sight, and most of all, always wearing a smile. Only this time, I don’t have to smile. She takes no notice at all and leaves an empty milk bottle on the doorstep before going back in.

I’m average. I’m normal. I’m like you or your neighbour. I’m not extraordinary but I’m not a no one that shrinks into total insignificance. A woman passes and smiles. I enjoy smiling back.

‘All right,’ she says, not expecting an answer because she’s now about to turn a corner.

She’s hot. I wonder what she might look like on camera. After she’s passed, I slap my own hand. That is not the person I want to become. I have morals and standards that must be obeyed, if not, what does that make me? I. Am. Not. A. Monster.

Stop it, I tell myself. There’s a lot of work to do. These distractions are getting me nowhere. There’s a time and a place but it’s not now. Ugh, there’s blood under my fingernail. I take a tissue from my pocket and wipe it off.

The camera on my phone is rolling. Action. Let’s just get the door in and the number, all from afar. There’s a doorbell camera and I can’t be caught on it. No cameras around the back – I checked – just a long path between gardens and plenty of space to park the van close by.

Let the show begin.

Thirty-Three

Jill

Jill shivered and regretted leaving her gloves in her handbag. It was so lazy not going to get them but Buddy had been desperate to pee. One look at Buddy’s pretty collie face while he ran around the park with his tongue lolling out, enjoying being the only dog around, was priceless. Her heart swelled with love for her fur baby. Silence cut through the air. The skaters had mostly gone home. Phew, the rumbling of a skater going up and down the slopes started again. She hated being totally alone in the park.

The water that had started seeping through her summer trainers sent her toes numb. It was time to head back into the warm where she’d left the log burner crackling. ‘Buddy.’ The dog ran away from her, determined he wasn’t yet ready for a cosy sleep on the rug. She picked up Buddy’s favourite squeaky bone and threw it as far as she could. It was selfish to want to cut his walk short because she was cold and damp. The toy landed with a thud near the bushes. Buddy started sniffing and wagging his tail. It had to be a fox and the last thing she wanted was for him to start scrapping with the creature. Last time he did that, it cost her a fortune at the vets when he caught an eye infection, not to mention having to treat her whole house for fleas. She shivered again, not because of the cold but because of the ugly insects that had lived in her carpet and on Buddy after several treatments failed.

‘Buddy, get back here now.’ No, she wasn’t risking flea infestation again.

Buddy ignored her. So much for collies being super intelligent and doing exactly as they were told. She trudged through the grass, sighing with each squelch of her trainers.

His tail vanished into the bushes.

‘Buddy, why are you doing this to me?’

The hairs on the back of her neck prickled the closer she got to the bushes. She didn’t mind walking around the path and staying on the field but the bushes, seriously. What was up with that dog?

He barked and snarled. She had to get him and go home. ‘Mummy’s not happy with you, Buddy.’ She stopped, her feet telling her not to take another step. A mad axeman could be waiting for her to take one more step. Shut up, she told her melodramatic brain. There was no axeman.

Buddy was merely barking at a fox by a tree. His wagging tail flapped against a bush. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and turned the torch on. Her heart almost stopped as her gaze fell upon what looked like a drunk woman, clothes half hanging off. ‘Hi.’ Jill couldn’t leave her. It was too cold. Maybe she was hurt.

Buddy began licking the woman’s arm as she sat resting against the tree stump, her face covered by her straggly dark hair. ‘Hello,’ Jill said, hoping that the woman would wake up and move. ‘Is there anyone I can call for you?’

Jill took a few more steps and caught Buddy, putting him back on his lead and pulling him away. The last thing the poor, drunk woman needed was Buddy’s tongue all over her.

She reached across, giving the woman a nudge. Jill flinched as the woman dropped with a thud to the side, her hair swishing off her face in one soggy clump, exposing her features. Jill gasped as she saw the bright red lips, drawn on and twice the size of any lips she had ever seen, and they were upturned. Her breath, she couldn’t catch it. She wasn’t sure if she was going to be sick or faint. This was no drunk woman.

A dead woman was smiling at her.

Thirty-Four

Gina

More officers gathered around at the back of Spencer Grey’s mother’s land.

Keith in forensics trudged along the courtyard, stooping over from years of suffering with a bad back. He headed towards them with his bag in his hand. ‘Is this it?’

Gina nodded. ‘Yes, there’s blood on the bed and a photo of our missing woman with the suspect, and some women’s underwear. We need the motorhome towed out and taken to the compound when you’ve finished. Our officers have just finished securing the scene around.’

Two crime scene assistants walked towards them, both carrying parts of a portable lighting set up and both early enough in their careers to look excited about being there at such a late hour. Keith joined them, so Gina followed O’Connor back towards the car. ‘We best get back to the station to fill everyone in. Did you manage to message Wyre or Jacob?’

He nodded. ‘Yes, I told them what we found and forwarded the photos that you took. They’re updating the system as we speak.’

‘Great.’ Her phone rang as they were about to step into the car. ‘It’s DCI Briggs,’ she said to O’Connor across the roof as she answered.

‘Where are you at the moment?’ he asked.

She missed the warmth he used to greet her with. Now, everything was merely stone-cold professional. It was like they were never even friends. She wondered if he was even slightly jealous of her being with Brodie. If he was, he wasn’t giving anything away.

‘We’re heading back from Ms Grey’s house. Forensics have arrived and the scene has been secured. We’ve found blood in a motorhome and we’ve checked in with Wyre and Jacob. They have the photos and details.’

‘I’ve been preparing the press statements so I’ll head down to the incident room now to catch up with what’s happening there. In the meantime, I need you and O’Connor to head to Chamberlain Drive where a body has been found. The entrance to the park is opposite the supermarket. There is a path that leads to a skatepark and a dog walking field. Take a left as you go in and you’ll see.’

‘I know where you mean. You came with me when I took Gracie there last summer to watch the skateboarders.’ She paused. That was too much. Why did she say that? ‘Do we know if it’s Mindy?’

‘No, but we know that the victim is a young woman.’

‘Do we have a description as yet?’

‘No.’

‘Okay, we’re on our way.’

After filling O’Connor in, Gina sat back in the passenger seat as he navigated back along the windy road until they reached civilisation. She couldn’t get the video of Mindy out of her mind and now they had a body. With clenched fists, she fought the urge to hit O’Connor’s dashboard. How could they not have got to her on time? She swallowed her anger and sadness down. Now wasn’t the time to break. ‘We failed. It’s Mindy. I know it is.’

‘Guv, we’ve been working our socks off and it might not be her, and if it is, we haven’t failed.’ He stopped for a red light.

‘Even if it isn’t her, it’ll be someone’s mother, daughter, aunt, sister.’ Dealing with bodies never got easier, in fact, it got harder. With each incident her view of humanity diminished a little bit more. She’d almost lost her faith that there was anything good left about humanity. Or maybe there was a little goodness left. Brodie made her happy.

O’Connor took a few more turns through the streets until they reached Chamberlain Drive. She checked her watch. It was close to eleven. Her toes were stiff after being out in the cold. She tried to wriggle them in her boots to warm up.

Her personal phone beeped. She pulled it from her inside pocket as O’Connor found a space to park in. It was Brodie.

Xxx

She replied with a few kisses and a smiley but she didn’t really feel like smiling.

As they stepped out of the car into the freezing night air, Gina buttoned up what was left of her torn coat.

‘Forensics are here.’ O’Connor nodded towards the car park entrance and Bernard was just about to pull in, followed by another forensics van. Flashing blue lights lit the road up. Their victim was far from needing a paramedic.

She followed O’Connor along the path and took a left, past a park bench, towards where three PCs had set up some portable lighting and dragged the outer cordon around several trees and a lamp post. PC Benton led a woman with a collie down the path.

‘Guv,’ the PC said as she reached them, white mist coiling from her mouth with every breath. ‘This is Jill Adams. She was first at the scene.’

‘I live by the park, in the row of houses next to the supermarket. There’s only one row so you can’t miss it. Can I take my dog back, please? I need to get out of here, out of this park.’ She shivered and hugged herself with her free arm.

‘Of course. PC Benton will go back with you and take a statement. What number is it?’

‘Two.’

Gina swallowed and glanced in the direction of the cordon again. She didn’t want it to be Mindy but she didn’t want it to be anyone else either. Life sucked sometimes. There was no good outcome to this scenario.

As soon as PC Benton left with Jill, they carried on walking along the path, towards the sounds of the team chattering. Every step Gina took was like wading through sludge. It was the not knowing. Please don’t be Mindy. Bernard passed her with three of his assistants and several bags of equipment. She needed to get in for a quick look before he set up properly. ‘Tog up in full, DI Harte, and walk around the edges,’ Bernard said as he began unpacking.

As if she wouldn’t tog up properly and tread the evidence down. She didn’t want to contaminate the scene.

The entrance to the trees was thick with undergrowth, winding prickly branches reaching to snag anyone attempting to get through. She could only hope that thorns or a bramble bush had caught the killer, drawing a bit of blood. ‘How would a body be positioned here? It’s a busy park.’

O’Connor looked as confused as she did. People came and went all day with dogs and skateboards, whatever the weather. He walked towards the thick band of trees that surrounded the park’s perimeter and called her over. ‘I can just about see right through. There are gaps in the fence at the back. It’s old and rotten.’

Gina ran over to where Bernard had placed his boxes and bags down. ‘Bernard, we need someone at the other side. That’s how the body might have got there. Either the perp transported the victim through the park in something like a wheelchair, or they came around the back.’ She tried to recall the road that went past that bit of broken fence. It led to a dead end so the perp might have had opportunity. She waved a PC over. ‘Can you head down the back of this road and find out if there’s any CCTV and check how close it is to the supermarket?’

The PC scrunched his brow. ‘My cousin lives here so I’m in this area a lot. The entrance to the shop is the other side and you can’t drive directly from the shop to this road by car. There’s a wall that stops cars but people on foot can pass through. As a driver, you’d have to go all the way around the estate. There’s only an old house at the back of here and the rest, well it’s just trees and if you walk far enough, you come to a school.’ He scrunched his nose. ‘Some of the trees are quite mature, oaks and such, they cover a lot up and a local would know that.’

‘Thank you. It’s definitely worth a check with the supermarket just in case the perp parked there but from what you’re saying we might be clutching at straws.’ She doubted that the supermarket would turn anything up and she agreed with the PC. The perp was more than likely a local.

‘I’ll head there now, see what I can find out.’

Gina stepped onto the soggy grass towards the team, making straight for the officer with the scene log. She grabbed a forensics suit, boot and hair covers and a mask. For once, she was grateful of the additional layer.

‘Here you go, guv.’ The PC passed her a pen to sign the log with. He lifted the crime scene tape to let her through. Her hands were almost numb. Even the thin nitrile gloves were welcomed as she snapped them on.

On taking a couple of steps, she peered through, almost gasping out loud as she caught sight of the woman slumped next to the bark of a tree. Underneath the victim, a pool of blood had spread outwards, contaminating the dead leaves surrounding her. But it was her face that made Gina step backwards onto O’Connor’s toes. ‘Sorry, sorry.’

He frowned. ‘It’s okay. I’m okay.’

‘Let’s go back.’ She’d seen what she came to see and Bernard needed to properly set the scene up. As soon as she was back on the path, she removed the mask that was suffocating her. Warmth crept up her neck and she knew if anyone could see she’d be covered in a stress blotches. ‘It’s Mindy.’ She took a slow deep breath and exhaled. ‘Did you see her mouth?’

O’Connor nodded. ‘Smile. OpenMeSmiler.’

‘The name…’ She ran to Bernard who was wrestling with a pile of clunky stepping plates. ‘I need you to check inside her mouth.’ OpenMeSmiler was more than a name. Open. Me. Smiler. The murderer was telling them to open her mouth. The crudely painted on smile was X marking the spot.

Bernard togged up. On the outside, she stood still but inside, it was as if all her engines were firing at once. Her heart banged, her mouth dried and that damn itchy heat on her neck felt like she was being invaded by insects and she just wanted to claw at it. As he entered, her head kept saying, hurry up, but she waited, and waited for what seemed like forever.

O’Connor bobbed from one foot to the other as he tried to keep warm. He took a woollen hat from his pocket and pulled it over his head.

Bernard burst out of the bushes with a clear evidence bag. A CSI pressed a button on the freshly rigged up system and then there was light. Gina squinted as she stepped closer and waited for her eyes to adjust.

‘I can see that she’s been stabbed in the back. One stab wound and it looks deep,’ Bernard told her.

She turned to O’Connor. ‘The perp didn’t want to look her in the eyes as they murdered her.’ Stabbing someone in the heart through the back was a tough process. It would have to go through muscle and maybe ribs, too. She turned back to Bernard. ‘Is that what killed her?’

‘Looking at the blood loss, I’d say it’s probable but we’ll have to do the post-mortem to confirm.’ Bernard held a clear bag up. ‘We found this in her mouth.’

‘A photo?’ From the creases, Gina could see that it had been folded into four. ‘A close-up photo of Mindy with a ball gag in her mouth, her top cut open, showing her chest, and a reflection of a camera flash in her eyes.’ Humiliation and fear written all over her face. Had she known she was about to be killed?

Bernard turned the bag around. ‘There’s some writing on the back.’

Gina almost stumbled back as she read it.

Episode 2 coming soon. Lights… camera… action… Smile!

Thirty-Five

Tabitha

Wednesday, 21 January

‘Let me in.’ Tabitha pounded on her brother’s bedroom door. ‘I swear, if you don’t open up, I’m going to call Aunt Claudia. I’ve got my phone in my hand, I’m about to press her number. It’s ringing… oh, hi, Aunt Claudia.’

‘Stop.’ She heard him sliding his bedside table away then she almost fell in as he opened his door.

He snatched her phone out of her hands and put it in his pocket, before nudging her back onto the landing. She hadn’t called their aunt but the threat had worked. She poked her foot in the doorway. ‘I’m not moving until you let me in.’

His door creaked as he let it fall open.

‘I mean let me in.’ She pointed at his computer. ‘I need to know what’s happening in your head and that thing. Who’s after you? You’re scaring me. First you shut me out of your room. I don’t know if someone’s going to bash the door down and try to kill us.’ She paused. ‘I saw that video. You’re a liar, Brian Thurston, and I want the truth.’

‘I…’

‘No more lies. I will know if you’re lying.’

He sat on his bed, head in his hands.

The tears welling up in her eyes couldn’t be controlled. She didn’t want to control them. What she’d since found out sat in her stomach like lead. She took her phone back off him and opened up the online video that she’d downloaded from a skater’s TikTok account. She pressed play and forced it into Brian’s face as they listened to what the boy had to say.

‘Shit, they found a body in the bushes at the playing fields off Chamberlain Drive. I was just here minding my own business and then, bang, cops everywhere.’ The boy in a puffer jacket holding a skateboard raised his brows. ‘They’ve found a body, an actual dead person, a woman. RIP lady, whoever you might be.’ He banged his chest as a mark of respect but Tabitha thought it was anything but respectful given that he was using her death to get traction. ‘Like and subscribe for more skater tips, ventures and stories along the way. Skater babes, inbox me.’

The boy winked. ‘Ugh,’ she said.

‘Turn it off, Tabby.’

She put her phone down. ‘You were there this evening, right by the park. You took longer than I thought considering you just went to collect a prescription and some goodies. Then I see this video of a woman, and man holding a knife at her, on your computer.’

He widened his eyes and stared. ‘Are you seriously saying I could have killed her?’

‘Did you go to the park?’

He took too long to answer. ‘No.’

‘Liar.’

‘You’re the liar, Tabby. You keep your secrets from Aunt Claudia.’

‘Stop.’ She held a hand up, almost reaching his face and making him flinch. She might be younger, definitely weaker, but she wasn’t taking this from dumbass. It was an insult, him treating her like she was an airhead. ‘Turning this back on me makes you look more suspicious. You can see that, can’t you?’

He slumped his shoulders and nodded. ‘I went to the park.’

She sharply inhaled a breath. Putting the pressure on had made him tell her the truth. ‘I want to know everything, from the beginning.’ As he went through his story, her skin crawled. ‘You’re missing a big part out. Why won’t you just go to the police?’

‘They have a video of me, doing something, and…’

She looked at the camera on his screen and the Plasticine. She didn’t need an explanation and she didn’t want one. ‘Shit.’ She looked around and whispered her next sentence. ‘Can they hear us?’

‘I’ve cut the sound. I have to stay connected because if that video gets out…’

He paused, as if waiting for her to humiliate him with some wank jokes but instead, she hugged her brother. Like the photos that Abel had taken of her, he was a victim. He’d been violated and more than anything, she loved him. She wouldn’t be that person. He held her tight, allowing her to stroke his hair like he was a child she was comforting. They needed each other. It was dumbass and dipshit all the way and they would beat this together. She had to add one more thing and Brian wasn’t going to like it. ‘Bri, I think you’ve been played. I don’t think Cody is real. He groomed you, pretended to be your friend, guided you into all this so you’d let your guard down, I mean… he didn’t turn up at the park.’

‘No, you’re wrong. Cody is in trouble and I don’t know how to help him.’

She shook her head. ‘You need to help yourself. He set you up. He gets you to go to the park and a body turns up.’

‘He didn’t set me up.’

‘Sorry, you’re wrong. It’s as clear as day. You can’t even call him.’

Brian folded his arms and flumped back onto his bed, staring up at the solar system poster on his ceiling, his planet obsession that he had in his earlier teens well and truly gone.

‘There’s something else… What if?’ She scrunched her brows as her brain began to make possible connections.

‘What are you on about?’ he asked.

‘When you lied to me about the people on screen being AI, there was a man. He was going about his business, getting ready to go out. That video I just watched, there was a knife trailing on the woman’s body. And now a body has been found right where you were tonight. What if it’s her, the woman in the video?’

‘It’s not her. It could be anyone. I mean, maybe someone just had a heart attack?’

‘In the bushes?’

‘Yeah.’

She checked ‘What’s up Cleevesford’ on Facebook. She didn’t normally venture there but it might update them as to what was happening.

Murder, woman, body.

That’s all she needed to see. A woman who claimed that her best friend had found the body had posted. Nothing stayed a secret for long in Cleevesford. ‘It was murder.’ She showed Brian her phone.

He sat back up and began hyperventilating. She rubbed his back and he started shouting. ‘I don’t know what to do, Tab.’

She wanted to say go to the police, you’re a victim, but she understood how humiliating that video was for him because she’d never risk the photos of her getting out. She’d do all she could to protect Brian. But they were in danger. Brian was followed. The argument in her mind played thought tennis with her at breakneck speed. ‘Brian, did you tell anyone about the stash?’ Yes, she was thinking about herself during her brother’s crisis.

He shook his head.

Phew.

Brian’s phone beeped and they both fell silent. Even her inner dialogue went blank.

He held his phone up and saw it was a photo message on Snapchat.

‘You have to open it.’

‘I can’t.’

‘You have to.’

‘What if…? I don’t want you to look. It might have me in it. Turn round.’

She didn’t want to see so she turned away.

He gasped out loud and hit his bed.

‘What?’ He could at least tell her.

‘Look.’

She slowly turned and she gasped, too. It was a photo of Brian sitting at the park earlier that night.

I know where you were tonight and I know what you did. OpenMeSmiler awaits you.

‘I need to get that off my computer.’ He ran over and started trying to log out of the account. ‘I need to bury this thing and… burn it.’

‘They know who you are,’ Tabitha shouted.

As he tried to log out, someone took over remotely. A picture of Cody came up in the middle of the screen and melted before him, giving way to something more sinister behind it, a creepy armoured mask. A speech bubble popped up and words began to appear.

Clean off your camera lens. You are part of the game. You are the game, as am I. Remove whatever’s on your camera now or your video goes live.

He pulled the Plasticine off and Tabitha let out a shriek. ‘I’m here, dumbass.’ How could he expose her to a psychopath with no name, no address or identity? He could have given her time to get out of the room.

He held a hand over his mouth and muffled some words. ‘Sorry, I didn’t think.’

She kicked him under the desk, not letting their watcher see.

‘Turn the sound back on or I will do it for you? Actually, don’t.’

They watched as the mouse cursor took over. Now they were fully exposed to the evil that hid behind OpenMeSmiler. A robotic voice filled the room, one that Tabitha would never forget as she came over all cold. ‘You were there tonight. You killed that woman,’ she said.

The voice laughed. ‘I didn’t. Maybe it was your lovely brother.’

She stared at Brian and then back at the screen. ‘No, he wouldn’t.’

‘Now, now, that’s not how the police would see it if they got hold of the photo of him sitting on that bench, right in front of where the body sat. I can disappear just like that and no one will ever know about me, us, or OpenMeSmiler. I can instantly wipe all this and set you up. You are no match for me so don’t try to be. You can’t outrun me, you can’t outsmart me, you can’t hide from me.’

‘Why me?’

Tabitha hadn’t seen Brian’s eyes water up since their parents’ funeral.

‘Because you’re perfect for it.’ The robotic voice paused. ‘In five minutes, there will be another live stream. Watch or I end your life as you know it. I have all your contacts. I will ruin you. Click now on the new stream thumbnail.’

Brian navigated back to the home page and there was a still of the young man Tabitha had seen getting ready to go out.

The robotic voice took on a demonic tone. ‘Let the next show begin.’

Thirty-Six

Gina

No one spoke after Gina talked them all through what she’d found out last night. Before, everyone had been fired up looking for Mindy and now all they had was her body. The dark winter sky was barely getting light even though it was morning but they didn’t need light, they needed to find whoever had murdered Mindy.

DC Wyre started eating a plum but recoiled and threw it in the bin. Jacob sat at the back, arms folded, frowning and Kapoor kept biting her bottom lip. O’Connor sat at the main table with all their notes laid out, looking for links.

Gina cleared her throat. After a breakfast of two coffees in quick succession, her hands trembled a little as the caffeine coursed through her body. ‘We don’t have time to feel deflated. Episode two. Lights, camera, action – we are told it’s video. We need inroads to OpenMeSmiler, inroads we don’t have yet. More than that, episode two means that someone else is next. We have no idea who and we have no idea when. Actually, yes, we do.’ She wanted to pull at her hair in frustration but that would look mad so she bit her lip for a second and continued. ‘Soon. Someone out there is in imminent danger and we don’t know who or when.’

Jacob looked down at the scratches on the table. She felt how he looked, totally frustrated at not being able to intervene.

‘Right, we have to keep going so what do we have? We’ve identified Mindy as the victim from her social media photos and her birthmark. I’ve been informed that the post-mortem will take place later this afternoon. Could you and Wyre please attend and feed back to O’Connor and me?’ she asked Jacob.

He looked up from the table and nodded.

‘Is there any more information from Bernard’s team or Keith? They both started working the respective scenes last night. I do know that PC Benton interviewed the witness who found Mindy’s body, and she didn’t know anything else.’

‘I called Bernard,’ Jacob said. ‘He wanted to be here but said he’d only just left the scene not long ago. Obviously, he shared his preliminary findings but they won’t be backed up until after the post-mortem. We’re not likely to get the lab results back soon. We know how long those can take.’

‘I’ll take preliminary findings,’ she said.

‘The body hadn’t quite entered the rigor mortis stage on arrival. Lividity, the pooling of the blood showed that Mindy had been in that sitting position when she died. There was no blood leading up to the location of the victim from either the back of the fence or the park.’

‘It’s looking like she was stabbed in situ, and it can’t have been too long before.’

‘Given that it was so cold, anything up to about six hours but it’s more likely to be less, Bernard said.’ Jacob leaned back in his chair.

Gina stared at the board. ‘The perp could have walked her into position or again, transported her somehow. We have to consider that she might have already been drugged or injured but we also know that any toxicology results won’t come in for a long time so we need to do what we do best, detecting.’

‘We have Garth joining us at nine,’ Jacob said. ‘He’s been working all night, trying to find a way into OpenMeSmiler.’

A couple of them glanced at their watches. It was five to nine, so Garth could appear at any time. Briggs entered at the front, not catching Gina’s eye at all. Behind him, her attention fell to a printout of the photo found in Mindy’s mouth. It had been attached to the wall and another printout showed the message on the back in Times New Roman.

Briggs drank from his travel mug and set it down on the windowsill. He closed the blinds. ‘Press are out there. As always, don’t say anything. I’ll handle it with the press release at lunchtime. There’s already a lot of speculation online.’

Gina shuffled back in her chair, sick of being so closed in. ‘Has Mindy’s brother, Lonnie Carson been informed?’

Kapoor nodded. ‘Wyre and I visited last night. He’s understandably distraught.’

‘How did Abel’s alibis go?’ Gina asked.

Wyre sat forward and opened her notebook. ‘They all checked out but again, we can’t be sure that his friends are covering for him. What we need is more evidence if we’re to bring him in. His solicitor turned up and kicked up a stink. As we can’t link him to Mindy’s kidnap, we’ve charged him with possession of class A drugs. He’s recovering in hospital so once he’s discharged, he’ll be up at the magistrates’ court. We also searched his place and found nothing that links him to Mindy.’

‘He lied about alibis Brian Thurston and Curtis Dunton, who we spoke to,’ Gina replied. ‘I don’t trust any of his alibis and I can’t rule him out from being a part of all this. Which part, I don’t know yet.’

‘Ah,’ Wyre continued. ‘I asked him about Brian and Curtis. He said he got mixed up. He saw Curtis much earlier that day and he just assumed Brian was with him as they’re always hanging around together. Abel claimed he was still a bit out of it so he didn’t really know. I’m not convinced all that is true but it’s all I got from him.’

‘We still have Curtis’s dad, Jackson Dunton, who is Mindy’s landlord. Anything new to add when it comes to him?’

A hum of noes bounced around the room. Gina looked at the suspect list and one stood out. ‘Spencer Grey. Is he still in custody?’

Jacob put his pen on the table. ‘Yes. We tried to question him about the blood, the underwear and the photo of him and Mindy in the motorhome, but he went no comment all the way.’

‘He was in custody when the victim was murdered which means he couldn’t have killed Mindy.’ Gina glanced at all the names on the board, wondering how the hell she was going to find the answers amongst all the information they had. Spencer, Carmen, Abel, Jackson – all top-tier suspects, or were they? Carmen had an alibi for when Mindy disappeared. She didn’t trust Abel.

Gina needed to think harder. Could Mindy have had issues with her brother? She knew she was clutching at straws on that one. ‘We can’t rule out that Spencer or Carmen have been working with someone else but again, that’s a long shot given Spencer’s motive. But could he have been the one to dox her as the relationship hadn’t been going well? I know nothing was found on his phone that suggests he did but he wouldn’t be the first person to be able to hide his online life.’

Garth burst in through the door, open laptop in hand, his battered leather jacket swamping him, and he plonked the gadget at the head of the table.

‘How are digitals going?’

‘Well, OpenMeSmiler isn’t easy to get into but I have an inroad.’

‘I’ll take the inroad, especially as we’re certain our perp or perps are going to strike again imminently.’ All attention was on Garth and Gina couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say. All she could think of was Mindy and the pain and fear she must have gone through in her final moments. They weren’t going to fail Mindy by letting her murderer get away with it. She wanted OpenMeSmiler in custody and fast, before episode two.

‘The inroad is that I’m in, but don’t get too excited. I’m being questioned over and over again. How do I know about OpenMeSmiler? Who introduced me?’

‘And?’

‘I found a mention of OpenMeSmiler in a men’s health online forum, one that got quite heated and angry, full of men who’d been wronged, mostly by partners but not always. There was talk of never getting karma, never seeing the bad people suffer, and one of the users mentioned OpenMeSmiler. I mentioned one of the names on there and that seemed to make whoever is behind OpenMeSmiler sit back and relax a little. I explained that I searched the web but couldn’t find them so I went onto the dark web and there they were. I gave them a story that I was sick of my wife cheating on me with our mechanic – classic – and I mentioned that I’d been recording her when she’s in her car and that I set up a camera at his workshop. They like recordings.’

‘Did they let you in?’

‘No. I’m pending but I had to click a secrecy agreement, which I did. On coming out of the site I noticed I was being tracked and I suspected that might happen.’

‘What?’ Garth forgot that they weren’t all on his wavelength.

‘They’ve infiltrated the laptop. They tried to gain access to the camera and speaker but I managed to block them. I look nothing like my fake profile.’

Gina stared at the laptop in front of him. ‘Is it turned off?’

‘No, but it’s not this laptop. This one just has my notes on it. The laptop in question is in a closed room but don’t worry, no one is listening or recording but I’m sure I won’t be trusted until they actually see me.’

‘Is there anything you can find out without going in?’

‘No, OpenMeSmiler is impossible to trace.’

‘What about the fake profile, the one you referenced to get onto OpenMeSmiler?’

‘The person behind that has used a VPN and their profile has been made to look like it belongs to someone in Venezuela. That forum is more like a social media site but a little more private and not even nearly as sophisticated in the way it works. The photos on the profile are mostly ripped from the internet, family, food pics and gym pics etcetera, and it’s a fairly new account but there is a breakthrough and it’s going to knock your socks off. It’s almost as meaty as if I’d got into OpenMeSmiler.’

Gina stared wide-eyed. ‘Hit us with it.’

‘I have a location of where two of the fake profile holder’s photos were taken and it was only last week, the meta data is embedded in the images. It looks like our suspect didn’t keep their guard up all the time and it is the earlier uploads that have given them away. Maybe they got slack, who knows?’

‘Where are the locations?’

‘Chez Ursula’s. The photo is of a trodden over slice of pizza on the pavement and it’s dated Friday the sixteenth of January at nineteen fifteen.’

‘And the other one?’

‘Mindy’s address. It’s a photo of a bit of fence in the dark, dated Wednesday the fourteenth of January at twenty-two fifty-nine.’

‘The two places where Mindy would hang out the most,’ Gina said. ‘This isn’t all about Mindy. We have to think bigger. We need to talk to Ursula again.’ Gina swallowed. ‘We can’t rule her out.’ Gina stared at the board. ‘The timing of the fence photo fits in with the neighbour seeing two men outside Mindy’s house, by the fence. It has to be one of those men. The pizza photo was on the same evening that Mindy called her brother because she was scared. It was a lot earlier but such a coincidence. Ursula works quite late. We need to speak to her.’

PC Ahmed stepped in from the back. ‘We’ve had a report of a missing man. He was going out to his car and no one has seen him since. His mother called.’

Gina shivered, knowing they’d have to delay seeing Ursula. Without confirmation, she knew that OpenMeSmiler had done as promised in that message and struck again. That man was going to end up stabbed in the back and left in some bushes unless they found him fast.

Thirty-Seven

Gina

‘It’s the upstairs maisonette.’ O’Connor stood, looking up at the end of the path that led to the Fullers’ residence. Gina glanced past the pebble-dashed exterior and up the concrete stairs that they’d need to take. She followed O’Connor, taking each ice carpeted step slowly. Her palms were sweating at the thought of discussing another missing person with another relative, especially as their last one had been murdered. They had a name and an age, that was it – no fleshed-out version of who Dustin, aged twenty-seven, was. On reaching the top of the steps, Gina slipped on a transparent icy patch, only saving herself by grabbing the metal railing.

‘That was close, guv.’

‘Wasn’t it? Ending up flat on my back wouldn’t have been the best start to the day.’ She stepped beside him and rang the doorbell. It chimed once, loudly. An exhaust popped in the distance and closer by, a dog barked, then a key turned in the lock.

‘Thank goodness, come in. Have you found him? You are police, aren’t you?’

Most people asked to see their identification first but the woman with the red hair piled on her head, almost dragged them through the door.

Gina held her identification up. ‘I’m DI Harte and this is DC O’Connor. I’m so sorry, we don’t have anything for you yet but we’d like to speak to you, if that’s okay?’

The woman turned at the living room door and nodded rapidly, her welcoming smile soon vanishing. ‘Yes, follow me,’ she said. ‘Sit, please… anywhere.’

O’Connor sat against the wall on the chunky footstool and Gina perched on the edge of the cushion-filled chair aside the three-seater settee.

‘Coffee, water?’

‘I’m fine, thank you,’ Gina replied. O’Connor shook his head. He removed his woollen hat and placed it on his knee before pulling his notebook out.

‘I, err…’ She picked something up from the coffee table as she sat. ‘This is a photo of Dustin, only taken three weeks ago. We had a mother son photo shoot. He got it me for my birthday and… it’s not like Dustin, you know. He’s a proper homebody, a loving son and he never stays out without telling me, even though he’s in his twenties. It’s out of character for him, so please don’t tell me that he’s just with a friend or he got drunk. He doesn’t even drink.’

‘Ms Fuller, we want to help you find Dustin so if you could tell us when you last saw him, that would be a good place to start.’ Gina glanced over at the photo and Ms Fuller passed it to her. ‘You can keep that. You’ll need it to look for him.’

‘Thank you.’

‘Last night…’ She scrunched her nose up in thought. ‘It was about nine, he said he was popping out to the car to get something. I don’t know what. Maybe he left his coat there or a bag. I was reading so I barely registered him coming out of his room to go out. I only thought something was odd a couple of hours later when it hit me that he hadn’t come back in. Even then, I didn’t worry, I thought maybe he’d got talking to one of our neighbours and ended up in their house for a game of cards. At about one in the morning, I started to worry so I called him but my call wouldn’t go through. I thought his charge had run out, it often does. A bit later, I nodded off and before I knew it, it was morning and his bed hasn’t been slept in and I still can’t get hold of him. I popped over to the neighbours and they haven’t seen him either. He wasn’t at theirs last night and his car is still parked on the road.’

‘How did Dustin seem when he left?’

She pressed her lips together and began twiddling her fingers. ‘Quiet. He’s been unusually quiet lately and I’ve been worried, but he doesn’t like to talk. He just says, “Mum, back off,” so I do because I don’t want to push him away.’

‘Is he in a relationship?’

‘No, he hasn’t been on a date for a couple of years. He was with a girl but she broke up with him and moved to Canada.’

‘Does he work or study?’

‘He’s doing a home study degree in economics.’

‘Where does he like to go out?’

‘He goes to the Angel Arms in Cleevesford when they have a karaoke night but that’s not often these days. My boy isn’t a huge social butterfly. I blame his dad for that.’ She scrunched her nose. ‘A bit of a disciplinarian, he was.’

‘Ms Fuller, can you think of anywhere he might go or anyone he might be with?’

‘I can’t. Like I said, he’s an introvert. He spends most of his life on his computer, chatting to people who probably aren’t even real. I’ve spoken to him about it… do you think he’s been groomed by someone on the internet? I hear so many horror stories and I get scam emails all the time when I’m online. Someone always loves me.’ She rolls her eyes. ‘I know how convincing these people can seem.’

A lump formed in Gina’s throat. Ms Fuller seemed very protective, almost overly protective of her twenty-seven-year-old son. Gina wondered if Dustin’s dad was more than a disciplinarian and the mother and son had a close protective relationship because of that. She realised that Ms Fuller couldn’t have done anymore for Dustin. She could only imagine what it would be like if Hannah went missing and despite their awful relationship, it would break her heart. ‘They can and I agree, it’s scary. There are a lot of scammers and fake people online. Can you tell me what he was wearing when he left?’

‘Er, just a white T-shirt with his favourite crocheted black jumper over the top. He loved how you could see the white through the black so he wore it a lot but I hate it – it’s full of holes where it keeps catching on things. As I said, he was only going to his car. He didn’t even have a coat on. He put his trainers on. They’re quite chunky with black soles, white on the top. He was wearing his black skinny jeans. He’s very thin on the legs. I keep telling him he needs to eat more but he does work out on the weights in his bedroom, so he’s bulkier around the shoulders. He always wears this earring, like a long silver bar with spikes on both ends – it goes in his left ear. He was wearing that last night.’

Gina took another look at the photo. The pale young man, with jet-black hair all brushed across one side of his face, looked a lot younger than his age. She would have guessed at around twenty if she didn’t know. A couple of acne spots on his chin looked like they’d been covered up with make-up. ‘May we take a look at his room?’

‘Yes, if it’ll help. Are you sure I can’t get you both a drink? Thank you again for coming here so fast.’

Gina nodded.

Ms Fuller stood and led Gina and O’Connor through the dark hallway, past the bathroom towards the bedroom near the front door. She opened it and stood back. ‘I’m sorry about the mess. He doesn’t put his clothes away.’

‘Please don’t be sorry.’ Gina stepped onto the grey carpet. The double bed took up most of the room. The quilt spilled over the side furthest away, revealing a crumpled under sheet. Gina inhaled the musty scent that sat somewhere between dirty sock and perspiring armpit. Several free weights had been neatly laid out under the window. She glanced out at the path, taking in another row of maisonettes and terraced houses. Anyone passing could have easily watched Dustin from there. ‘Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary lately?’

‘What do you mean?’

She didn’t want to put words into Ms Fuller’s mouth. ‘Anything at all. However small or big. It’s okay if you haven’t. It’s just a routine question.’

‘Actually, yes.’

Gina turned to face the woman.

‘There have been some weird people hanging around at night. I’m sure one of them took a photo of our window but Dustin told me I was being silly, that it was probably a selfie from above the face, so I dropped it.’

‘Did you see this person?’ Gina walked over to the full-length wardrobe door mirrors.

‘No, it was dark. It looked like a man if I’m to go by his shape. Broad shoulders. Then I saw a flash.’

Gina flinched on the word flash. The photo pulled from Mindy’s mouth had a flash reflected in her eyes. Could it be that Mindy’s murder and Dustin’s disappearance were related? The fact that men had been hanging around outside was also too much of a coincidence.

Gina scanned the room through the mirror and her gaze fell upon the closed laptop on the chest of drawers, straight opposite Dustin’s bed. She turned, taking in the proper view not the reflection and she walked over to the drawers. ‘May we take his laptop?’

‘Please do. Just find him. I want…’ She looked up for a few seconds to compose herself. ‘I just want him home.’

‘Does he have a password?’

‘He uses the same one for everything. Axel 4*3*2*1. It’s my mum’s dog’s name. He loves that dog.’

Again, another connection. The men loitering around, the person outside with the camera, and now a pet. Mindy had a rabbit. ‘Did he go anywhere earlier that day?’

‘Yes. He took Axel to have his monthly bath at Chez Ursula’s. He doesn’t like taking the dog. There’s this boy, a bully, who always shouts horrible things at him. I know he pushed Dustin over once but Dustin didn’t say anything because that gang who hang around are likely to pull a knife out, I’m sure.’

‘Do you know who pushed him?’

She shrugged. ‘He said it was the one who always wears that smiling, smoking face top.’

Abel had come up again. He was lingering in their case like a bad smell. Gina felt a crawling sensation throughout her body as she joined the dots. It was all too much of a coincidence. The dog, Abel, and the photos that Garth had traced that had been taken by the salon. They were close but were they close enough to get to OpenMeSmiler on time?

Episode two was in progress and she knew that Dustin was the star.

Thirty-Eight

Brian

‘Watch it again, Brian, then you will take a walk down the dark path once more. The young man is waiting.’

His knuckles itched to smash his computer to smithereens. The man in the video was next and he didn’t want to see him suffer. When all this was over, he was quitting all things tech and going off-grid forever. He’d live in a forest if he had to. Tabitha lay snoring on his bed. How she’d managed to sleep was anyone’s guess, but at least he’d moved his bed so the perve behind the mask couldn’t watch his little sister. He shook with frustration. If only he’d not pulled the Plasticine off the camera with her in the room, but he hadn’t thought that one through, and now the sicko behind OpenMeSmiler knew what she looked like. She made him jump as she snorted.

‘Aww,’ he yelled. ‘Sleeping Beauty snorts like a little piggy.’

‘Shut up.’ His yell left Tabitha stirring and stretching.

‘What time is it?’ she asked.

‘Eleven.’

‘I’m missing school,’ she said in a whisper.

He shrugged, played it cool, knowing that they weren’t alone. He wrote, remember they can hear us, on a piece of paper and nudged it off the desk towards her. She leaned over the bed and picked it up then she grabbed the throw from his bed, pulled it over her head and walked out of his room.

‘I thought we were all having so much fun…’ the voice said. ‘Watch it again, Brian. Go on, click. You know you want to.’

He shook his head and looked away.

‘So now you don’t want to. The other day you were having a ball watching all these saddos going on with their very boring lives. Okay, they’re not always boring, sometimes they shag or…’ The figure laughed.

Brian knew exactly why and he needed the video of him to be destroyed forever but he didn’t know what to do. Was he next? He closed his eyes. The images of the poor boy they’d been watching filled his head. Then there was the video. The way he was chained to a chair, just like the woman had been. He couldn’t see the boy’s face very well in the dark shadows but he was sure it was the same boy he’d been watching on the live stream, the one who always wore the bar through one of his ears. His heartbeat quickened. The game. What was the game? Was it to torture Brian with sick images and the threat of exposure, or was it much more? Was Brian going to end up in a chair with a ball gag in his mouth, and what happened after? He still had to believe it was all staged and no one was actually getting hurt.

Tabitha waved her arms from the landing and spoke on the phone. He could just about hear her loud whispers. ‘I’m sick so I didn’t go in. I didn’t know who to call… no… it’s probably the pizza that Brian cooked last night… no, you don’t need to come home. I’m starting to feel better… okay… okay…’ She ended the call. ‘The school phoned Aunt Claudia but it’s okay, she’s calling them to say I’m sick.’ She began scrolling through her phone before pausing and slowly opening her mouth. She beckoned him over.

‘I, err, I need to piss.’

‘You leave that chair now and I’ll press the button and your life is over. You will take the dark path now.’

He scribbled, what is it? on a sheet of paper and discreetly threw it in Tabitha’s direction.

She crawled into his room, avoiding the camera on his computer and then stood against the wall, holding her phone up. He scrunched his brows as he struggled to see her screen.

‘Come, Brian. You’ll regret making me wait.’ The speakers crackled and went off, at least it sounded like they’d gone off but he didn’t trust the person behind OpenMeSmiler. It could be a test.

He looked away, leaving Tabitha waiting as he went through the motions of following the dark path and taking the room to the tavern. With trembling hands, he waited for the fake chatter to die down and the door at the far end to open. He didn’t need to click or guide it, his virtual captor did that for him. It was a live stream and the boy was squirming and trying to break out of the chair, none of his words decipherable as he recoiled from the tormentor in the morph mask. The captor removed his hoodie and dropped it to the floor, revealing a crisp white vest and not once letting go of the knife he used the weapon to slice through the holey black jumper that the boy wore and once removed, he took out a professional camera and began taking photos. ‘Smile,’ he said, the voice still robotic. ‘Let me see those teeth.’

The boy screamed from behind the gag, his face contorted as he shifted from side to side in the heavy wooden chair he was chained to – all to no avail. Brian gasped. Tabitha had moved her phone screen to just above his monitor. He glanced at what she was showing him.

The body the police found was that of the woman, Mindy, who they’d been watching. He had no doubt that the boy on the screen was the next to die.

Thirty-Nine

Gina

Several people queued up at the Ferndale pizza shop, all wearing uniforms of a local soft drink factory. She observed, looking for the youths that hung around, but they were keeping away. Had all of them been there when Abel had picked on Dustin?

Gina’s mouth watered as she caught a whiff of cheese but she wasn’t sure if she could stomach food, not after seeing Mindy’s body and knowing that Dustin was out there somewhere with the psychopath they only knew as OpenMeSmiler. She checked her phone. Nothing yet, but then again, uniform had only just started conducting the door to doors on the road the Fullers’ lived on. Someone had to have seen what happened to Dustin.

‘With any luck, Garth will get round to looking at Dustin Fuller’s laptop soon.’ O’Connor snatched his notebook off the back seat, slammed the car door and headed towards her.

‘I hope so.’ She stared at Ursula’s shop. A couple of people stood around looking at their phones and watches, one with a dog and another with a long-haired cat in a basket. The shop was in darkness and a smear of tomato sauce running all the way down the glass led to a slice of pizza sitting on the window ledge.

‘I can’t believe she didn’t call to cancel if she wasn’t going to be here,’ the woman with the cat said.

‘I know, not coming here again. I took the morning off work to get Princess groomed because apparently this was the only time she had,’ the man with the dog replied as he checked his phone. He held it up to the woman who gasped.

The man they’d interviewed was standing outside the shop next door, hammering something to the frontage. Gina walked over to him. ‘Mr Hammond.’

He turned around and scrunched his brows. ‘Ah, you’re the detectives from the other night, when Mindy went missing.’

‘That’s right,’ she replied. She caught a look at the sign. Ed the Barber – grand opening on the 1st Feb. Half price for one day only so book now.

‘Has Ursula been in today?’

He shook his head. ‘I’ve only just got here myself. I know she wasn’t so good last night because I called her to see if she was okay.’

‘And?’

‘She’s obviously not okay and I’m really worried about her. She’d had a fair bit to drink. I was going to pop over later to see if she needed anything.’

‘So, she’s at home?’

He shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Probably. As far as I know.’

‘Thank you.’ Gina turned back towards the car and O’Connor followed. ‘Let’s head to her house.’ Gina’s phone beeped. It was Briggs sending an update to all of them.

An appeal for witnesses at the park last night went out to the press earlier so be prepared for an influx of calls. Mindy Carson’s name has been released. A further press release is scheduled for sixteen hundred this afternoon where I intend to go public with Dustin Fuller’s disappearance. Given what you told us, we don’t have much time.

‘Mindy’s name is out there,’ Gina said as she got into the car. She watched as Mr Hammond stared at his phone open-mouthed, trembling as he leaned against the wall. Very soon, everyone would know that Mindy had been murdered.

‘That might be why Ursula isn’t at the salon.’ O’Connor paused. ‘Just thinking over what you said. Are we looking into her as a suspect?’

Gina waited until he reversed out of the space and continued speaking. ‘We can’t afford not to. Given where and when the photos were uploaded, I can’t rule out her involvement. If Mindy was the only victim, I’d be less convinced but given that we now have another victim, Dustin Fuller – the only connection I can see is Chez Ursula’s. They would have all met through the salon and the only link we have is the salon. Spencer – we can’t fully rule him out as being involved somehow.’ She placed her hand above her head and brought it back down into her lap. ‘I think it would be remiss of us to not ask Ursula where she was last night at the time of Dustin’s disappearance.’

‘You think Spencer and Ursula could be in this together?’

‘I just don’t know.’ She shrugged. ‘We’ll keep following the evidence for now but I can’t rule anything out. Maybe there’s some sort of kinky game play going on between them. He seduces Mindy and they ruin her life but things go wrong and she ends up dead.’ She shook her head. ‘It’s more calculated than that, so much more. OpenMeSmiler is a huge undertaking and I still feel like all we have at the moment is the tip of the iceberg. We need Garth to crack the site and get in there.’ She let out a long breath as O’Connor took an exit onto the Lawns, a typical new-build estate, so new half of it was still being built. ‘I forgot to ask about Spencer’s locations of work. We need to still check any remote locations that have come up in the investigation. I’ll quickly message Jacob, see if he can send that through to us. Unless we get something more concrete, we’ll be letting him walk soon.’ She typed out a message and hit send.

After hopping the car over three speed bumps, O’Connor pulled up next to Ursula and Spencer’s house. All the curtains were drawn and Ursula’s car was parked up on their drive. Gina banged on the door and her dog yapped.

‘Dooby, stop with the noise.’ Ursula opened the door. ‘DI Harte.’

The woman’s hair fell messily over her shoulders and her thin, silk, dressing gown had been tightly tied around her middle.

‘Morning.’ Gina knew they’d need to deliver the news first. ‘May we come in?’

‘Yes, come through.’ She opened the door and they stepped into the carpeted hallway before being taken into the square lounge with three sofas around a coffee table. Ursula opened the full-length sage-green curtains, casting a dull light on the huge but cosy lounge.

‘Have you seen the news?’

Ursula shook her head and sat. Gina sat next to O’Connor on a settee that was so soft, it felt like it was trying to swallow her up. ‘A body was found last night and I’m really sorry to tell you that it was Mindy’s.’

Ursula stared and then frowned. ‘No, it can’t be.’

‘I’m so sorry. Do you need us to call someone to be with you?’ Gina pressed her lips together, taking in Ursula’s reaction.

Ursula ignored her question and began playing with her hands in her lap. Dooby jumped up and licked her chin. She placed her arms around him and drew him close. Two wine bottles and a wine glass lay next to the settee that Ursula was sitting on.

‘Ursula?’

‘Er, no. I’m okay. Well, I’m not okay but I’d rather be alone.’ She wiped her dampening eyes. ‘What’s happening with Spencer?’

‘He’s still in custody at the minute. I don’t have any news for you, yet.’ She hadn’t shared what she knew about the motorhome and the blood they had found there.

She shrugged and wiped her nose with her sleeve. ‘I don’t care anyway. He’s not coming back home. He can go move back in with Mummy.’ She paused. ‘It’s not the first time he’s cheated but I’m disappointed he cheated on me with Mindy. I was so good to her. I’ll rephrase all that. I didn’t expect Mindy to do that to me, Spencer is a piece of shit. He was never home and I guess I should have suspected him a long time ago but a part of me was glad he wasn’t home. Maybe… I didn’t miss him at all.’

Gina wondered if it was best to re-interview Ursula at the station. She nodded to O’Connor. He pulled a tablet from his bag and began scrolling. ‘I need you to take a look at a photo. Can you tell me if you know this man?’

Ursula put Dooby on the floor and the little Yorkshire terrier went and curled up in his basket next to the fireplace.

O’Connor enlarged the photo after having blurred Ms Fuller from it.

She furrowed her brow and looked for a few seconds. ‘He brings a dog to the salon. I don’t think it’s his dog.’ She closed her eyes and clicked her fingers. ‘That’s it, the dog’s called Axel but I can’t remember what the boy is called. Dusty… maybe.’

‘It’s Dustin Fuller.’

‘He only came in yesterday. It was busy and he ended up waiting for half an hour so wasn’t too happy, especially as my other customer, Edwin, kept asking me to do more things for his dog. I thought Dustin was going to explode at him at one point but I could tell he was sitting there, silently seething.’

‘Did Mindy know him?’

‘Actually, Mindy followed this Dusty, I mean Dustin, outside last month and came back to the salon about fifteen minutes later. I asked her if she knew him and she said no. I thought it was odd but she then said that she thought he was someone else, someone she used to know.’

The plot was thickening. Mindy and Dustin knew each other if Ursula was to be believed. The only problem when it came to detecting was that everyone lied, and they did it for many reasons. Was Ursula lying? Gina wanted to go straight in and ask her about her whereabouts but decided the station was the best place to continue their interview.

‘Ursula, I need to ask you some more questions down at the station. Could you please come with us for a voluntary interview?’

‘I’d rather not. I’ll come later when I’ve had a shower and cleaned myself up, and I don’t like to leave Dooby for long. He’s old and he can tell that something’s wrong. Actually, I’d like to drop him off at my sister’s first, if that’s okay?’

Gina didn’t have enough to arrest her on so her request would have to be okay. She nodded. ‘We’ll see you around three at the station then?’

‘I’ll be there.’ As soon as the tape was rolling, Gina was going to discuss Ursula’s whereabouts yesterday and when the photos were uploaded to the fake profile that Garth had found online.

There was something about the salon and Ursula. Mindy had some link to Dustin but Ursula had a link to them both. Gina feared a future victim could be known by Ursula and she didn’t want anyone else to get murdered or kidnapped.

Ursula couldn’t wait to get them out the door. They were being ushered out with goodbyes and little nudges, then Ursula slammed the door, leaving Gina and O’Connor outside. ‘I didn’t even notice how she got us from the living room to the doorstep but here we are, as if by magic,’ Gina said. As they headed back to the car, she glanced back. Ursula peered through the gap in the bedroom curtains.

Gina’s phone beeped with a message from Kapoor. She summarised it aloud for O’Connor. ‘It’s an update on Spencer Grey’s projects. A large house is being converted on the outskirts of Cleevesford. The company stopped paying the contractors so the project has come to a halt. It hasn’t been worked on since before Christmas. Spencer dealt with the scaffolding and had been assisting with managing the project. Wyre tried to question him on the location and whether he was working with an accomplice, but he continued to say no comment. DCI Briggs said we have to go there now. A police car is en route and they heavily suspect that Dustin might be there.’

‘Suspect?’

‘I’ve just messaged back and asked how, why?’

Her phone pinged. She read the exact message aloud. ‘It’s remote and empty. Garth found another email that Mindy had deleted and he found a password hidden in her computer. It looks like she only used it for a few days but there’s a jealous message from Spencer, asking her why she was hugging Dustin when she was meant to be with him. He told her not to let Dustin’s filthy hands wander over her ever again or they’d both pay.’ She paused. ‘Who the hell is he working with?’

Forty

Gina

As O’Connor trundled up the tree-lined Raven Drive, Gina unclipped her seat belt, ready to step out of the car as soon as he pulled over. They hurried to the boot and took out their stab vests. The Victorian four-storey building with its two crumbling pillars left Gina standing in its shadows. Scaffolding hid the other features, along with the afternoon gloom that had been around for the past week. Two police cars and a van were parked, hidden from the main house and several uniformed officers caught up with them, one carrying a battering ram.

PC Smith nudged through and spoke in a hushed voice. They could only do their best in not letting any occupants know they were there. ‘We tried to contact the owner of the property but there was no one in and no one answered the number we have for the company. We left a message.’

She addressed the officers in her loudest whisper. ‘Okay, we’re going to have to go in regardless. It could be a matter of life and death for Dustin. An ambulance is waiting at the end of the drive, ready to receive him if we find him in there.’ She paused. ‘We don’t know if Spencer is working with someone else so he might still be behind all that is happening. We don’t have enough evidence to eliminate that theory. Whoever has Dustin is dangerous, so stay vigilant and keep back from them. After all, we know that Mindy was stabbed in the back.’ She swallowed as she caught sight of a white van that had been parked alongside the house. They still hadn’t found the white van that Abel claimed to have seen just before Mindy was taken. ‘Can you two go around the back?’

The two uniformed officers sprinted away, around the building.

Gina poked a finger underneath her stab vest. It never failed to make her feel breathless or maybe it was the fact that they were going into the unknown? She stood at the pillars and took one step at a time until she reached the front door. On trying the handle, she nodded to the other officers to try windows, other doors – any way in that didn’t rely on bashing the door down. If they could enter discreetly, that would be a better option.

O’Connor waved a hand. ‘Windows are locked.’

PC Smith ran back and forth checking everywhere. ‘All locked up, guv.’

She knocked. ‘Police, open the door.’

No answer.

She nodded for the PC to continue. He brought the battering ram back and started slamming it against the heavy wooden door. On the fifth strike it almost gave way and one more groan from the hinges, it gave up completely, bouncing off the wall as they charged in. Gina entered first. ‘Police! Is there anyone in the house?’ She tried to turn the lights on but the house remained in grey gloom. Devoid of furniture, the tiled floors and high ceilings left their words echoing. She nodded to two PCs to quickly scan downstairs.

‘Clear,’ one of them said as he continued through the rooms, checking more thoroughly.

She ascended the creaky stairs until she reached the first floor. In turn, each of them burst through a door, revealing nothing but empty rooms. Same with the second floor. There was only the attic left. Getting breathless from all the stairs, Gina inhaled and exhaled a couple of times before continuing up the final few to the attic. O’Connor came up beside her and stopped. The door to the attic was padlocked. She grabbed it then pushed and pulled with all her strength, tearing some of the rotten wood away from the frame. She kicked the door, determined that it wasn’t going to beat her. One final kick had it crashing open. ‘Police!’

The pitch-blackness took her breath away. The last thing she needed was to be spooked by a colony of bats coming at her again. She grappled for her torch and held it in her trembling hand, then she gasped. Light glinted off the metal chains that lay in a pile on the floor next to the chair. Thick plastic covered the area under it. O’Connor held his torch out to further illuminate the dark corners. She drew a line with her torchlight as a scurrying sound caught her attention. Her heart banged against her ribcage, the vest ever tighter, like a vice squeezing the life out of her, then she exhaled as she caught site of the creature. A grey squirrel darted into the corner, escaping through the floorboards. She exhaled and placed a hand over her chest. At least it wasn’t bats.

She ran over to the chair and shouted to O’Connor. ‘Call it in. We need forensics at the scene.’ Scrunching her brow, she kneeled down, taking in the chains and the chair, looking for any sign that someone had been in it not long ago.

‘Do you think the perp was going to bring Dustin here or maybe he’s already been here and they’ve moved him?’ O’Connor gazed around the room.

‘I just don’t know. It doesn’t feel right. There’s not a single mark on this plastic and the chains look like they’ve just been tipped out of a bag from the hardware shop. Also, there’s not a single scuff or scratch on it. The room is bare apart from this set up.’

‘Do you think it could be prep for a future victim?’

‘Maybe,’ Gina replied. ‘Or…’ She had another thought but it was too early to share.

‘Or what?’ O’Connor asked. ‘Are you thinking that it could’ve been scrubbed clean?’

She inhaled, not noticing the lingering scent of cleaning products. All she could smell was damp wood.

‘There’s something on the floor, just behind the rafter.’ One of the PCs carefully stepped over towards the far end of the attic to take a closer look.

‘What is it?’ Gina peered over but couldn’t see anything.

‘It’s jutting out from behind a rafter.’ The PC bent over to take a closer look. ‘It’s a wallet and something silver. Actually, it’s a silver earring in the shape of a bar and it’s… it’s covered in what looks like blood.’

The PC pulled a pair of gloves on.

‘Can you check inside the wallet?’ Gina asked.

The PC opened the wallet.

As soon as the PC read the name on the card, the hairs on the back of Gina’s neck prickled. She grabbed her phone and called Briggs. He answered immediately. ‘We’re heading back to the station. There’s a sheet of plastic with a chair on it in the attic. Next to it are some chains. We’ve found a wallet and a possibly bloodied earring. This is all at the house conversion that Spencer had been working on.’

‘We have Spencer in custody,’ Briggs replied.

‘I know but we can’t rule them out as working together. Keep Ursula there when she arrives as I need to interview her.’

‘We won’t be able to keep him for much longer now. Who does the wallet belong to?’

‘Jackson Dunton. Mindy’s landlord. It’s his.’

Forty-One

Gina

Back at the station, Gina had tasked Kapoor with organising the warrant to arrest Jackson Dunton. O’Connor poured two coffees from the drip machine in the corner of the kitchen and passed one to her. ‘Any news from the door to doors on Dustin’s street?’

‘I checked with PC Ahmed when we got back and he said no. It was late, no one saw Dustin. It’s like he disappeared. However, a PC found a trainer matching the description of the ones he was wearing when he went missing. It was at the end of the road. That part is concealed by bushes so it’s a little way up from the house.’

‘So, it looks like Dustin walked away from his car, all the way down the road until he came to a concealed area, lost a shoe and hasn’t been seen since?’

‘Yep. No one saw a thing and officers weren’t able to secure any CCTV footage of Dustin.’

‘I don’t get how no one saw a thing with Mindy and now no one saw a thing with Dustin.’ She sighed. ‘Our perp or perps know the area well and research exactly where to take the victims.’

‘Do you think it’s Jackson?’

She shrugged. ‘I can’t get that message out of my head, the one his son received about a dark path. Curtis and Brian, they’re young, impressionable, and I feel like they were hiding something when we spoke to them, but we can’t exactly demand they hand their tech over. They haven’t done anything wrong.’ She bit the insides of her cheeks.

‘We’ll have Jackson Dunton in custody before we know it.’

‘I’m not sure about that either. If Jackson knows where Dustin is, he might clam up and we might never find him if we make the arrest too soon. I’m thinking we should tail him instead. Have a couple of PCs put on watch on his street.’ She blew on her coffee and took a sip, recoiling at the heat.

‘Do you think it was all a bit easy, guv?’

‘Yes, I was thinking that.’ She nodded. ‘Far too easy. A wallet left behind that has a single bank card in it belonging to Jackson Dunton, an expired card at that. A scene that looks as clean as it just came out of the packet of a hardware shop. We’re a part of the killer’s game and the rules are, someone gets taken, then they die. They’re using OpenMeSmiler to cloud things when it comes to who did it. That site is a smokescreen, a lure for victims or a way to gain control over them. Just look at the video sent to Mindy. It’s there to confuse us by introducing lots of people to the scene. The men watching over fences and through windows? That’s all it is, a distraction. Our perp is in all that somewhere but it’s up to us to sift out what’s relevant. Any news from Garth?’

O’Connor shook his head. ‘He’s still not been granted access to the site.’ His phone beeped and he smiled.

‘It’s nice you have something to be happy about during this horrible investigation.’

‘Sorry, guv.’

‘I meant it. It’s nice.’

He leaned over and showed her the photo that Mrs O had sent. A chef’s hat poked up behind a huge pyramid of profiteroles that had to be about three feet tall. The decoration as intricate as lace with tiny purple flowers entwined around the edge. ‘It’s apparently a croquembouche.’

‘A croquem-what?’ Gina smiled. ‘She is so talented. People will pay hundreds for a centrepiece like that.’ Gina smiled, as an image of her in a bridal gown sitting at the head of the table with a croquem-thing sitting proudly on it. She pushed that thought away. She and Brodie had barely been together five minutes. Stupid.

Briggs barged in, almost making her spill her coffee over her hands. O’Connor snatched his phone back and put it away. In all the darkness, that moment made her realise that not all people were bad. They might deal with the worst of humanity sometimes, but there were good people out there.

‘Ursula has arrived and we’ve popped her in interview room two. I’ve just been coordinating with Kapoor so the system is up to date and Garth is still working on getting into OpenMeSmiler. He’s also about to start on Dustin Fuller’s laptop so I’ll keep you posted.’ Briggs’s gaze met hers for a moment too long. She wished she could tell what he was thinking. She could feel the warmth of his body as he stood a little closer. O’Connor smiled and swigged back a drink. She hated that Briggs still made her feel something. No, she had to forget him. Brodie was her very real future, the one she deserved and wanted. Briggs was her past.

‘Any news from Mindy’s post-mortem yet?’ O’Connor asked, breaking the silence.

Briggs cleared his throat. ‘Wyre and Jacob are still there. I know it’s underway. Anyway, I have to deal with the press release in a short while so I best get back to it. Keep me updated.’ He left them alone again. She finished her now cool coffee and she and O’Connor headed to the interview room.

She opened the door. ‘Ursula, thanks for coming.’

Ursula looked up, her eyes bruised from lack of sleep and too much wine; her lips cracked with dehydration. ‘That’s okay. My sister has Dooby and I don’t stink now. You want to formally interview me?’ She picked up the plastic cup of water on the table and guzzled it down in one.

Gina nodded. ‘It’s a voluntary interview. You’re not under arrest.’

She half smiled and sat back. ‘That’s good to hear, mostly because I haven’t done anything. Can we get started? I’m so tired, I just want to go back to my sister’s and I think I’ll stay there. I’ll give you her address before I go.’

‘We’ll get started then.’

O’Connor introduced them for the recorder.

‘Ursula, where were you yesterday evening?’ Gina asked.

‘After finishing up at the salon, around teatime. I can’t remember when exactly, I headed home and I stayed home all night. I didn’t leave.’

‘Was anyone with you?’

‘No. I called a friend and spoke to another, who called me.’

Gina knew that Edwin Hammond had checked on her. He said so outside the shop. ‘What are your friends’ names?’

‘Edwin Hammond. He called to see if I had any news. That was about seven.’

‘And the other one?’

‘Claudia Forster. It’ll be on my call log and I have her number if you need it. Wait, am I providing alibis here?’ She glanced between Gina and O’Connor. ‘Why are you talking to me like I’m a suspect? Mindy died. She was murdered. I’m distraught.’ Her eyes began to water up. She used the back of her hand to wipe them away.

‘The questions are routine. I’m really sorry for your loss.’ Gina gave Ursula a moment and pushed the box of tissues towards her. She turned on the tablet in front of her and brought up the pizza photo, the one that had been uploaded to the fake profile that Garth was looking into. ‘I’m showing Mrs Grey a photo of a slice of pizza. There’s a blurred-out step and some pavement in the background and the pizza is in focus, on the pavement.’

She folded her arms. ‘Is this a joke?’

‘This photo is from a profile we’re linking to Mindy’s murder. Do you recognise the step?’

‘How can I? It’s blurry.’

‘We’ve analysed the photo. It was taken outside Chez Ursula’s on Friday the sixteenth of January at seven fifteen that evening.’

She frowned.

Gina opened the other photo. ‘This is a photo of the back of a house and it’s dated Wednesday the fourteenth of January at ten fifty-nine p.m.’

‘That’s Mindy’s house.’

‘Correct, Mrs Grey. That is Mindy’s house. Can you tell me where you were at these times?’

‘Given the times, I definitely would have been at home.’

‘Was Mr Grey with you?’

She slowly shook her head.

‘Can you please answer for the recording?’

‘No. I was on my own.’

‘Where was Mr Grey?’

She shrugged. ‘Probably with her.’

Gina knew that on the Wednesday, Mindy’s neighbour had spotted two people who she thought were men loitering around the back of the house. They would have had the perfect vantage point to take the photo. On the Friday, Mindy didn’t arrange to meet Spencer. She was scared, crouching on the floor in her kitchen with a knife for protection. ‘By her, you mean, Mindy?’

‘That’s correct. Bloody slag.’

Gina got that Ursula was upset but she felt her teeth itch at that word.

‘I hate what he did to me. I knew he’d been with her. I tried to catch them out and I couldn’t, then came the lies and he even had the audacity to accuse me of being tired or sensitive, or whatever other bloody gaslighting term you want to conjure up. I was right. He was sleeping with her.’ Ursula shook her head, slower this time. ‘I liked Mindy a lot. He ruined our friendship. He took her from me.’ Tears began to spill. She grabbed several tissues.

‘So, you already knew about the affair before Mindy was taken?’

Ursula stared at Gina, as if it had just dawned on her that she’d slipped up. ‘I… err…’

‘Mrs Grey, it is an offence to withhold information like this. We are investigating the murder of your employee.’

‘But…’

‘But what?’

‘I knew you’d blame me or Spencer and Spencer isn’t the nicest of people. I mean he’s a terrible husband and me, I couldn’t hurt anyone if I tried. Believe it or not, I blamed my husband for their affair. I know what he’s like. He manipulates people into doing what he wants them to do. He gets all angry and aggressive – verbally – when he doesn’t get his own way, but he’s not violent. He… he…’

‘He what?’

‘I saw something and I wish I could unsee it. I didn’t want to have to share this with you because I didn’t think it was needed, but my husband isn’t who I think he is.’ She began to sob into the tissues. ‘I don’t know why I defend him. I quit defending him. I want my life back.’

‘Go on.’

‘His gaming computer, I made him get rid of it. Actually, I smashed it up and he took it to the tip the next morning.’

‘Why?’

‘Last week, about three one morning, I heard him creeping around.’ She let out a small laugh. ‘We don’t share a room, haven’t for ages now. I don’t want him near me and even more so after I saw what he was looking at.’

‘And what was he looking at.’ The muscles in Gina’s neck tensed as she waited for an answer.

‘Cameras. Women everywhere, in their own bedrooms, getting changed, putting make-up on, with lovers. Some men, young men. The woman, one woman he was watching, she looked just like Mindy and was drying herself. The woman stood there, naked, her back to the camera, her hair falling over her shoulders. I know it couldn’t be Mindy, it was just some weird porn or fetish thing, I guess. Anyway, I flipped. I went to the garage, got a hammer, barged in and smashed that computer up until it was in pieces. He fought me for that hammer but it was too late. He took the computer to the tip first thing on Monday and he kept murmuring that I’d destroyed him, that I didn’t know what I’d done but he hated me and he never wanted to see me ever again.’

‘Did you see the name of the site?’

She scrunched her nose up. ‘Smile, something…’ She frowned. ‘It wasn’t just a lookalike, it was Mindy, wasn’t it? He was watching Mindy and others through his computer.’ She swallowed. ‘I think I’m going to be sick.’

Forty-Two

Brian

He breathed a sigh of relief. All day, the monster behind OpenMeSmiler had demanded that he sit in his chair watching the boy get tortured with the fear of what was coming. He shifted in his chair. No voice came from the speaker and no words popped up on the screen. He stood and stretched. No one shouted for him to sit back down. He stepped out of frame and waited a second. Again, no one spoke. ‘Tabby.’

His sister burst out of her bedroom. ‘Are you free?’

He shrugged. ‘I think so. I don’t know how long for but I don’t think he’s watching.’ He ran across the landing to the loo and peed like an overfilled water balloon that had been popped. Tabitha’s phone rang. He flushed the loo and headed onto the landing.

‘Okay… wait… hang on… Aunt Claudia. I’m putting you on loudspeaker,’ Tabitha said.

‘How are my two favourite people?’ she asked.

‘Good, fine, okay,’ they replied, talking over each other.

‘And how’s your tummy, Tabby?’

‘A little better although it’s still sore. I won’t be eating anything Brian makes ever again but don’t worry about me. I found some tummy medicine in the cupboard.’ Tabitha shrugged.

‘Are you sure, because I can come home if it’s an emergency. One of you being ill is an emergency.’

‘No,’ they said at the same time.

‘Hmm, are you sure you’re not planning a party? You both sound cagey.’

‘We’re not cagey,’ Tabitha said. ‘We don’t want you to jeopardise this big promotion. We were just saying how happy we were for you.’

‘You’re both so lovely, you know that. Your mum and dad would be proud. Are you going to school tomorrow, Tabby?’

‘Err, I don’t think so. I’ve been in the loo a lot so it’s probably best I give it a day.’

‘Okay, I’ll call them in the morning. Oh, I best go. Love to you both.’ Claudia hung up and Tabitha exhaled.

‘We’ve so got to sort this before she gets back,’ Brian said. He peered into his bedroom, wondering if his absence had been noticed but still, it hadn’t.

‘How?’

‘I don’t know. If I knew I’d be doing something about it.’ He paced up and down the landing and almost jumped when the doorbell rang. He stopped and stared at Tabitha. ‘Are you expecting anyone?’

‘No.’

‘What if it’s them, him, OpenMeSmiler?’

‘They don’t know where we live?’

‘I know everything.’ Brian’s elbow hit the wall as the voice from his computer boomed out. ‘I know your full name. I know your age. I know where you work. I know where your sister goes to school. I know everything about you, your hopes, your dreams, your desires.’

The bell rang again.

‘Answer it, Tabitha,’ the robotic voice said.

She trembled. For once, he wanted to reach over and hug his little sis and protect her from the dangers lurking within his computer.

‘Answer it.’ He almost felt the walls shake as the volume increased. ‘Brian, back in your chair.’

Open-mouthed, he stepped into his bedroom on jellylike legs and fell back in his chair. ‘I wonder who’s at the door, I wonder who’s at the door, I wonder who’s at the door.’ The voice sang before bursting into manic laughter. He wanted to shout to Tabitha, tell her not to open it. Maybe they could run away instead, go now and never come back. Hide forever and never open the door. It was too late. He heard her opening it, then there was a bang.

Forty-Three

Gina

Garth entered the incident room, laptop in hand. ‘I’m in.’ He began hitting the buttons on the laptop after getting no response. ‘Damn, battery’s dead. I need the lead. I’ll just be a minute.’ He left the room.

Gina remained by the boards while waiting for Garth to come back and take centre stage. Excitement welled in her stomach as she dared to hope he had something big for them.

O’Connor entered first and took a seat after finishing up the interview with Ursula. Jacob and Wyre, fresh back from the post-mortem, sat at the back and Kapoor leaned against the wall, biting her nails.

Gina cleared her throat. ‘While we wait for Garth, can you quickly update us with how the post-mortem went and is there anything from the lab yet?’

Jacob nodded and opened up his notebook. ‘There wasn’t much that we don’t already know. Mindy was indeed killed at the scene and she died from the stab wound to her back. The blade went straight through and pierced her heart, and it was long. As for how she got there, Bernard and the team found some partial footprints around the back. It looked like the perp had gathered up leaves to try to cover them up which is why they hadn’t been spotted when you arrived on the scene. There were drag marks next to the footprints. It looks like the perp dragged Mindy, on foot. This suggests she might have been drugged as there seemed to be a lack of resistance or commotion. There were no injuries that would have caused impairment such as a blow to the head, and it’ll be ages before we get any toxicology results, possibly weeks. The photo found in her mouth had no fingerprints on it at all.’

‘Do we have a foot size?’

‘Nine or ten.’

Wyre sat and blew out a breath. ‘I have an update, too. I’ve caught up with the door-to-door team and we have a witness report. Someone saw a white van on the road behind where Mindy’s body was found.’

‘The white van again.’ Gina tensed up, ready to hear what Wyre had to say. ‘Did they get a registration number or a description of the driver?’

‘No to the reg, they couldn’t even tell us what make of van it was, only that it was a larger type of van with a side door. The witness said it stood out as the driver momentarily mounted the kerb and he thought they were trying to placate a bouncy dog. They jumped to that conclusion that it was a dog with it being a dog walking area.’

‘Did the witness see the van pull over?’

‘No, he lives much further down the road. He went into his house and thought no more about it until the appeal went out.’

‘It could have been Mindy in the back of the van, impaired and struggling to fight her kidnapper.’

Wyre nodded. ‘It sounds like it. It’s just such a shame we didn’t get a reg number. So frustrating.’

‘How about the driver?’

‘Ah, the description isn’t much to go on but we’re looking for someone wearing a dark hoodie with maybe a coat with a collar over the top. They wore the hood up and the witness couldn’t see their face. The windscreen was a little dirty and it was getting dark. All they saw was vague movement that could have been someone batting something away that came from behind.’

‘What time was this?’

‘The witness couldn’t remember. Sometime after five p.m. He’d been asleep and just popped out to his car to get something before going back in and going to sleep again. He was due to start work that night at the hospital. He said it was all a bit vague for him.’

Garth burst back in, plugged his lead in and inserted the connector into the back of his laptop. It lit up and after clicking a few buttons. He opened PowerPoint and clicked on the first slide – the OpenMeSmiler home page. ‘We’re on. Gather round.’

They all sat and pulled their chairs in around the table.

Garth clicked through the slides. ‘As you can see, this is what we’ve been faced with. There’s no account set up, no way in unless you’ve been checked out and approved. My fake account has profiles everywhere on social media and my AI family look convincing. I look like a normal upstanding guy. I’m Clarke who works as an accountant. What isn’t there to trust?’ Garth let out a laugh.

‘So, you got in?’ Gina asked.

‘Sort of. I know for sure that whoever is behind the site ran checks on all my social media, my so-called fake firm – Number Crunching by Clarke – and soon after I had an enquiry through my website contact form, asking how confidential my services were. When I tried to trace the enquirer, nothing came back. It’s like they don’t exist and they’re definitely using a VPN to hide their online location and persona.’

‘What did you do then?’

‘I answered the message saying that client confidentiality was at the core of my ethos and that I’d never breach that under any circumstances. They then asked if I could advise on how to work money into a business. I threw in a little spiel about how I could help them hide it or clean it. I wanted to seem a little dodgy. Give them something to hold against me from the start. I think this’ll be how it all works so I threw the dog a bone.’ He flicked to the next slide.

‘So, are you in, in? What does “sort of” mean?’ Gina raised her brows.

‘Okay, I’ll explain. I was given a login to the main user page. The login worked. As soon as our messages had gone back and forth, the perp let me in, so here we are.’ He clicked over the next three slides. ‘As you can see, there are multiple victims. It looks like any users can upload camera feeds onto the site, normally people’s own personal cameras at home for security purposes and public cameras. You just need their logins and passwords, and then you’re good to go with remote viewing and the victims have no idea. Site users can then spy on people all over the world, all day long. As you can see in the last slide, these are the feeds uploaded directly by OpenMeSmiler. These are the ones we are most concerned with because if you look, you can see the first is pre-recordings of Mindy going about her business at home. You can see her in bed, getting changed, doing everything someone does at home when they think no one’s watching. There are a couple of different vantage points of the same scene and they match where you found the cameras in Mindy’s bedroom.’

Gina looked away. It felt ugly to watch their murder victim being violated like that, the abuse continuing after her death. She wondered how many people had downloaded the clips and spread videos of her having sex with Spencer.

Garth swallowed. ‘There are some of Dustin, walking around his bedroom, working out, getting changed, sleeping. It looks like there was just the one feed which suggests that the perp never gained physical access to his bedroom. Control was gained through his laptop.’ He flicked to the next slide, one of Dustin flexing his muscles in a mirror. The clip continued and Dustin’s expressions changed. He began to look at himself before hitting the mirror, clearly unhappy by his own self-image.

Gina shivered at the thought of the watchers getting off on Dustin’s misery. ‘Can you delve any further?’

He shook his head. ‘I need permission to take what OpenMeSmiler calls the dark path. I’m waiting but I’m not sure how it’s going to go. This is the last message I received through the site.’ He clicked onto another slide and read the caption. ‘I need to see you. I need to hear you. Remove what is covering your camera and let me in, only then will I let you in.’

‘Damn.’ Gina banged her hand on the table. ‘Being a dodgy accountant wasn’t enough. They want something to blackmail you with. So have we reached a dead end for now?’

‘Not necessarily. I’m working on it. I have Dustin’s laptop on my desk and the password let me in so that made my life easier. Hooray for people that use their pets’ names, tell their mum what their passwords are and never update them.’

Gina sat up. ‘Did you find something on there?’

He closed the laptop and unplugged it. ‘Everything has been wiped. It looks like OpenMeSmiler gains control of the user’s device and then they erase their presence after they have their victims. The laptop I used to login has had the sound disabled and the camera covered. I’ll allow them to start taking control but there is nothing much to find. I have a load of dummy profit and loss accounts and balance sheets for makeshift businesses so it looks like it’s just used for work. I suspect that they send a file that the user has to click on and OpenMeSmiler takes full control, like I mentioned when I spoke about Dustin’s surveillance. If I compare that to Mindy’s work computer, it looks like the perp got slack. After managing to salvage some more from her smashed up personal laptop from her house, I can see that OpenMeSmiler extracted itself from the computer, leaving nothing but Mindy’s personal files. The perp, or perps, fell short with the work computer, which is why we found the video. They hadn’t gained control of that one, probably because Mindy would have been more wary of clicking on links on a device that didn’t belong to her. If we go back to Dustin’s laptop, Dustin took a screenshot and hid it in his university assignment files, a place where the perp probably didn’t think to look.’

‘What was on it?’

‘A threat sent just before Dustin disappeared last night. It said…’ Garth picked up his notepad and read it out. ‘Leave your house right now. Tell Mummy you’re getting something from your car and walk to the end of the road, by the trees, and wait. If you don’t, I will press the button. All your contacts, your friends, neighbours, lecturers, fellow students and, of course, Mummy, will see that video.’

‘And he hasn’t been seen since.’ Gina swallowed. ‘He’s next to die.’

Forty-Four

Gina

Spencer Grey sat at the table with his solicitor once again whispering into his ear. Gina needed to quickly clear a few things up with him. She checked her watch. Two covert PCs would have now arrived outside Jackson Dunton’s house but she had to ask Spencer about his gaming PC and what Ursula had told them. O’Connor introduced them all for the recorder and was poised to take notes. ‘Tell us about your gaming PC, Mr Grey.’

He shrugged. ‘I haven’t got a gaming PC.’

‘You had one and your wife smashed it up with a hammer last week, then you took it to the tip.’

‘Did I? That’s news to me.’

She had no evidence whatsoever but the way Spencer was picking the skin at the side of his thumbs, drawing blood, told her that he had a lot to worry about and she was onto something. ‘Tell me about OpenMeSmiler.’

He stared.

‘We know about OpenMeSmiler.’ They knew a fair bit but she hoped that Spencer was about to enlighten them even more. ‘You need to tell us what you know. Mindy has been murdered and we have reason to believe that you know something about that.’

‘I don’t,’ he said, kicking the underneath of the table. ‘I don’t. I wish I did, but I don’t.’

‘Tell me more.’

He closed up and looked away. She needed to ease him in another way. ‘You were jealous of someone Mindy ran out of Chez Ursula’s with. I’ve seen the message you sent to Mindy. Let me read it to you. “Why are you hugging Dustin when you’re meant to be with me. If you let Dustin’s filthy hands wander over you ever again, you’ll both pay.” Explain.’

‘I loved her. All I wanted was for her to love me back. Ursula and I were… are… over and we both know it. It ate me up that Mindy might have been seeing other guys. I knew we weren’t exclusive but…’ His solicitor whispered and he held a hand up to dismiss her. ‘She followed this gothy-looking kid out one day, I heard her calling him and I thought there was something between them. Then there were other men who came to the salon, they’d hit on her all the time. It drove me crazy. Then, her ex. She was so not over Mindy and I thought, how the hell can I even compete in that department? She sent my head crazy but I’m over it. I’m not over her but I realise I was wrong in everything I did. Those messages I sent to her, they were out of anger, rejection and fear that she didn’t want me. I cheated on Ursula. I went on that stupid website, on the dark web…’

‘What website?’

‘Err…’ He whispered to his solicitor. He’d slipped up and they both knew it. There was no going back for Spencer now.

‘What website, Mr Grey?’

‘Okay, I know of OpenMeSmiler.’

‘How did you hear about it?’

‘I don’t know. I was helping Ursula at the salon one day, doing some tiling at the far end. I found a card in my bag with that name on it and I couldn’t help but check it out.’

‘You found it in your bag?’

‘Yes, I don’t know how it got there.’

‘Who was there on the day?’

‘I don’t know. Lots of people came and went. I didn’t take any notice.’

‘What did you do with the card?’

‘I took it home and found a link on the back so I followed it.’

‘What did you see?’

‘People, just doing ordinary things, boring everyday things and when I couldn’t sleep, I’d watch and then, then things took a darker turn. There were people getting changed in their bedrooms and, other things. I tried to remove it from my computer but I couldn’t. I vowed never to look again, but I did. I binned the card, convinced myself that it wasn’t real, that it was actors and eventually, I thought I’d be asked to pay a subscription. I then messaged customer services, asking how I could remove myself from it and I got a reply.’

‘And?’

‘I had to be a part of it, log in everyday and be present and I couldn’t cover my camera or shut off the sound. Whoever was behind it was watching me, taunting me and they sent me a video… it was of me watching one of the women undressing and I was doing things to myself.’

‘Doing things?’

He rolled his eyes. ‘Private things.’

‘Okay, please go on.’ Gina wasn’t going to make him go into detail.

‘They said they’d send it to Ursula, to Mindy, to all my business contacts and that they’d take over my social media and post it there. So, I carried on doing what I was told, then I saw Mindy on it.’ He paused. ‘Ursula burst in one night and caught me watching Mindy getting undressed. I didn’t even want to watch Mindy like this. I had no choice. Anyway, Ursula went mad, smashed the computer up and accused me of spying on Mindy. The next day, I dumped the computer and since then, I’ve lived in fear that the video of me will be posted everywhere. I’m scared to turn my phone on. When it is on and it beeps, I feel sick. I’d been scared of leaving the house. Not knowing who’s behind it is a killer. I decided to tell Mindy, even though I was told that if I did, the video of me would be set live but she wouldn’t talk to me. I wanted to warn her that she was being broadcasted. By this time, Mindy had already told me it was over. I thought OpenMeSmiler was reading all my messages so I never put anything about them in a message. On the night she was taken, I was angry and then I chickened out of telling her. Those messages I sent were horrible but I was frustrated. There’s one thing I do know.’

‘What’s that, Mr Grey?’

He shook and hugged himself. ‘I’m a victim, too. Please, you have to help me.’

Forty-Five

Tabitha

The dog barked in Tabitha’s face. She stumbled back on the floor as it jumped at her again, its saliva catching her cheek.

‘Rex, get back now.’ Curtis pulled the dog away from her. ‘He’s a softie, really. He’ll lick you to death, if you let him. Sorry, I forgot my key. Is Bri in?’

She held a hand over her banging heart, back against the wall as the dog wagged its tail and whined while tilting its head. She hated that Creepy Curtis had a key to their house, especially as he’d been caught sharing intimate photos of a girl in school. He was just as bad as Abel but she couldn’t choose her brother’s friends for him and apparently Creepy Curtis regretted what he did.

On reaching over, Rex let her pet him before offering her a paw and licking the end of her nose. She wiped it dry with her jumper sleeve.

‘Are you okay, Tabby? I’m really sorry about Rex. Bad boy, Rex.’ The dog looked up at him and whined again.

She nodded but she was not okay. A boisterous dog was the least of her problems, in fact if the dog had devoured her for dinner her life would have improved tenfold. She wouldn’t have to face OpenMeSmiler or Abel, ever again. It would all be over, but no, the dog was not going to save her by eating her for supper. ‘I’m okay. Brian is upstairs at his computer.’

‘Great.’ He darted past her, dragging Rex with him.

She got up, wiped the rest of the dog saliva on her baggy jeans and caught him up. ‘Curtis, wait.’ He didn’t hear. ‘Hey.’

He stopped. ‘Don’t yell so loud. Rex doesn’t like it and I want to calm him down. What?’

She gestured for him to come back to her on the stairs. ‘You know the site that Brian has been on?’

‘Err, what site?’

She raised her brows. ‘This is no time for denial, Curtis. I know everything.’

‘Everything?’

She nodded. ‘He’s in huge trouble and if you go upstairs, the psycho behind OpenMeSmiler will know who you are, too. Stay to the right of his bedroom door or you’ll be the next target.’

‘Target?’

She couldn’t tell him what they’d done to Brian with the video. That was down to her dumbass brother to share with his friend, if he wanted. ‘Just trust me. Don’t walk in front of the camera and…’ She hurried past him and the dog before grabbing her notebook and pen from the floor. ‘Write what you want to say. Do not, I repeat, do not let the psycho get into your head.’

‘Okay. Should we call the police?’

She shook her head rapidly. ‘And tell them what you and Brian have been looking at? You’ve broken the law. The police will arrest you both. I’ve seen everything, Curtis, and it’s not cool.’

He let out a long breath and joined her on the landing.

She led him towards Brian’s bedroom door, holding an arm out to show him how far he could come. He took the pen and pad from her and passed her his dog’s lead. She buried her hands in Rex’s soft head and rubbed his ears.

‘I wonder who our visitor is?’ the robotic voice said.

Tabitha passed the lead back to Curtis and sat next to Brian again. ‘It was just a delivery for the neighbour.’

‘Which one?’

Why was OpenMeSmiler asking her this? She didn’t know because there was no delivery. She didn’t even know the neighbours’ names. Their aunt was the only one of them to bother with the neighbours. ‘Mr Jones.’

‘You’re a bad liar, Tabitha. Liars need to be punished, don’t they?’

‘Punished?’ She turned to look at Brian whose clammy face was shining from the computer’s glow. Sweat beads began forming across his forehead.

‘Leave her out of this.’ Brian grabbed his mouse mat and threw it at the wall behind the computer.

‘I love a bit of family drama. This is so much more fun than I thought it would be. It got dull being Cody but this… it’s sublime. People like you deserve all you get and sometimes it’s down to the company you keep, but we’ll talk about that in a minute.’

Tabitha glanced back at Curtis who was still behind the door and he shrugged.

‘There is no Mr Jones. Here’s a thing. I know everything.’ The voice paused. ‘Tabitha, you are in the game as much as Brian is. You might think you’re safe, that it’s only Brian with a lot to lose but poor little Tabitha, you, my dear, have so much to lose, too. Look.’

Four photos flashed up. Tabitha in her bra pouting. Tabitha posing topless. A close-up of Tabitha’s right breast. Tabitha on all fours in her underwear, on her bed. She went to speak but no words came out. Brian looked away. She’d sent all those to Abel. They were private. If OpenMeSmiler had those, what else did he or they have?

One more photo flashed up. It was the one of her lying on Abel’s bed, that he took from behind while they had sex. Tears welled up in her eyes. Abel had shared those photos, he had to have done. It’s all down to the company you keep. She knew what was meant by that now. ‘It’s all my fault.’

Without looking at the screen, Brian leaned over and hugged her.

The robotic voice spoke again. ‘One move out of line, Tabitha, everyone will see these photos. The truth. Who was at the door?’

The dog burst through, jumping up at the computer and Brian before leaping onto his bed and mock digging his sheets up.

‘Come on, Tabby and Brian. Tell me the truth. Come out, come out, whoever you are.’

Curtis stared from behind the door and Tabitha knew he’d have to come into the room. Rex started shaking a pillow in his mouth and wagging his tail.

‘Okay, I’ll help you both out.’

A video pinged up on the screen and started playing. It was their doorbell footage showing Curtis waiting at the door. Only Aunt Claudia had access to the doorbell footage as far as Tabitha knew.

‘Hello, Curtis. Show yourself.’

‘Rex,’ Curtis said in a whisper, then louder as the dog ignored him.

Rex jumped off the bed and onto the landing with the pillow still dangling from his mouth, then Curtis held a sign up. I’m going home and I’ll log on. I’ll try to find a way of helping you from the inside. I don’t know how, but I’ll try.

Tabitha wanted to yell that it was a bad idea to log on. Once you gave yourself to OpenMeSmiler, there was no way out.

Brian began writing on a slip of paper and when finished, he casually knocked it towards Tabitha who knocked it off the desk. Curtis got down on all fours and reached in for it, reading what Tabitha knew said, no police. He ran with his dog, down the stairs and out of the house, slamming the front door behind him.

‘Bye, Curtis.’ OpenMeSmiler burst into fits of robotic laughter. ‘I love this game. Love it, love it, love it. Now it’s time for the next phase. Are you ready, Brian? Tabitha?’

She wasn’t ready.

‘There’s only one way out of this and we are leaving the virtual dark path for the real one. More instructions coming soon. Your journey awaits and I am thrilled to be your guide. The company you keep is everything. Sometimes you can’t help but be in their company, and that my friend is just bad luck, other times you chose that company and that is a choice. You chose bad.’

‘I didn’t choose what happened to me.’ Tabitha’s face burned up. She wanted to scratch that voice out of her ears and remove those images that had burned onto her retinas. Abel had used her, abused her trust and then he’d been a horrible prick when he ghosted her, but sharing those photos had been an all-time low even for him. He must have put them online and now everyone was going to see them. ‘I didn’t choose…’

‘What makes you think I was talking about you, little Tabby?’

She turned to look at Brian whose pressed together lips were sealed. ‘What the hell are you involved in, Brian? What have you done?’ She slapped his back, then his chest until they were in a full-on fight, like when they were kids. ‘I hate you.’ Slaps and pushes flew between them.

Exhausted from fighting, Tabitha pulled away and sat back in the chair. There had been no voice coming from OpenMeSmiler for ages now. She’d even forgotten they were being watched after letting all her frustrations out on dumbass’s body but still the threat loomed over them. She flinched as her phone rang. It was Aunt Claudia.

‘Answer it,’ Brian said.

She stepped out of the room, knowing she couldn’t ignore the call.

‘Tabitha, sweetheart. Was there a dog in our house? I don’t want the dog in our house and not on the couch or the beds either – yuck. I know Curtis has left but please, just no dogs, okay. Gotta go.’ She ended the call.

‘Aunt Claudia said no dogs on the bed.’ Her chest tightened, she couldn’t breathe properly and the room started to sway. She held on to the wall outside Brian’s bedroom and let the tears she’d held in spill out down her face. Smile – OpenMeSmiler – Aunt Claudia sold dental equipment. Aunt Claudia had to have known about Abel and she had to have been keeping tabs on what Brian was up to on his computer. She knew about the company they were both keeping. Aunt Claudia was a tech wizard. Now, Aunt Claudia knew about Rex being on the bed. ‘It’s Aunt Claudia,’ Tabitha mouthed. Her aunt was a murderer and now she was out to destroy them, teach them some sort of sick lesson, and there was nothing they could do about it.

Forty-Six

Gina

O’Connor drove them to Jackson and Curtis Dunton’s house. Gina stepped out of the car as O’Connor drove ahead to find somewhere to park. She tapped the window and opened the passenger door to the unmarked police car where PC Smith was sitting in the front eating a chocolate bar. ‘Any action?’ she asked.

‘The son went out with the dog a while back and as far as I’m aware, Jackson is in. He hasn’t come or gone since I’ve been here.’

‘So, you haven’t seen Jackson at all?’

‘No. The lights are on and there is a flicker from behind the curtains downstairs suggesting that there’s a telly on but I haven’t seen anyone.’ He looked at her. ‘Any chance of leaving you and O’Connor here for fifteen minutes? I’m desperate for a pee and there’s a McDonald’s down the road.’

‘Yes, go, and I’d love a coffee. Could you grab O’Connor one, too? It’s going to be a long night.’ She pulled a twenty-pound note from her pocket and passed it to PC Smith. ‘Get one yourself.’

‘Thanks, guv.’

O’Connor walked back towards them and got in the back of the car as PC Smith stepped out, leaving her in the front and O’Connor in the back. While updating him with what PC Smith had said, she checked the rear-view mirror, watching as the PC walked down the path and turned left towards the McDonald’s on the main road.

‘The son can’t be much longer if he’s out walking the dog,’ O’Connor said.

‘On the contrary, what is he? Eighteen? He could be gone all night or for a week.’ Gina leaned back in the seat, her gaze not leaving the house.

‘You’re right.’ His shoulders dropped and he yawned.

Gina half wondered if she should call Jacob to step in but refrained from saying anything. O’Connor would go back home and end up missing his wife like crazy. Her colleague wasn’t used to this pace, not like she and Jacob were and his lumbering was getting to her a little. ‘We could do with knowing if Jackson is actually in the house. Maybe we should take a closer look.’ They both needed a bit of action to get the answers they needed and to wake up a little. She opened the car door and stepped back out onto the frosty pavement, glad she’d brought her woolly gloves with her. She took them out of her pocket and pulled them on.

O’Connor pulled his hat on as he followed her. ‘Are you sure this is a good idea, guv? What if he sees us?’

She shrugged. ‘We just tell him that we’re following up on something and if it gets bad, well we actually have a warrant to arrest him. It’s not ideal as we need to know if he’s holding Dustin somewhere.’ She let out a long breath. ‘I still can’t fathom that scene out at the Victorian house. We found Jackson’s bank card there. It all seems too obvious. But we saw that message to his son from Brian, about a dark path, and that is consistent with OpenMeSmiler. They’re connected to all this somehow, I just don’t know how. First things first, we need to know if we’re watching an empty house because we have better things to be doing if we are.’

‘Does he have a doorbell camera? I can’t remember seeing one when we came here last.’ O’Connor stopped just before the house, hanging back behind a tall hedge.

Gina peered around. ‘I can’t see any cameras and there isn’t a doorbell. We’re in the clear.’ She skirted around the car on the drive, peering in through the side windows as she passed. There was nothing on the seats or in the centre console. She didn’t know what she expected to find – a neon sign with OpenMeSmiler flashing away? She headed to the first window, where the blinds were down but she could see a little through the slats. ‘It’s a study.’ She beckoned for O’Connor to follow her and cringed at the heaviness of his feet as they hit the ground.

He half tripped on an uneven slab and stumbled into the window, tapping it as he landed. ‘Damn.’ He stood up straight as if waiting for someone to burst through the front door with a bat.

She had to be careful, drawing O’Connor into things like this. He wasn’t as fast thinking as Jacob. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be the one to get them caught out and that could seal Dustin’s fate. He muttered something under his breath and rubbed his arm. She held her finger to her mouth, hoping he’d stop being noisy and let her listen. He kept still and she didn’t hear a thing. They were in the clear. She glanced up at the bedroom windows. The curtains were open and a lamp lit up one of the rooms, or was it more of a blue hue, like that of a computer? Old-fashioned lace netting covered the window. She stared hard but saw no one behind it. She stepped onto the porch and tiptoed to be able to see through the half-moon window at the top of the door. An overspilling laundry basket and a dog bed filled the narrow hallway. Light flooded through from the kitchen, and again, there seemed to be no one around, not even the shadow of a person.

O’Connor’s phone beeped. ‘Sorry.’ He switched it off.

Gina raised her brows at him. He could have got them caught yet again but thankfully, no one had been alerted. She was half tempted to tell him to go back to the car but she kept her mouth shut. On stepping onto the grass where she hoped to be able to see through the thin gap in the curtains, she almost fell backwards as loud dog barks filled the night air. She grabbed O’Connor’s arm and pulled him back towards the car, just in time to hide from Curtis as he came around the corner. They ducked and O’Connor fell to the tarmac, the thud obscured by the barking dog. Her heart hammered in her ribcage as she peered underneath the car.

The Alsatian snarled and jumped in their direction, only held back by a lead. ‘Rex, pack it in, will you?’ She peered around the bonnet to see Curtis struggling to get his key out of his pocket. ‘Rex, stop it.’

The dog caught Gina’s eye and began snapping on the end of its lead, pulling with more urgency now.

Curtis turned his key in the lock and stepped into the house, dragging the snarling dog with him and Gina placed a hand over her heart as she too fell in a heap on the ground next to O’Connor.

‘That was close, guv.’

‘It certainly was and we’re no nearer to knowing if Jackson is actually in the house.’

She flinched at the slam coming from down the road and she knew that it was PC Smith getting back into his car. ‘Shall we grab those coffees and watch from afar?’

He nodded.

They crept alongside the car and back onto the path.

She glanced back, disappointed that she hadn’t got what she came for. Curtis closed his curtains, turning the blue hue to a bluish line in the gap. A song by Drake blasted out. Her heart jumped as someone opened the front door. A man in a thick overcoat with a hat pulled almost over the top of his eyes, hood concealing most of the top half of his face, stepped out of the house. ‘I think it’s Jackson.’ She grabbed O’Connor and linked her arm in his and pretended to laugh. ‘Actually, I can’t be a hundred per cent but he’s just come from the house.’ The man didn’t notice them at all. He started running and darted onto a path behind the houses.

‘We can’t lose him. This might be Dustin’s only chance.’ She sprinted towards the path. Behind Jackson and Curtis’s house was a lane but no sign of the man. An engine roared from behind the trees. She fought her way through a cut in the hedge, pushing the dangling branches aside, then she crossed the patch of grass and burst through the bushes at the other end only to catch the tail end of a white van turning a corner. She ran to the road and moments later, O’Connor caught up and ran to the end of the road, but Gina knew he had no chance of catching the vehicle. It was well gone. He raised his arms in the air and let them drop before turning back to her.

She clenched her fists. ‘I think we just lost our only chance of saving Dustin.’

Forty-Seven

Gina

Gina hammered on the door until Curtis answered. For an eighteen-year-old, he still looked so young. ‘Hang on.’ He closed the door on them and the barking got quieter. He opened the door again. ‘Sorry, I had to shut Rex in the kitchen.’ He gave them a long look. ‘You again?’

‘Us again. Is your dad in?’ She knew the answer to that one.

‘No, he’s working and hasn’t been home all day. Then I think he said something about a date. He might not even be back tonight.’

‘He wasn’t just home?’

Curtis shook his head. ‘No. I haven’t heard from him at all this afternoon.’

‘Someone just left your house. A man in a thick coat, with a hat on.’

Curtis frowned. ‘I’ve been home a few minutes and there was no one in.’

‘Do you know where your dad went?’

‘Er, let me see. We have apps on our phones. I’ll be able to find him. He’s probably at the Angel Arms. I know he mentioned that he might go there after dinner.’

‘Do you know the name of his date?’

‘No.’ Curtis began swiping and prodding his phone, then he frowned. ‘That’s odd. He’s on the road where Nan used to live, when she was alive.’

Mindy’s house. She beckoned PC Smith over. ‘I’m so sorry to tell you, we have a warrant for your father’s arrest so we’ll need to search your house⁠—’

Curtis darted up the stairs and Gina followed. He leaned over his computer and began moving the mouse. An array of stripes and zigzags filled the screen. Curtis ran his fingers through his hair and banged on the keyboard several times.

‘What’s going on?’ Gina asked.

‘I, err, I was just trying to fix my computer… I was in the middle of doing something when you knocked and I remembered. Sorry. I guess I’ll sort that later.’

Even though Curtis was not under arrest, she was deeply concerned about what he might be getting himself into. She glanced around his room, turning her attention to whatever was right opposite his screen. The action figure on the shelf wasn’t facing the same way as all the others. It was tilted slightly to the right. ‘May I take a look?’ She had a warrant but she didn’t want to scare Curtis any more than she had to.

‘Er, yes. Dad gave me those and I started collecting other He-Man things. Why do you want to look at my collection?’

She put her woolly gloves in one pocket and pulled on a pair of nitrile gloves from her other pocket, then she shifted the She-Ra figure to the left. The lens of a small device peered at her.

‘Is that…? Has someone been watching me?’

PC Smith and O’Connor entered the room.

‘PC Smith is going to stay with you and another car is on its way.’ Gina had to wonder if the man who just left the house had planted the camera.

‘But my dad, why do you want my dad?’

The dog’s barks from the kitchen made Gina flinch. ‘I can’t discuss the case with you at the moment but we just need to interview your dad. I’ll leave you in the capable hands of PC Smith. Do not leave the house as he will need to interview you, too.’ Her chest tightened at the thought of what that camera meant. She stared at the computer camera lens, then at the zigzagging screen. Curtis had to be a target and she had no idea why Jackson would want to spy on his own son. Was it even Jackson? If it wasn’t, why was he at Mindy’s house now, knowing that it was a part of a police investigation, especially as he claimed to not have a spare key?

She gestured for O’Connor to follow her and as soon as she was out the door, she messaged Briggs to update him and the team. We’re heading to Mindy’s house now. Jackson’s there.

As they ran towards O’Connor’s car, PC Smith burst out of the front door. ‘Curtis… Curtis…’

Gina darted back. ‘What’s happened?’

‘I turned my back for a second. The dog escaped from the kitchen somehow. I was helping him try to catch it in the living room and when I went back into the kitchen, he was gone. Did he come out here?’

Gina shook her head. ‘Round the back.’ They darted through the hallway and the back door was unlocked. The gate swayed in the gentle breeze. Gina sprinted towards it, glancing up and down the lane that ran along the back but there was no sign of the boy. She sighed. ‘We’ve lost him.’

Two PCs arrived. ‘I need you to search for the boy. He’s just left on foot. He could have gone up or down the lane. Do your best to find him.’ They ran ahead. Gina didn’t have any more energy to give chase and they couldn’t lose Jackson.

Shaking her head, Gina led O’Connor back to the car. She made the call for backup to meet her at Mindy’s house while she was being driven. O’Connor turned the heating up and the feeling in her fingers started to come back. She blew into her hands and rubbed them together.

O’Connor pulled up at the end of Mindy’s road and they got out just in time to spot Jackson inserting a key into the lock and stepping into the house. There wasn’t a vehicle parked outside Mindy’s house. She glanced up and down, searching for a van, or anything else that still ticked with a warm engine but there was nothing. Jackson wasn’t even wearing the clothes he’d left the house with but he could easily have removed the overcoat. Or it wasn’t him. She shivered as she thought of Curtis arriving home and the man leaving. What if it wasn’t his dad? She quickly typed out her concerns in a message and sent it to PC Smith.

She crept closer to the house. The bedroom light that used to be Mindy’s flashed on. After beckoning O’Connor to follow her, she nudged the unlocked door open and took the stairs one by one, not making a sound. The scene hadn’t even been released. Jackson was not permitted to be in the house and they had an arrest warrant for him. Her stomach sank and her legs came over a little shaky. What if he’d hidden Dustin right under their noses? Jackson had to be the man who’d left his own house in the thick overcoat. It could have been a stranger planting a camera but it was more likely to be the man who lived there.

As she reached the top of the stairs, O’Connor tripped up the step below her, almost knocking her into the bathroom door. They stopped and held their breath, both knowing that one wrong move could leave them with a hostage situation.

‘Who’s there?’

Damn, he’d heard them. ‘Police.’ She ran across the landing, ready for whatever was to come. ‘Jackson Dunton, you are under arrest for the murder of Mindy Carson and the kidnapping of Dustin Fuller. You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.’ She stared at the bed behind him and frowned.

Jackson put his hands in the air like they were on some American cop drama. On the bed lay a painting of a bunch of sunflowers in a blue vase. She frowned and Jackson glanced at the wall, then back at her. There was something there he didn’t want her to see.

‘You had a key all the time.’

He looked down.

Gina stared at the busy rose-covered wallpaper until she saw what he’d been glancing at. In the centre of one of the flowers there was a dark dot in one of the flower buds. She stepped closer and saw in the middle of one of the painted flowers was a pinprick of a hole. They’d missed one of the cameras during the search and Jackson was there, tampering with the evidence. She grabbed her handcuffs, turned him around and cuffed him. ‘Where’s Dustin? Where is he?’

He turned his head, his body still facing away from her. ‘No comment.’

Forty-Eight

Brian

Thursday, 22 January

‘No, you’re being ridiculous, Tabby. Really, Aunt Claudia?’ Brian glanced back at the screen. ‘We know she gets alerts when there’s someone at the door. She just guessed at the dog being on the bed. You know she hates animal fur, it gets up her sinuses.’

‘She guessed, huh? She’s a good guesser in that case. I don’t buy what you’re saying.’ Tabitha stared at the screen. ‘Come on, Aunt Claudia. Jokes over.’ Tabitha folded her arms and leaned back in the chair, casually half spinning back and forth.

He nudged her and whispered, ‘Why did you do that?’

She shrugged. ‘Because there’s nothing to be scared of. Our aunt is teaching us a valuable lesson about online safety in the most hideous of ways.’

He raised his brows and stared. ‘A woman has been murdered, Tabby.’

Tabitha laughed so loud, he almost reached for his noise cancelling headphones, then her laughter turned to tears. ‘It has to be her. We have to be okay. Tell me it’s all okay, Bri.’

He passed her his box of tissues. He couldn’t reassure her. Tabitha wanted to believe that all they’d been through was harmless but they both knew they were in huge trouble and they had no way of getting out of it. Curtis would be home now, trying to do something but Brian knew it wouldn’t help. Nothing would help. He went to grab his phone to message Curtis but left it. There was no point. OpenMeSmiler was watching their every move.

They flinched as a short video popped up on the screen.

‘Press play, Brian,’ came the robotic voice.

Brian felt Tabitha stiffen next to him. With wide eyes, they stared at the screen.

‘Don’t then, but you will watch. If you move from your seat once I press play, you know what will happen. A certain video will travel the globe immediately.’

Tabitha buried her face against his arm and OpenMeSmiler didn’t try to tell her to watch as the play tab was pressed. Bile rose up Brian’s gullet as the young man on-screen with the holey top was being prodded with a knife by OpenMeSmiler. The muffled, blood-curdling screams coming from behind the ball gag sent his fingers shaking. Brian couldn’t decipher any words but he knew the victim was begging for his life. The man in the morph mask came into shot, right behind the victim.

‘Is it over?’ Tabitha asked, her voice quivering.

‘Keep your eyes closed, Tabby.’ He tried to look away but he couldn’t. He glanced down at the stream of comments from earlier that day.

Do it, Smiler.

No mercy.

Bad things happen to bad people.

Slash his gullet open.

Brian’s throat began to close up. He hyperventilated and gasped for breath, trying to suck in precious air that was about as satiating as sucking on ice when you were starving. Tabitha wrapped her arms tightly around him, not helping at all.

OpenMeSmiler came from behind, removing the ball gag. He reached over, forcing the man’s mouth open before popping a couple of tablets down his throat. He then poured what Brian thought might be vodka down his throat. The man spluttered as he swallowed.

‘Noooo,’ the man yelled as he squirmed in the chair.

Brian’s heart banged so hard, he was sure he felt it forcing its way up his throat. He gasped again and again as the morph masked man brought the knife above the victim’s head. Brian screamed and the video stopped with the knife in mid-air.

‘Did you enjoy the show, Brian?’

‘You’re sick.’ He forced Tabitha’s hands off him and sucked in a full breath of air.

‘That’s where you’re wrong. Society is sick. The human race is sick. You know why?’ OpenMeSmiler didn’t want an answer so Brian listened. ‘Just look at the world. The worst of the worst get away with everything. Bad people rise to power and they run the world as we know it. The people with the least morals are the ones who people follow en masse. They’re the ones who have the most influence. We are mere pack animals, we follow and sneer at the weak, and there’s no need to deny that. You, Brian. You are the problem.’

‘What the hell am I meant to have done?’ How could the weight of a bad and evil world be on his shoulders? OpenMeSmiler was a lunatic, hurting innocent people. Brian certainly wasn’t a pack animal and his friends were good people. Except Abel, maybe, but they weren’t friends anymore. Was all this down to Abel? He wore that stupid smoking emoji top. Was it a smiling emoji? No one deserved what the man on the screen was going through.

‘I’ve been watching you. I’ve been watching you all.’

‘Spying you mean.’ He flicked the computer lens with his finger.

‘You hang around at the shops with Curtis and the others. I’ve been close enough to smell the bacon scent that clings to your clothes when you’ve just finished a shift at the café.’

Tabitha sobbed on his arm.

‘We’ve met. In real life?’ He swallowed.

‘Yes, Brian. Not that you knew but how do you think my card got into your pocket. I’m everywhere you don’t expect me to be but you don’t see me, no one does.’

It wasn’t Abel who lured him in. Abel may have been lured in separately. They’d all been played. Curiously lured into an exciting new world that had now become his worst nightmare. ‘Who are you?’

‘An intimate stranger.’

Tabitha stood and ran out of his room where she loitered by his door.

‘Tabby, come back.’

‘It’s okay, let her go so we can have our little chat.’ Demonic laughter filled his room.

‘How do I end this?’

‘You don’t. You have no control, so get used to it.’ Then silence. Brian jumped as OpenMeSmiler came back. ‘You did the one thing I asked you not to.’

He frowned while picking his nails under the desk.

‘You can pretend to look innocent but a short while ago, someone used your login to access OpenMeSmiler and all the time you were here, right where I could see you. So, here’s the deal. In your bedroom, there’s a bomb. The front door is also rigged. You will have three minutes to find the bomb and press the cancel button from when I say go.’

Brian stood, his legs almost buckling. He needed to get Tabitha out of the house. He pointed to the stairs and she didn’t waste a moment in running down them. He just about heard the kitchen door slamming. Run far away, Tabby. She knew he’d want her to survive this. He’d die for his little sis.

Demonic laughter filled his bedroom. ‘Fool, it’s not a traditional bomb. It’s the bomb of your life exploding. Unless you find the device, your personal little video and your sister’s photos will be released to the world.’ OpenMeSmiler paused. ‘Time starts… now.’

He tipped his mattress up, threw all his books off his shelves and emptied the contents of his drawers into the middle of his room. A huge timer came up on his screen, red numbers against black. His life depended on him finding some device and he had no idea what it looked like or where it was. He pulled his bedside table over – nothing. Nothing anywhere. Clothes flew, old leads and gaming equipment tangled in a heap and again – nothing.

The timer kept going.

‘I can’t find it.’

OpenMeSmiler did not answer.

‘Ninety seconds… seventy seconds.’

Brian grabbed his hair, pulled it and screamed. Quick, think. There was only one more place to look. He pulled the picture off his wall and his heart almost stopped as he heard a key in the front door turning. ‘No.’ He ran onto the landing just as someone entered and slammed the front door. ‘You… you…’ It was too late. His life as he knew it was over. He sat on the floor with his hands over his ears and his head tucked between his knees waiting for his life to explode.

Forty-Nine

Tabitha

With her back to the fence in the garden, Tabitha stared up at the house waiting for a bomb to go off. Brian’s screams of anguish and pain, reached into her very core, twisting it until she felt his pain, too. She placed her hands over her ears, not wanting to hear her brother get blown to pieces. She stared up at his bedroom. It was still there. There hadn’t been a bang.

She grabbed her phone and called Aunt Claudia. Brian was right. She’d been stupid suspecting their aunt. They couldn’t do this on their own anymore. Aunt Claudia would know what to do. They had to come clean.

She pressed Claudia’s number and she answered immediately. ‘Tabitha?’

‘We need you, Aunt Claudia. You have to come home, now.’

‘What’s going on?’

How did she explain all that had happened? She didn’t have the words. ‘Please just hurry.’

‘I’m on my way, actually. I was already on my way. Really, I thought I could trust you both.’ Their aunt let out a sarcastic laugh. Tabitha went to interrupt but Aunt Claudia continued. ‘One of the neighbour’s called and I’m not too happy with you and Brian. Thinking you could bypass the doorbell camera by smuggling your party in over the back fence. You’re both in so much trouble. I’m guessing all has gone to shit and you need me. Is the damn dog back, too?’

A loud crash coming from behind sent her gasping. An axe head narrowly missed her but knocked her phone from her hands. It flew through the air and landed face down in one of the muddy borders. She went to chase after it but a rope coming from above hooked under her chin. Whoever held it, wrapped it around again then pulled it upwards choking her.

‘Scream and I will throttle that pretty little neck until it snaps.’ The voice was nothing more than a whisper but she heard every word.

She stood on her tiptoes, not daring to move an inch as the man in the morph mask axed through the rest of the panel. OpenMeSmiler had come for her. He dragged her through the gap, the jagged wood scraping through her jogging bottoms and scratching her legs. There was no bomb. The front door hadn’t been rigged. This was all part of his game plan and she had run straight into it. She tried to say something, to croak out some words but choking noises came out instead. He then continued dragging her along the path behind their house where she kicked repeatedly to no avail. She needed a dog walker or a late-night reveller returning home to save her. What was she thinking? It was early on a Thursday morning. There were no late-night revellers in the week and she couldn’t scream if she wanted to.

The boot of a parked car popped up.

She squeaked out a noise among the choking and shook her head rapidly but OpenMeSmiler pulled the rope tighter until she had no option but to keep still or die. As he brought her closer, she tried to hit him but missed. He punched her hard in the face until the faint whispers coming from his mouth were nothing more than moving lips with no sound. Her legs buckled as she fought to stay conscious. She’d never been punched before.

The stars above in the icy night sky started to spin. As she fell back, she was saved by the arms of her attacker as he wrestled to turn her over and tie her hands behind her back.

Her vision started to clear a little, the boot coming into focus and the smell hitting her. The deep scent of ammonia made her stomach lurch but she did all she could to hold on to it. She widened her eyes as he tipped her right next to the dark mound in the boot.

The closer she got, the more she could see. It was a body, eyes wide open with no shine to them at all – a smile drawn crudely over the man’s lips and a corner of paper sticking out from his mouth. She kicked out but all she hurt was the inside of the car.

He slammed the boot shut. The killer had her trapped. She was next and there was nothing she could do about it.

Fifty

Gina

The last thing Gina needed was to be stuck in an interview room with Jackson when he kept saying, no comment. Those two words repeated in her mind and the duty solicitor’s constant yawning was grating on her. All she knew is that Jackson arrived at Mindy’s by taxi and he’d left his car at home as he’d been drinking.

O’Connor twiddled a Biro between his thumb and index finger, over and over again.

Gina slammed her cup of water on the table. ‘Mr Dunton, a young man is missing. Where is Dustin?’

He let out a long slow breath, pursed his lips and began rubbing his stubble.

‘My client doesn’t have any more to say.’ The solicitor folded his arms.

‘Doesn’t he?’ Gina stared at Jackson.

He let out a loud roar and began running his fingers through his thick short hair. His face contorted until she saw his eyes watering up.

‘Mr Dunton, what is it? A man’s life is at risk. His name is Dustin and his mother is beside herself. You have a son.’

‘Me being at Mindy’s house. It’s not what you think.’

‘Why? Please explain. I need to understand.’ She kept her tense hands under the table, not wanting to stop him from talking.

He huffed out a breath, scraped his chair back and began taking deep breaths. He placed his head between his legs.

‘Mr Dunton, are you okay?’ His behaviour was starting to worry Gina.

‘Yes,’ he said in a mumble.

‘Why were you at Mindy’s house?’

‘I had no choice.’ He sat bolt upright.

She frowned. ‘Go on.’

He shook his head. ‘I can’t.’ His stare pleaded with her to stop but she couldn’t. Mindy had been murdered.

‘You can. There’s still time to save Dustin.’

‘I’m sorry. I lied about the key but people kept losing them so this time, when Mindy moved in, I made sure I had one cut. I didn’t use it, ever, until tonight. I’ve had to call a locksmith twice because they keep locking themselves out and, of course, the window catch hadn’t been broken before.’

She sighed. Him opening up couldn’t only be about the key. ‘I need to know what led you to Mindy’s bedroom, Mr Dunton. As you know, we are currently searching your house. What are we going to find?’

He began to shake as he pulled his chair back in. ‘I, err… I’m involved in something and I can’t see a way out.’ He began to sob, big ugly, desperate sobs mingled with clenched fists.

‘Then, please let us help. You have to tell us what you know.’

‘I’ve been on this forum, on the dark web. It’s called OpenMeSmiler.’ He went silent.

‘How did you find out about OpenMeSmiler?’

‘When I got home, I found a card in my pocket. Someone must have slipped it in there or maybe I picked it up with a receipt at a shop. I don’t know. I’d just got back from walking the dog on the field by the skatepark. I don’t think I had it before then.’ He paused. ‘Actually, when I got home, I noticed my wallet was missing so I went back to the field.’

‘As you know, we found your wallet and bank card in the house on Raven Drive. Can you explain how it got there?’

‘No, I can’t. I went back to the field and all my other cards were strewn over the grass. Just the one was missing and my wallet, of course. I called the bank and cancelled the card but it didn’t matter. It was an old card so it was invalid. I didn’t think about it again. I’d just been grateful that nothing valuable was missing.’

‘Did you notice anyone suspicious in the park?’

He slowly shook his head. ‘Wait, someone with a dog walked into me and apologised.’

‘Did you see this person?’

‘I didn’t take any notice. It was just a man and I was messaging my son at the time. I can’t remember.’

Someone was trying to set Jackson up, but who? Whoever killed Mindy and has Dustin – that’s who was behind it all. Could that person really be the man in front of them?

‘Okay, can we go back to the card. You got home, went back to the skatepark area, picked up your cards and then went back home. Is that when you found the OpenMeSmiler card in your pocket?’

‘Yes. OpenMeSmiler was written on the front. Several Bloody Mary’s later in my study I got the card out and noticed there was print on the back. It said, tor browser, and there was a link underneath. I typed it in and it led me straight to OpenMeSmiler. It took me a while to be able to gain entry but when I did, it was full of videos of people milling around in their own worlds. Videos of various streets around the world, interiors of pubs and clubs. Then there was those of people in their homes. I knew it was wrong but it was compelling and as I said, I was drunk and stupid.’ He closed his eyes for a second. ‘I set up an account and got talking to some guy. He checked me out and let me in. I’ve been on it for a couple of weeks. It’s not just me, there are loads of people on it. I saw links to go further and caught comments mentioning a dark path and something about a tavern but I could never get in, then a couple of days later, this guy asks me if I’m ready and I said yes. At this point, I’m thinking this is all some silly harmless joke built like a game for adults to have a bit of fun.’

‘A bit of fun?’

He shrugged. ‘Adult fun. I thought it was all set up to arouse if you get me. I didn’t think they were real people in their bedrooms, unaware that they were being filmed but I clicked. I was on the dark web. It dawned on me that it was real.’ He looked down. ‘Getting in was taking ages so I browsed the net a bit and then tonight, a message popped up on my screen. I say pop up, my whole computer was taken over and I had no choice but to watch. I pressed every button. I tried to crash the system, shut it down, but nothing worked. Then…’ He placed his head in his hand and sobbed.

‘Then what?’

‘I didn’t hurt anyone. I swear. I didn’t hurt the woman at the pet salon and I don’t know anyone called Dustin.’

The killer was still out there. Jackson seemed distraught and Gina needed to move fast. ‘What happened after that?’

Jackson sat bolt upright in silence for what felt like an eternity, eyes dark under the rim, lips bitten down. ‘OpenMeSmiler sent me a video of myself and said if I didn’t do exactly what I was told, it would be shared to all my contacts, to all my work colleagues. When I said I browsed the net, I mean I looked at porn – legal porn and that bastard had been watching me through my computer lens. I was stupid, so stupid, so I did what I was told.’

‘Which was?’

‘Go to Mindy’s house. Go into the bedroom and remove all evidence of the camera behind the picture. After that, my computer began playing up. Zigzag shapes filled the screen, like a virus was wiping everything from my computer.’

‘Go back to the park, when you bumped into the man.’

He wiped the damp trails from his cheeks. Gina passed him the box of tissues. ‘I can’t remember anything.’

‘Please try.’

He scrunched his brows. ‘Am I still under arrest?’

‘We’re going through your house and we’ll talk through your statement after, but I thank you for your cooperation.’ It was likely that as long as nothing incriminating came from his home, he’d be released. ‘About the man?’

‘Err, he had a dog, but like I said, I was messaging Curtis and then I scrolled through Facebook. I don’t know what type of dog and it was late afternoon, so it was dark.’

‘Small or big dog?’

He shrugged. ‘Wait, the man had this really thick, long coat on. He must have been wearing a hat, all dark clothes.’

‘A long thick coat?’

‘Yes. Oh, and I caught sight of a pin badge. The light from my phone caught it. It was a football.’

Gina frowned. It was the perp. Garth had mentioned the football talk that had happened on the forums. The same chat that had lured people into OpenMeSmiler.

‘Were you at your house earlier? Did you leave around eleven thirty?’

‘No, about nine, I went to the Angel for a few. Was meant to go on a date but I cancelled it. Then I walked around freezing my balls off before calling the taxi to take me to Mindy’s road. I knew I shouldn’t have gone in but I knew I had no choice. I walked around the block a couple of times, totally torn as to what I should do.’

‘So, the staff at the Angel would be able to confirm you were there?’

He nodded. ‘Yes. I never went back home.’

‘There was someone, other than your son, in your house just before we went in with the warrant. We thought it was you, so we gave chase. The man that left had a long thick coat on.’

Jackson stared wide-eyed. ‘He’s been in my house? Where’s Curtis?’

‘He also ran after letting us in your house.’

‘He’s ruined me and now he’s coming for my boy. He won’t stop until he destroys us both and it’s all my fault.’

‘Do you know where Curtis could be?’

‘No. This Dustin, the man you say is missing? Has he taken my son?’

There had been zigzags on Curtis’s and Jackson’s screens. She recalled the mention of the dark path on Curtis’s iPad but wasn’t aware of the relevance at the time. ‘Do you know anything else, Mr Dunton? We have reason to believe that Curtis was also logging on to OpenMeSmiler.’

‘No, not my son. Please, not my son.’ He roared again. ‘How…? He didn’t get it from me.’ He frowned. ‘Wait, I know where he’d run to. His friend Brian’s. Claudia’s away, that’s Brian’s aunt. Curtis told me earlier. The kids are on their own. You need to go there now before something terrible happens.’

Gina knew what terrible meant. Dustin was episode two and now there was going to be an episode three unless she could stop OpenMeSmiler.

Fifty-One

Brian

‘Brian, snap out of it.’ Curtis punched his arm. ‘The police are searching my house and they’ve gone after my dad. They’re arresting him. We need to do something.’

‘I’ve been destroyed.’ He gripped his legs, still on his bedroom floor in the foetal position. Aunt Claudia was on her way back. Would she see the video? It would be on every phone, posted to OpenMeSmiler, on social media and emailed to his boss at the café. Everyone would be pinged out of their slumber to a video of him masturbating and there was nothing he could do about it. He didn’t know about being scared of OpenMeSmiler. He wanted to die right now.

‘You’ve been destroyed, huh? It’s all about you, Brian. What about my dad? The police are after him, and they’re searching my house and I ran away from them. I don’t know what to do. You brought me into all this. I couldn’t fix it. It stuffed my computer up.’

Brian lifted his head up. Curtis was right about it being his fault. ‘Have you got any messages?’

Curtis pulled his phone from his pocket. ‘No, but I do have missed calls which I’m guessing are from the very police I ran from. Bri, I’m right in it.’

Brian grabbed Curtis’s phone and scrolled down his messages. There was nothing from OpenMeSmiler. Had he sent the video to everyone in his friends list, Curtis would have it. He glanced at his computer screen and it was still filled with zigzags.

‘See your computer, that’s what happened to mine. It’s stuffed. OpenMeSmiler has to be a virus.’

‘No, no, it’s more than that. Why…?’ It clicked. ‘He told me there was a bomb in my room – well not a bomb – I’ve been blackmailed. I was told I had to find it. He said the front door was rigged and when you came through, I thought my life was over. Tabby, she ran out the back, she thought it was a real bomb.’ He stood and opened his curtains, staring out at the garden. ‘She’s not there. The fence… it’s broken.’ As he went to run, his phone pinged.

‘Is it Tabby?’ Curtis asked.

He opened the message from the withheld number and read it out loud. ‘If Curtis leaves, the video will be leaked. You have one more chance. I have your sister. Any police – she dies. Any phone calls – she dies. Any attempts to reach the outside world on your devices – she dies. That goes for Curtis, too. Curtis must stay in your room. You must leave now if you ever want to see your sister alive again.’

A photo followed. Brian almost heaved as he showed it to Curtis. Tabitha, bleeding and tied to a chair. Another message pinged up.

‘What does it say?’

‘Leave now, out the back. Go through the broken fence and to the end of the road. If you tell anyone else, she dies.’ He read the next instruction in his head. He glanced around his bedroom. It felt like OpenMeSmiler knew everything, like he was everywhere and anywhere. ‘Don’t move, Curtis. If you move, Tabby will die. You’ve seen what this maniac can do to people. They killed the woman from the dog parlour.’

‘What if something happens to you?’

He shrugged. He’d give his life for Tabby. When their parents died, he swore he’d look after her, protect her from everything he could and now his promises were to become more than words. ‘I’m going to get my sister.’

‘But the police, they’re coming for me. They’ll find me here.’

‘So, what. Deal with it, but you move and OpenMeSmiler won’t have to come for you. I’ll kill you.’

Curtis slumped into Brian’s gaming chair and folded his arms. ‘Cool, just hurry up.’

Brian went out of his bedroom door.

‘Bri?’

‘What now?’ He peered back around as he pulled his hoodie over his shoulders.

‘What if your aunt comes back?’

He shrugged and ran. He didn’t care. All he cared about was saving Tabitha. He jumped down the stairs, two-by-two and ran towards the back door. As he left through the back door, he heard the front door being unlocked and Claudia’s voice calling out. He couldn’t stop now. He ran across the grass and towards the back of the fence and gasped as he saw the mess. Wood snapped and crudely broken. A whole fence panel had been bashed in. He carefully climbed through the gap, checking up and down the dark path for anyone lurking. His phone beeped again with an exact location and he frowned.

He knew that woodland, right where they all used to take a pee when he hung out with Abel and the others. He swallowed and ran, passing rows of houses, taking shortcuts through hedges and he jumped a fence over a private garden, just to save several more seconds. Time was everything. Tabitha needed him now. The woodland was in sight and police tape billowed in the light breeze. He stopped, breathed in and out, his breath coiling as its warmth hit the cold air. His heart pounded from the sprint but it didn’t calm down now he’d stopped. With trembling legs, he kept walking, further and further into the woods. ‘Let her go,’ he said, his yelling cutting through the woodland. He fought through a trail of thorny branches, unable to see in the darkness, scared to use his phone in case OpenMeSmiler thought he might be calling the police. ‘Tabby… Tabby…’

The snap of a branch sent him whipping his head around and as he did, it made contact with a piece of wood, so hard he fell backwards in a heap. Blood gushed from his nose, down the back of his throat. He spluttered and quickly rolled onto his side before he choked. He glanced back at the figure above him, in the long dark overcoat holding the plank and the only feature he caught was a smiling mouth that had now been cut out of the morph mask.

‘Smile, you’re on camera.’ The masked figure held his phone out and the flash almost blinded Brian but he did see the plank coming at his face again and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Fifty-Two

Gina

Gina ran into the incident room with O’Connor. ‘Send uniform straight to seventeen Bramble Avenue.’ Claudia – she’d heard that name twice before and now a third time.

‘Who checked Ursula’s alibi? She was on the phone to a friend called Claudia.’ She had to be Brian’s aunt. Brian and his sister lived with her.

Jacob raised his brows. ‘That was me. Claudia Forster was working away, some sort of training course for people who sold dental equipment. A business called BSP. It stands for Big Smiley Pearls.’

‘Smiley. Smiler. Let’s go.’ She pulled her coat on over her shoulders and fed her arms into the sleeves, avoiding the tears of the past couple of days. They were more like giant holes now. Holes – Dustin – the young man wearing that jumper, and the mother so desperate for them to bring him home. A sick feeling rose in her gut. The killer had barely kept Mindy for any length of time before she was murdered.

‘Uniform are on their way to the house, guv. They’ll meet you there,’ Wyre said.

‘Kapoor?’

The trainee detective sat up. ‘I want you to check Claudia Forster out. Look at her social media, online records, everything.’

‘On it, guv. Also, I’ve ploughed through the supermarket footage and there are a few faces to run by you. Most got into cars or headed in the other direction but only a small handful left the shop and headed towards the path that led to the park. Six actually.’

‘Show me.’

Kapoor nodded and opened the photos on the tablet screen.

Gina browsed through the slightly fuzzy images but was drawn to one of a teen boy carrying a paper pharmacy bag. ‘That’s Brian.’

As she and O’Connor were about to leave, Garth walked in wearing a wig with a blonde short back and sides, a suit and a paisley tie, all topped off with a pair of large gold-rimmed glasses with a brownish tint to them. ‘I decided to become my fake profile, anything to get us in.’

Gina dropped her bag back on the table. ‘And?’ She checked her watch.

He placed his laptop down on the table, facing out so they could all see. ‘I took the dark path. An easy to find AI video of someone dancing naked made for a great way in. I put my face on it and boom. OpenMeSmiler got hold of it and as predicted, I got threatened – talk and it would be released to the world. In return for loyalty, or should I call it blackmail, I got let in and this is what I saw. It was live half an hour ago.’ He hit replay.

They all watched as the video tracked a body from above being dragged across a field in the dark. ‘It’s Dustin.’ Gina looked down.

‘The perp stops here, next to a bin. It looks professionally graffitied.’ Garth paused the video and zoomed in on the detail.

‘It’s a skateboard,’ Gina said. ‘Dustin has been left at the skatepark. It’s close to where Mindy’s body was found. Get a team down there, now. We’ll need dogs and forensics. Call emergency services. We’re taking a diversion,’ she said to O’Connor. ‘Jacob, can you and Wyre head to Claudia’s house and I’ll meet you there after the skatepark.’

‘Guv.’ PC Ahmed stood in the doorway at the back. ‘We’ve had reports of a burnt-out van on the outskirts of Cleevesford. It sounds like it was lit up a few hours ago. It’s a large white van and uniform are already at the scene. I know we were looking out for large white vans.’

‘The perp is destroying evidence. Any number plates?’

‘Yes, it was reported stolen around August last year and hadn’t been seen before tonight.’

‘Just after Mindy moved back to the area and started working for Ursula. Mindy’s move was the catalyst, but we still don’t know why Mindy?’

‘Guv…’ Kapoor said while looking at her screen.

‘What?’

‘I’ve found a link between Mindy, Dustin and Claudia. It’s on their social media profiles. They all went to St Benedict’s High School in Cleevesford and were all in the same year together.’

Gina half froze. There was no time to attend the scene where Dustin was. ‘Claudia isn’t the perp, she’s the next victim. We have to get to her before it’s too late.’

Fifty-Three

Unknown

This is all going perfectly to plan. Months of prep led me here and now it’s nearly over and I can’t wait to start my new life.

I didn’t anticipate that Claudia was going to be on a course and out of town so one message from ‘a concerned neighbour’, telling her about a party at her house brought her right back home. I suspect she has a love interest because she was only an hour away. Again, I’d have preferred her not to be away but I did it. I got her to come home.

As for Mindy, she was so predictable. Serves her right for being online with open profiles everywhere back when she lived with Carmen. One infiltration of her laptop gave me the naked photos of her and a sexy neighbour to blackmail her with, then she moved, right where I wanted her to move to, close to her dear brother. After that, she walked right into my plan with her regular-as-clockwork routine.

I let out a laugh. Dustin, so easy to manipulate. He was such a good and needy little puppet, desperately seeking approval regardless of what he’d have to do to gain it.

I scroll through my humungous database, knowing that very soon, all will be revealed. Thousands of eager watchers all wait for what I’ve promised will be an exciting night. I’ve given them Episode Two but I’ll continue to make them wait for the big finale that will be Episode Three. Some things need savouring and what comes next will be just for me. It’s time to go offline for that so I click to shut down my computer.

Goodbye, watchers.

I stare at the stupid pair of kids that I’ve chained together, back-to-back on heavy wooden chairs. The last thing I wanted was to bloody my room up with the boy’s smashed-up nose but it is what it is. I’ll deal with the mess later. As for the girl, she’s collateral damage but the company the boy keeps is much worse than hers. Actually, I’m glad he’s in agony. His groans are my delight.

By the time daylight cracks through, I’ll be flying away to a whole new life. This place will be burnt to the ground, taking the whole building down, and my mission will be complete. I quickly check my bank account. Greed isn’t in my bones but needs must and a few of the people I lured in had good money so I added it to the money I got from Mindy and I now have enough wedge to get away from here and start a new life with a new identity. Passport – check. Driver’s licence – check.

Brian tries to groan through the ball gag but he’s making no sense at all. Tabitha, sweet little Tabitha – a cog in my wheel – she’s dazed and I do feel sorry for her but not sorry enough to unleash her. By the end of all this, they will know too much. I glance at the container full of petrol and the box of matches. Do I just turn them all into ash? That’s a question I can’t answer yet. That all depends on Claudia.

I send her one last message, knowing she has no option but to obey my instruction.

Any police, they both die. If you’re not where you should be in five minutes, they will both die. Any veering off plan – they die.

I take my knife from the table, the same knife that is still encrusted with Mindy and Dustin’s blood and I hold it at Tabitha’s neck and take a photo. Her split, bruised cheek is alarming, even for me. I didn’t enjoy doing that but I had to shut her up.

Tabitha starts screaming under the gag, her dazed stare now wild with fear. I send the photo to Claudia.

Episode Three’s thumbnail is just picture-perfect.

Fifty-Four

Gina

Her heart sank as she darted out of O’Connor’s car, stab vest on, into the open doorway of Claudia’s house. Wyre and Jacob were close behind but they couldn’t wait for them. They had to go in, now. ‘Claudia, Brian, Tabitha, it’s the police. We’re coming in.’ She was sure she heard a voice coming from upstairs. ‘Hello?’

O’Connor and two PCs ran through the downstairs and O’Connor shouted as he came back. ‘Clear.’

They hurried up the stairs. The voice came again but she couldn’t hear what was being said. ‘Police.’ She flung open the first two doors to the right of the stairs. One was an empty master suite and the other was a box room. To the left of the stairs, there were two more closed door rooms and a bathroom. On opening the first bedroom on the left, she saw Curtis, sitting stiffly and staring at a computer screen covered in zigzags.

‘Curtis,’ she said.

He continued to stare with his mouth open, not turning to acknowledge her entrance. ‘He’s watching, always watching.’ He placed his index finger over his mouth to shush Gina.

The room had been turned upside down. Clothes covered the floor. The bedside tables were on their sides with the drawers spilling out and the bed was ruffled up.

‘It’s the computer,’ Curtis said in a whisper. ‘There’s nothing else in the room.’

Gina grabbed a blanket and threw it over the screen.

‘Why did you do that?’ Curtis began to shake. ‘He’ll kill them. He’ll kill them all.’

‘Who, Curtis? Where is everyone?’

Curtis began to gasp, then he couldn’t breathe.

‘It’s okay, Curtis. I’m DI Harte. You met me the other day. I’m here to help. Take a few deep breaths. You’re safe. We have you now.’

He half turned his head, his eyes red from staring and crying. ‘But Brian, Tabby… he has them. Tabby got taken. Brian went to save Tabby. He got taken and Claudia came home and now she’s gone to save them. She…’ He started hyperventilating. The eighteen-year-old looked like a little boy who had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

‘Curtis, you’re doing really well. Did they say where they were going?’

He shook his head. ‘They said if we told anyone or the police, Tabby would die and you’re here. They’ve seen you now.’

‘Who’s they?’

‘OpenMeSmiler. It’s all a game. All of it and we’re pawns. I saw the card on my dad’s desk and I threw it in the bin. I already knew Brian was hanging out on the site and I didn’t want my dad into all that.’ His voice turned into a whisper. ‘I, err…’ He paused.

‘What?’ Gina spoke softly.

‘I think someone has been trying to groom me over the past few days and the more I think about it, it has to be OpenMeSmiler. I received some Snapchats. They’ve gone now but the morning after the woman from the salon was taken…’ He paused again. ‘Now dead. I got a message from this online friend wanting to meet me. I thought it was odd as they said to meet in the woods by the Ferndale shops. When I got there, no one turned up. There were police there so that might be why. Then I got other messages, trying to arrange other meet-ups but they never came off.’ He swallowed. ‘I’ll never know what would have happened to me.’

Gina felt her heart sink. Every target had been carefully planned and events had happened so fast, that planning had been meticulous. She also didn’t have the heart to tell Curtis that OpenMeSmiler had already got to his dad. Why had Jackson and Curtis Dunton been targets and why had Brian and Tabby been taken? Mindy, Dustin and Claudia had the school link but the kids and the Duntons were not a part of it all. She frowned as she looked at Curtis again. He’d been in trouble at school for sharing an intimate photo of a female student with friends. She knew that OpenMeSmiler used similar tactics but in a more sophisticated way. Why? She didn’t know but she was damn certain she was going to find out. ‘Curtis, is there anything at all you can tell me? When you messaged each other, did this person mention anything at all? We need to find your friends so please, anything that you can think of might be the key to bringing them home.’

‘I really wish I could help but I don’t know anything. We both liked action figures and collecting memorabilia.’

Football, collectibles – their perp was a chameleon, constantly being interested in whatever it took to lure his victims in. PC Benton stood outside the door, her hand gently leaning on the door frame.

Gina glanced up at the PC. ‘PC Benton is going to stay with you and very soon, she’ll take you to the station, where you’ll be safe.’

‘Where’s my dad?’

‘He’s there, too. You’ll be able to see him in a while.’

Gina left PC Benton with the boy and headed back down the stairs. O’Connor followed and on reaching the bottom step, another PC hurried along the hallway. ‘Guv, there’s a gaping hole in the back fence. It looks like it’s been put through using a bladed tool like an axe, and there’s blood on the wood.’

She snapped on some nitrile gloves and ran with O’Connor to the back of the garden. Just before reaching it, O’Connor slipped on some mud. She held out a hand and helped him up.

He winced in pain as he straightened up. ‘I’m okay. Just a bruise.’

She glanced up and down the fence as one of the PCs lit it up with a torch. She stepped through and on reaching the other side, she carefully walked along the edge of the path, hoping not to disturb any evidence. Something glinted as a shaft of light from the torch momentarily caught it. ‘Can you shine that again, back where you were shining it a few seconds ago?’

The PC held the torch over the fence. Gina walked over to the shiny object on the ground and picked it up. Their perp was as local as local got. ‘I know where they are.’

Fifty-Five

Unknown

As Claudia turns into the clearing where the youths used to hang out, before they started playing football outside the shops, I remain still behind the thick trunk of an oak. The sound of her panting fills my head. It’s so huffy and puffy, like she ran all the way but I suspect her car is close by. Dainty and once sporty Claudia, I thought she’d be fitter than that.

I grab a stone and throw it in the opposite direction of where I stand, and I stifle a laugh as she flinches and steps backwards, moving ever closer to me.

‘What do you want from me?’ I need to keep her quiet. Since I took Mindy, the place has been swarming with police but today, they stopped coming. I seem to fly under everyone’s radar. It’s a shame it wasn’t like that years ago when we were all at school. I’d have killed to be invisible. ‘Please let the kids go. Please, they haven’t done anything.’

Of course. She has no idea why I took Brian and Tabby. They weren’t a part of the plan. Dustin and Mindy had been so easy but Claudia, she didn’t fall for any of my lures. The card I left her, she threw it in the bin. I tried to email her with tempting things like competition wins, opportunities and job offers, love, but she wouldn’t follow the links and take the bait. She banished me from her systems like the virus that I am, removing every attempt I made to infiltrate her tech. I’m impressed about how secure she is online. Shame for her that she didn’t help her nephew to be as safe. She wasn’t a tech idiot like Mindy and Dustin.

Claudia left me with no option but to use the kids so it’s all her fault they got involved. I step silently towards her in the darkness. I can almost hear her blood pumping through her body as I stand behind her. Her phone lights up as she checks it for more messages and there are none. It’s soon back in her pocket and we are back to darkness. She’s pumped and running on adrenaline. All she wants to do is listen for danger but her body is betraying her with its internal noise and, in doing so, it covers up the sound of my footsteps. I imagine the boom, boom of her heart as blood pumps around her body. Her perfume hits my nostrils, a mixture of eau-de-fear and definitely an expensive brand of something. I reach from behind, covering her nose and mouth and then my other arm clasps around her neck burying the back of her head in my elbow, where I drag her to the ground. One blow to the nose is all it takes. Hard and fast then I’m on top of her, pinning her down. She has the strength of an office worker who hasn’t seen a gym in years.

She kicks and flails as her oxygen stores run low. I’m too strong for her. All I have to do is keep my hands around her neck until she passes out on the mulch leaf carpet underneath. She’ll be seeing stars right now, little prickles that get smaller and smaller. Her consciousness will soon be left behind as her blood vessels start to burst, creating bloodshot in her eyes, but I’m not ready to kill her yet. I have so much to tell her.

She’s totally disorientated. I have time to drag her through the trees and straight in through the back door of my partially soundproofed lair, the same lair that sits under everyone’s noses. I told you, I’m invisible and it feels amazing.

One thing that worries me is the aching in my bones. Executing a plan like this is exhausting but I only have to keep going a little longer. I’m glad this is nearly over. Today, I’ve burnt out a van, dumped a body, taken two teens, which was hard work, and now I have Claudia – my prize. Everything I’ve done has led to this moment. The finale, the jewel in the crown, the big end to the trilogy.

She lies on a bed of damp leaves and in her dazed state, she stares at me and frowns. ‘You…’ I allow her that moment to speak, or should I say croak.

She’s the only one who recognised me before I told them who I was. I nod and stare. The morph mask is no longer needed. I’m sick of hiding who I really am. Before I drag her inside, I whisper a few words in her ear. ‘Time for Episode Three and I won’t stop until I destroy you – freak.’

Fifty-Six

Brian

Brian felt for Tabitha’s finger behind the chair and she touched the tip with her pinkie, the same pinkie they always used to pinkie promise as children. Her sobs from behind the gag sent his stomach twisting – half rage, half terror. There was no way out. The metal chains, although thin were impossible to escape.

If he could say anything to Tabitha, he’d tell her how much he loved her and how sad he was that he’d put them in this situation. He’d allowed OpenMeSmiler into their lives and now no one knew where they were being held. It was game over. They were going to get killed just like Mindy had.

He’d heard the psycho muttering about the other man called Dustin who he’d taken, how he’d deserved it and how easy it had been to press the knife through his body.

A candle flickered on top of an old grey filing cabinet. Next to it sat a box of matches. Normally, light would be a comfort but the intoxicating smell of petrol coming from his lap let him know that there was no comfort to be had in this situation. If the candle toppled, he’d go up in flames, then the wooden chairs, then finally Tabitha would burn. The whole building would come down around them and they’d be turned into ashes. It went unsaid that neither of them would struggle or try to make any sudden movements. He was under no doubt between them that they could topple the chairs over but that wouldn’t help. They’d still be chained together, but on the floor, and there was no way he could break open the metal padlock that had been looped through the links.

He flinched as the back door burst open. Their captor was no longer masked. Brian’s eyes slowly widened as he fixed his stare on the man dragging their bloody-faced aunt through the door. He couldn’t hate himself more. Not only was his sister going to die because of his actions, his aunt was too, the woman who’d taken them in and loved them like her own when their parents had died. Look how he’d repaid her.

Their kidnapper flung her across the room like she was a doll, her petite frame hitting the filing cabinet, then the floor, with a sickening thud. The candle tipped over in its holder, spilling wax across the metal cabinet top, reaching ever closer to their petrol fuelled laps.

The man pulled out his phone and began filming each of them in turn, laughing as he changed up the angles a bit. Snap, snap, snap – photos, too. ‘You all look so good on film. What’s it like to feel powerless?’

Aunt Claudia coughed and reached the leg of the man’s jeans. She tugged him hard and he grabbed onto the filing cabinet, rocking it towards him as he steadied himself. The candle slid across the smooth surface towards the edge, aided by the molten wax. OpenMeSmiler pointed to the small petrol can and then to us. Aunt Claudia gasped and let out a shrill cry knowing that one wrong move would leave the candle in Brian’s lap, setting them all alight.

‘Do you all know why we’re here?’

Brian nodded. It was confession time. He tried to garble some words from behind the ball gag but he could tell that no one could understand a word.

‘Come on, Claudia. Enlighten us.’

It was his fault, not hers. What was the psycho on about?

While he waited for her response, their captor turned his computer back on. Brian felt Tabitha’s finger touching his again. He was going to film their murders, stream them and there was nothing Brian could do to stop him. It was all a mistake. If only the creep would remove his gag, he’d confess to watching the live streams. It was wrong. He was ready to admit it to everyone and anyone to save his family. Aunt Claudia had to be here because of him.

Their aunt coughed up a bit of blood and began speaking in a crackly voice, her eyes half shut. ‘I’m sorry…’

Seriously, why was she apologising?

‘I’m sorry,’ she said, still croakily but a little louder. ‘Please, let them go. I’ll do whatever. They’re innocent.’

The man who held them huffed out a laugh as he sat in front of his computer and clicked on OpenMeSmiler. He pulled his morph mask back over his face and a few screens later, he was logged in to what Brian could tell was an admin page.

A screen full of faces in little boxes flashed up. Brian could see that there were many other pages, thousands of them, all filled with photos of people in front of their computers, ready and waiting for some action. The man in the top right-hand corner grinned and threw a mouthful of popcorn into his mouth. Another man who looked to be in his early twenties swigged on an energy drink while only wearing his underpants. They didn’t know they were being watched, just like Brian hadn’t.

‘Innocent.’ He shook his head. ‘The world is full of cruelty and it’s fuelled by animals such as yourself, Claudia, and you, Brian.’

He shook his head. He was not a cruel animal. He was the victim.

‘Hah, sad little Brian. I can see you’re thinking, poor me. You happily watched, you abused from afar and you laughed at Mindy and Dustin. You did dirty things to yourself while watching Mindy in her bedroom, didn’t you, Brian?’

Tears streamed down his face as the shame hit him. He was a bad person. He was all that was wrong in the world but Tabitha wasn’t any part of this. He hoped the candle would drop into his lap because his life was over. As for Tabitha, she deserved to live. His sister had never hurt anyone.

‘Tabitha, you keep bad company but not as bad as Brian’s.’ He turned to face Brian again.

Brian couldn’t stop his whole body from trembling.

‘Your little friend is a wrong ’un, you know. Curtis is no better than your aunt.’ OpenMeSmiler kept shaking his head in disapproval.

Not Curtis. He’d done nothing wrong. He hadn’t even wanted to log on to OpenMeSmiler.

‘That poor schoolgirl. You’re friends with someone who ruined a girl’s life. She never did go back to that school, did she? Not after Curtis mocked her and sent her intimate photos to everyone. I’ve seen your conversations, all of them. You, Curtis and even Abel all humiliated that girl. Abel then spread photos of your sister. Does it hurt now it’s closer to home? You knew what Abel was like and yet, you introduced him to your sister.’ Their captor shook his head. ‘I’ve been in your lives for weeks reading all your pathetic messages, watching how you enjoy making other people miserable, watching you all treat people badly, and I decided that shame needs to find a new home.’ He reached over to his screen and clicked the mouse a few times.

Brian spotted a thumbnail of himself in his bedroom. Wearing jogging bottoms, in his gaming chair, he had his hand stuffed inside them. He knew exactly what that video was. His mouth behind the gag was dry and he felt himself choking up.

Aunt Claudia had edged a little closer and their captor hadn’t noticed. Please don’t look at the screen, he kept thinking. He willed her to get close enough to topple the man threatening his future.

Tabitha’s finger trembled so he moved his away. He needed to think. His heart started banging harder as the candle rolled a little, then it stopped against the tiniest mound of cooler wax. His aunt’s face contorted in pain as she forced her top half into a sitting position.

OpenMeSmiler started ranting about how everyone deserved what they got. He turned back to his screen and now it was filled with people, all being watched. His laughter rang through Brian’s ears. There was nothing funny about having your life ruined but how could he tell himself that he was a victim when he had been a part of it all. He looked into his lap as their captor filled the screen with his video. ‘He loved every minute of being a watcher. Every. Single. Minute.’ Brian forced himself to glance at Aunt Claudia.

As she was about to bring her fist up to the back of their captor’s head, he swung around and knocked her to the floor. She screamed and fought, kicking and punching.

One hard thud of her foot into the filing cabinet sent the candle jumping over the wax barrier and dangling over the edge. Maybe he wasn’t as ready to die as he thought he might be. If he could scream, he would but the gag was filling his mouth.

Loud beeping filled the room. OpenMeSmiler whacked Aunt Claudia across the head, sending her into the metal back door. He flicked to another screen and they watched as a police car pulled up on the opposite side of the road, next to the block of flats. ‘It looks like we have company, kids, so it’s time.’ He clicked the button marked execute and Brian wanted to cry. The very video he never wanted anyone to see had now gone out into the world. OpenMeSmiler howled with laughter. Cody – the boy he’d befriended and trusted was never real. ‘Time to go, Claudia.’

His aunt gargled and coughed as their captor yanked her up like she was a doll to a standing position and dragged her out of the back door, slamming it behind him. The candle bounced one final time before flying through the air in Brian’s direction. He closed his eyes as he waited to whoosh up in flames. He mumbled his last words from behind the gag. He only hoped that Tabitha heard him and forgave him ‘I love you, sis.’

Fifty-Seven

Gina

O’Connor pulled up behind the one police car that had beaten them to the scene. Gina unclipped her seat belt, ready to meet the backup officers at the scene. They’d gathered on the road outside the flats Gina and O’Connor had chased Abel behind, which were set far enough away from the Ferndale shops. Chez Ursula’s was in darkness. The pizza shop had long closed but one man came out from the block of flats, the same man who had insisted on entering their scene when they’d been chasing Abel around the back. She got out of the car, stab vest on, and pointed to his door. ‘I need you to go inside now.’ He folded his arms and stared. ‘Now,’ she said, her voice sending him stepping back towards the main door. She didn’t have time to argue with members of the public who decided to come out at this ungodly hour and put themselves in danger.

The two officers stepped out of the police car. She heard one of their radios crackle. Further backup was at least several minutes away. They slowly walked towards the row of shops. Maybe they’d hear what was going on behind the shop door, behind the boarded-up unit.

Gina led the others, beckoning them to follow her but stayed silent on approach. There were three people in imminent danger and a perp who was willing to stab them to death. No one was to try to tackle him alone.

‘I’m going round the back, guv,’ O’Connor said.

‘No, I need you to wait here for backup.’ She held her hand up to gesture for him to come back with one ear pressed to the door but it was too late, O’Connor had his back turned to them. She tried to loud whisper to get him to come back but it was too late, he’d already turned the corner and the other two PCs hadn’t noticed. She was about to send one of them to follow him as the taller of the two stood poised with the battering ram.

‘Is that smoke?’ asked the PC who was ready to take the door out.

She frowned and looked up as the other PC shone a pencil torch above the door. Coils of smoke drifted upwards, releasing an acrid stench. On pressing her ear to the metal, she was sure she heard whimpering. ‘They’re in there. We need to get this door down, now.’

The other PC held the battering ram firm and began to pound the door.

‘We need all units here, now. Tell them to hurry.’

The officer with the torch called it in on his radio in the hope that they’d come quicker. ‘Fire… Ferndale shops… hostage situation… urgent…’

The battering ram slammed into the boarded-up door, once, twice, three times but it wouldn’t budge. The PC stood back, took a deep breath and roared as he slammed into it again. There was a crack. Gina shoulder barged into it with him until it flew off its hinges and landed on the stone floor. Smoke billowed through the gaps in the door to the back room. There was no barbershop behind those boards, no new window was waiting to be fitted. Their perp had been right under their noses, in the middle of the scene all the time, and he’d been invisible. Three football scarves, all for different teams, had been hung up on the coat hooks. She stepped over the piles of computer equipment and sidestepped the bin full of fast-food wrappers. A dog lead lay on the floor next to an empty water bowl.

As the PC with the battering ram sent a second door to a back room flying open, Gina saw Brian and a girl who she assumed was his sister, Tabitha, but there was no sign of Claudia, the real target. She knew they were looking for a woman in her late twenties and the girl was in her teens.

The siblings lay sidewards in sitting positions, chained to two chairs as flames crackled up the bottom of the chair leg that Tabitha was chained to. The stench of petrol and burning wood filled the air. Gina swallowed, almost tasting it now. ‘We need to get this fire out.’ She reached over and wrenched the ball gag from Brian’s mouth.

‘He poured it in my lap. Don’t let the fire reach my lap.’

‘O’Connor.’ She glanced around but he was still not there. She pictured him giving chase, alone. The shorter PC hurried to the sink in a side room and filled a bowl up. He came in and threw it over the chair leg, extinguishing the fire.

‘Where’s Claudia?’ Gina stared at the scared kids as the two PCs helped them up and started looking for a key to the padlock.

The girl burst into tears as soon as Gina removed her gag. ‘He took her, out the back door. He said it’s all her fault. He’s going to kill her.’

Fifty-Eight

Unknown

As I drag a dazed Claudia through the woodland, hands tied, I realise I’m pulling her broken fatigued body like she’s a dog on a leash. The sound of cracking twigs sends me panicking. We need to get out of here before my finale is ruined. The car is close by. I just need to keep trudging through this woodland.

‘Let go of me, you freak,’ she shouts. ‘How could you leave them to go up in flames. You’re sick in the head. You can get help. They’re just kids. You have to go back. We need to help them.’

That woman hasn’t learnt a thing which is how I know I’m doing the right thing. Freak – how dare she? Who cares? I won’t be around after tonight. My new life and identity await me. Sheldon is happily living with my mother so I only need to take care of myself.

Sirens blare in the distance. Fire, ambulance, police – I bet they’re all out there and a part of me is sad not to be able to video the action unfolding. I imagine Brian up in flames. I knew they’d break in on time to save Tabitha. She didn’t deserve to die but I had to make her see how bad her aunt and brother were. Now she knows. They are all a part of her suffering. That’s society for you. It bears a sickness that needs curing and sadly, I am the only cure. I need more soldiers but when I saw how far the sickness had spread, I realised I was alone. A justice seeker amongst perps.

‘Let me go.’

She’s getting a bit too feisty now with her flailing and attempts to kick at my ankles, not to mention her constant stumbles where she’s purposely trying to slow me down. It won’t work. She weighs barely anything. I grab her by the hair and hit her head on a tree trunk. ‘Shut the hell up.’

We’re getting closer to my car and I need to get her back where it all began. She needs to feel what it was like for me and I’m going to let that feeling crawl right under her skin until it feeds like a flesh-eating bug, then I’m going to stab her through the heart just like I did to Mindy and Dustin. They might all have had hearts of stone but their blood was very much like anyone else’s.

I see the end of the woodland so I pick her up and stumble on towards the car. I half trip on the undergrowth and I crash into hanging branches but I keep going. This is a battle win for me because I never give up. ‘Nearly there, Claudia.’

‘Huh, err…’ She tries to mumble. Her wide pupils glare at me as I open the boot and drop her in. ‘N… no…’

‘Too late.’ I slam the boot down. Time to roll.

As I step around the car in darkness, a voice cuts through the air.

‘Stop, police.’

A hefty man in a stab vest stands there. He’s not in uniform. The street lamp down the road catches the top of his bald head. Hurting anyone else wasn’t a part of my plan. I don’t know who he is or what he’s done. I have some integrity and I don’t want to hurt him.

He goes to pull out his radio. I have no choice. This is about survival. Him or me.

I charge at him, roaring like an angry bull. We’re on the ground, rolling around. He yells in pain as I hit him and he hits me. My face scrapes along the rough tarmac, slicing into my skin. He’s winning but my work is not done yet. My new life flashes in front of my eyes. The villa, the white sandy beach, maybe Ursula would eventually join me – that’s the dream.

I roar again, like in battle, as I make the only move I have left before that dream is gone forever.

Fifty-Nine

Gina

The whole cavalry had arrived now, including Wyre and Jacob. Gina ran around the back knowing that police cars had started surrounding the area. They now knew exactly who the perp was. His unit was right next to Ursula’s. He’d been right there, under their noses. His car had to be close by or could he be using another stolen vehicle? ‘Harry.’ She stepped onto the grass, trying to see through the dense woodland. O’Connor was nowhere to be seen. She gasped as she spotted drag marks leading through the grass and the trees. ‘Harry.’ Again, no answer.

Three PCs and Jacob joined her and they all split up, running through the woodland, getting caught in hedges, struck by dangling branches. Jacob called back. ‘They went this way.’ She ran across to him, jumping over the trunk of a fallen birch. He flashed his torch at what looked like fresh blood on a branch.

‘Harry,’ she shouted as they kept going.

The radio in her stab vest crackled. ‘Guv… guv…’

She grabbed it. ‘Yes.’

‘The car has been caught on ANPR about a mile away. More officers have been despatched.’

‘What road?’

‘Brown Road, just past Porters Cross traffic lights.’

‘I know the one.’

‘Do you know where he could be heading because there aren’t any more ANPR cameras on that route, not until the carriageway?’

She carried on running after Jacob. They had to find O’Connor. What if he’d taken O’Connor, too? ‘Harry!’ All she wanted was to find him, make sure he was safe then she wanted to give him hell about not listening to her. ‘I can’t think.’ Where… where? She kept asking herself that question. Just one slip up had led them to the Ferndale shops and the killer’s identity but now, they were in the dark.

Jacob burst through the woodland onto the road. ‘We need an ambulance.’

‘Did you catch that?’

The officer on the other end of the radio answered. ‘Got it. Which road?’

‘Hartland Lane.’ She burst through the trees to find Jacob in the middle of the road stuffing his coat into O’Connor’s bleeding neck.

Gina felt her legs half buckle beneath her. ‘DC O’Connor is down. We need an ambulance. Stab wound to the neck.’ She ran over to them and felt for a pulse but she couldn’t feel one. ‘Harry!’

Jacob cleared his airways and started breathing for him. Gina fell to her knees and started chest compressions.

‘Don’t die on us. You can’t die.’ Tears began to fall down her cheeks as Jacob breathed for him again. She thought of Mrs O and how she had to tell her that he was hurt but okay. ‘Breathe, Harry.’

Blue lights came around the corner. Two paramedics jumped out and ran over, pushing them away.

‘Is he alive?’ Gina tried to burst back through but one of the paramedics dragged her out of the way and Jacob came to her side.

She placed a hand over her mouth. ‘He can’t die.’ She gasped for breath and ran towards the grass, hyperventilating. Jacob joined her.

All the hurt inside her turned into raging anger. She was going to catch the killer and make him pay. Think, think. There was only one place to try. Why hadn’t she thought of it before? ‘What is the one place all three victims have in common?’ She grabbed Jacob and ran over to one of the police cars, telling the PC to leave. The PC got out and as she buckled up, Jacob jumped into the passenger seat and buckled up. ‘We need to get to St Benedict’s now. Let the team know, let everyone know.’

Edwin Hammond was going to wish he’d never been born when she got hold of him.

Sixty

Edwin

This is no longer the PE block, it’s a crumbling building next to the newly built leisure centre. This land used to belong to St Benedict’s High School. Claudia will know exactly where we are and see if she remembers the exact day she started all this, only this time she gets to be the victim.

I pop the boot open and drag her out of my trusty estate. She still kicks, despite being spent and I’m sure she’s lost a lot of blood from that bust nose of hers. I don’t want to strangle her and take her to the cusp of unconsciousness again, I want her to be fully awake for the next bit.

She stumbles and thuds onto the path, yelping. I step to the side but her gaze under her swollen eyes doesn’t follow me. Her lids almost meet the bottom of her eyes, like a boxer on their final round of a fight. She lashes out at what she thinks is me but she’s hitting thin air. ‘Missed,’ I say.

I drag her to the old gate that I’ve prepared with several cut pieces of rope, all ready to tie her up with. ‘Up you get, bitch.’

She lies there, refusing to cooperate. All she has left is refusal. I wrench her by the rope around her neck, pulling her until she does as I want. ‘Come on, be a good dog.’ In an ideal world, I’d want to be able to stand her up so I can tie her against the railings but it’s not going to happen. I accept that all I can do is bind her to the metal rails while she slumps on the pavement so I wrap the rope around her and then the rails until she’s secured.

I tear her top and then yank at her bra before getting my pen out and drawing that cherry red smile on her face in my best permanent marker. She spits in my direction but I don’t care. I can’t be any more disgusted in her than I already am. ‘Smile,’ I say as I start filming, careful not to include audio. ‘How does it feel being live streamed like this. Everyone can see what’s underneath your top. They all see the real you and the real you once did this to me. You took photos of me in the shower at school all those years ago. You, Mindy and Dustin, then shared them with everyone in a matter of seconds. You laughed, you mocked and you made my life hell for the rest of my time at school. That feeling of being powerless, it never leaves. You can feel it now, can’t you, Claudia?’

‘We were kids,’ she mumbles.

‘We were fifteen. You knew exactly what you were doing.’ I pause. ‘I had to leave school after that. I lost it… I lost my way. I tried to take my own life when those photos kept cropping up all over social media even years later. I’m a meme now. A frigging meme and still you’ve never owned what you did. You’ve never once thought about me and how it affected my life. I’ve had to change the way I look, I’ve changed my name from Edward to Edwin to become a new person, all because of you.’

She turns away from me.

‘I wasn’t going to take it this far. I should have been happy enough destroying Mindy’s relationship. I have cash courtesy of her shame when I showed her the personal photos of her having sex with someone other than her partner. You’re a lovely lot, aren’t you? Bullies and cheats. Anyway, Mindy paid me off, then she decided to leave the woman anyway. Why? Because I taunted her with those photos again and she knew she had to end it. Never give blackmailers what they want.’

I laugh then pause, wondering if there’s any point to telling her all this. She doesn’t care. Actually, I don’t care if she cares. My therapist told me I need to talk more about the past and try to tell the people who hurt me how they hurt me. This is what I’ve been doing and she was right, my self-esteem is up in the clouds now. Revenge is awesome.

‘I was going to let it drop after I took all Mindy’s money but when I took my dog to Chez Ursula’s last year, I saw them both together, cackling, Dustin and Mindy.’ That day really was a turning point for me. I thought I’d got revenge out of my system but then, I realised I’d only just begun. ‘Ursula was out at the time. They were laughing at this woman’s picture on Facebook, really having digs at her looks and Mindy dropped a comment from a troll profile under the woman’s photo saying that their poor victim should set her ugly face on fire. It looked like Dustin didn’t approve but you know what he didn’t do?’

She stared at me, I think. I still can’t tell from all the swelling but her nose points at my chin.

‘No answers? I’ll tell you. He didn’t try to stop her. He didn’t tell her that she was being a bitch. I realised then that none of you had changed. You were all still the same nasty bullies that you always were. And you, you started it, which is why we are here and why I saved you for my big finale.’

I’d been having therapy for years but I knew it was never enough. There had never been justice for what they did to me and although it sounds petty now because we were kids, I don’t care. We are not kids now. I post the video without sound for the world to see on OpenMeSmiler. There are thousands of people waiting for this. Forever more, she will be humiliated. I take photos, lots of them and I post them to every social media site that I can think of. The video will be downloaded and shared on to other platforms. The comments in the Tavern start to flood in. My little watchers all wait eagerly for more. They want to see the knife plunge into her. They want me to pull the rest of her clothing off to satiate their perverse desires to see the suffering of another. They want to see her beg and plead.

Cut her, man.

More flesh, purlease…

Where is her house? I need something, anything, something of hers. Address???

Can I buy the bra – top prices paid.

When she’s done, who’s next?

Good question. The last one sits in my mind for now. There is a next and I know who it’s going to be.

‘Happy?’ She speaks with a wheeze. ‘You’re no better than me now.’ She coughs.

I shrug. ‘I never aimed to be better. The better person always gets taken advantage of. You made me become just like you. Good people are pointless. They’re there to be taken advantage of, walked all over abused and used. You taught me that, Claudia.’

I inhale sharply. The police officer I stabbed, I didn’t mean to involve him. I’m no better than them now but I blame them for turning me into this animal. It’s hard, but I have to remember there’s a bigger picture here and soon it will be revealed. I grab my phone. I’m still in OpenMeSmiler so I click the big button that says execute.

I pull the morph mask from my pocket ready to start live recording. Let operation Big Picture begin. I head to my car. My fingers are so cold, I can barely get the phone in the mini tripod. Eventually it clicks into place.

I grab the knife and press it gently to her heart. She shivers violently. ‘Episode Three, the final scene. You know what you’ve done, Claudia. The tables have turned. I’m destroying you this time, freak.’ I plunge the knife into her chest, screaming with rage as I twist it. Adrenaline courses through my body. I did it. I made all of them pay and I’m doing great work. I run over to the recording phone, turn on the volume and speak, making sure my voice is disguised. ‘And that, folks, is a wrap, but stay tuned. I have a special surprise for you. Don’t leave now.’ I stop the live recording as I flip to the admin page. Yes, I’d pressed execute. Are you sure? I’m asked. Of course, I’m sure. I built you. I created OpenMeSmiler. Operation Big Picture – enabled. It’s over. I did it. The timer is ticking. I turn my phone off, glance back one more time to see Claudia bleeding out against the fence. It’s a beautiful night, cold with a frost. The railings glint like they’re diamond encrusted. Maybe I’m an artist because this tableau is a work of art.

I get into the car and take a few deep breaths. No one knows where I am. All I have to do is avoid ANPR, get to my destination, change and head to Edinburgh Airport where I will become a new person, get on a plane and leave this country forever, knowing that justice has been served and my crypto wallet is healthy. As I release the handbrake and check the rear-view mirror, I gasp as the whole car is shunted backwards. I select reverse to escape the police car that has crashed into my bumper but instead, I crash into another car. A lithe woman with black hair gets out and sprints towards me.

On opening the door, I go to run but another woman is running right at me, leaving the lithe woman to battle with her handcuffs. ‘Police, on the ground,’ the older woman shouts.

No way. I have to get away. I dart back towards the railings where the lithe woman is trying to release Claudia. The other way. As I go to run, the older woman is flying through the air. She lands on me and I crash onto the road, the wind crushing out of me as she turns me onto my back, her fingers digging into my arms. She stares manically but doesn’t blink. I recognise her now.

‘I’m DI Harte. Edwin Hammond, you… under arrest… murder… kidnap…’ I can’t take it all in. ‘Do you understand?’ she yells that so loudly my eardrum feels like it’s about to burst.

My dream is over. I know what comes next. In my mind I see the white sands, the villa, the dream – it’s slipping away as I’m turned over, my face pressed against the damp road while I’m cuffed. Operation Big Picture. That’s all I have in the whole world now. They can lock me up and throw away the key but I have a parting gift for the world and I can’t wait for its big reveal.

Sixty-One

Gina

Gina’s stomach rolled as she thought of O’Connor in hospital. There had been the slightest of pulses when the paramedics had treated him and then he’d been rushed to Cleevesford General. Gina had called Mrs O over and over again, but there had been no answer. She was away and had no idea that her husband had been stabbed in the neck while on duty, while she slept soundly in another country. Edwin Hammond sat opposite her with his young male solicitor next to him. Jacob introduced them all for the tape.

Gina stared at him, wanting nothing more than to jump over the table and stab him in the neck with her pen so he could suffer like O’Connor had. She clenched that pen tightly and prodded her pad with the tip. Jacob leaned back, ready to take notes. The muscles on his temples twitched as he ground his teeth. Gina traced the scratches on her face. She’d been slapped by branches, every muscle hurt from giving chase and diving through the air to bring Edwin down but her heart hurt more because she had no idea if she’d ever see kind, loveable Harry O’Connor again. She wanted to cry for Harry and kill Edwin at the same time. A flashback to Terry lying at the bottom of the stairs as she finished him off lingered in her mind. It never went away and she knew why. Mens rea – the Latin for guilty mind. She’d had one of those then and she had one now. Her hands itched to strangle their perp with her bare hands. Thankfully for her she managed to contain that feeling by strangling her damn pen instead.

She threw the pen to the table before relaying the details of Edwin Hammond’s arrest to him. ‘You’ve been arrested for the murders of Mindy Carson and Claudia Forster. For the attempted murders of Dustin Fuller and DC Harold O’Connor.’ She struggled to carry on. From what she’d been told, Dustin was likely to never be able to even feed himself again and wouldn’t know who he was when or if he came round. Harry, her lovely friend Harry. She hoped with all her heart he’d pull through. She bumbled through the rest of the charges. Kidnap… false imprisonment.

‘My client has a statement he wants me to read out and that’s all he has to say for the time being.’ The solicitor yawned.

Gina let out a long slow breath. It might be three in the morning, but the interview ploughed on. Edwin Hammond looked into his lap as the solicitor cleared his throat. The standard issue grey tracksuit was tight over his arm muscles. He’d overpowered all his victims with ease.

The moment she saw him at Ursula’s salon, he’d come across as such a gentle person, a man who cared, a man who loved his dog and wanted to help Ursula. He’d provided a witness statement, lying through his teeth with conviction.

The solicitor started. ‘The following words are all my own in the order I wanted to say them. I confess to all that you’ve accused me of and I can only say that they deserved it. I picked up where you and society failed. The justice system lets bad people off all the time. Mindy, Dustin and Claudia ruined my life. I didn’t mean to hurt your colleague.’

Didn’t mean to hurt him. She knew how much strength and effort it would have taken to drive the knife through Harry’s neck. ‘His name is Harry. He has a wife and he is a much-loved member of our team. He’s a gentle soul and…’ Gina stopped herself before she snapped. She had to keep it professional for Edwin to have his moment in court.

Edwin wiped a tear away and continued looking into his lap.

The solicitor continued. ‘You wondered how I did some things. I set up Mindy to be harassed by the watchers on OpenMeSmiler. Her back window had been broken when I started so I got in easily, stole the back-door key and got it cut. I knew you’d soon catch up with me so I planted the chains and Jackson’s wallet at one of his projects to try to frame him. I don’t feel bad. His son had shared photos of a girl, ruining her life and Jackson had stuck up for his son. They deserved what they got.

‘It was all me and I’m relieved to be able to confess. I’ve carried my hurt for so long, I’m ready to let it go.’ The solicitor paused for a breath. ‘Dustin was the easiest. He came to me with barely any threats.

‘I trained as a locksmith before studying IT at uni. Getting in and out of houses was easy. I planted cameras everywhere. I set up OpenMeSmiler. It was all my work. As for Claudia, she was the reason I had to leave school. She set me back in life by distributing my naked photos to everyone at school. You will see a meme of me online if you search for it. However hard I tried to take it down, it hasn’t worked. It keeps coming back with another hurtful slogan. I’ve had to live with this for years.’ The solicitor paused and then continued reading. ‘I saw Mindy pop up online last year. I blackmailed her. I took the cash and I thought that would be it but she moved back to Cleevesford just as I did when my mum needed a bit of help due to illness, and all I could think of was getting back at those who ruined my life. I soon realised that Mindy, and Ursula’s husband Spencer, were humiliating Ursula and I grew to love Ursula. She was kind to help Mindy and I loved her dog. I also had a Yorkshire terrier growing up.’

The solicitor continued. ‘Ursula knew nothing but I did tip her off that her husband was having an affair with Mindy. I felt close to her because I knew what it felt like to be humiliated. She didn’t deserve that.’ The solicitor paused and sipped water from a paper cup. ‘They took all my humanity from me. They made me the person I am today. I’m not proud of that person but the hurt, anger and need for revenge won. Only now do I feel at peace and I know that the cost for that peace is my freedom.’ The solicitor pressed his lips together for a few seconds and drank more water. ‘I am truly sorry to one of the people I hurt. I didn’t mean to stab DC O’Connor. He came at me so fast and I just reacted. I will not even try to defend myself in court. I’m pleading guilty. I did it and I want to pay for what I did to him and I pray he will pull through, not because the charge will change but because I know he didn’t deserve what I did to him. That is not who I am. He hurt no one.’

Edwin began sobbing into his hands, loud deep sobs.

Gina felt the room closing in on her. Her heart banged, her chest pricked as it burned up and her knuckles itched to turn the table over. The conflict within was eating her up. She hated what Mindy, Dustin and Claudia had done to Edwin as a vulnerable teen but all she could think of was Harry’s bleeding body on the pavement as paramedics had worked to resuscitate him. How could a person feel sick, angry, heartbroken, pity for the perp, rage against the same perp? She hated people, she hated society. It was sick and justice didn’t always get served up right. As a police department, they could only do their bit and sometimes perps got off, sometimes juries let perps off, sometimes judges made poor decisions. Life sometimes sucked. Her mind whirred with everything, all at once, and all she wanted to do was scream but she sat there, in silence, holding everything in as she waited for more, just a little bit more.

The solicitor continued. ‘I couldn’t let that be the end. There are so many bad people out there which is why I’ve hopefully left a better world behind, one where the bullies and abusers live in fear and think twice about their actions. Bad people look out for other bad people because they see a shared darkness in their hearts and that is something that can never be changed. Just look at who runs the world and who has all the power. No good person ever fairly took that power. I tried to change that. I want those who aim to hurt to be the ones looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives. I want them to feel the constant burn of humiliation.’

The solicitor turned the page and cleared his throat. ‘I hope my statement has helped. That is all I have to say. The ending to this will be revealed.’

There was more? ‘What ending?’ Gina stared at him but he continued to stare into his lap. ‘What ending?’ she shouted.

Edwin looked up and wiped his reddened eyes with the back of his arm and smiled. ‘Operation Big Picture.’

Sixty-Two

Gina

Interview over, she ran to the kitchen and started to hammer her hands onto the tiny worktop. Cups bounced and the sugar pot tipped up. She let out a roar and kicked the bin, letting all the pent-up rage out on the cylinder until the metal had dented. It tipped over, rewarding her efforts with a spray of used teabags and empty food containers landing all over the linoleum flooring. Her phone beeped. It was Brodie.

Just wondering how you are. I miss you so much. The weekend can’t come too soon. I hope the case isn’t too consuming. Xxx

She hit reply.

My heart has broken for O’Connor. I don’t know what to do and all the same, there is nothing I can do.

She popped a crying emoji at the end as she wiped her own tears away with a sheet of kitchen roll. He pinged a message straight back.

What’s happened? X

With trembling hands, she typed a message back.

The perp stabbed O’Connor and I don’t know if he’s going to make it.

She hugged herself and slid down the back wall as she stared at her phone.

I’m leaving now. You shouldn’t be alone.

You don’t have to.

They hadn’t been together long at all. She didn’t expect him to drop his life and run to her but at the same time, her heart ached for someone to give her a big hug and be there for her. He replied.

I know I don’t but I want to. I’ll head your way and I’ll give you a call when I’m close. X

She sent him one final message, telling him to use the key she gave him to get into her house. She had no idea how long she’d be at the station and she still had to go to the hospital, and she still had no idea what Operation Big Picture was. What else was there to come? They had the perp in custody. Wyre was in contact with the CPS and it looked like they’d be formally charging him soon, his confession making all their lives easier. She sat there, spent, hurt and raging inside. She should be at the hospital, speaking to Tabitha and Brian, while waiting for news on O’Connor but she couldn’t get off the floor. Her legs were putting up a protest every time she tried to stand.

Heavy footsteps echoed through the corridor behind the kitchen door and their owner pushed the door open. Briggs stood in the doorway and furrowed his brows. She wondered if he had any news on O’Connor. He reached out to her and offered her a hand, which she took. With one pull he helped her onto her feet where she shifted slightly to lean against the worktop. He started picking up the rubbish from the floor, not once commenting on the dented bin, or mess over the worktop. ‘Have you heard anything?’ she asked.

He shook his head.

She wanted to think that no news was good news but she knew that was all a load of rubbish. No news was the unknown and it could go either way still.

However hard she tried to stop her tears from spilling in front of her boss and ex-lover, she couldn’t so she turned away. He popped the bin back in its place, walked over to her and wrapped his strong arms around her. She sunk her head into his chest and sobbed, inhaling the faint scent of his aftershave. As his hands stroked her back, she reached up and put her arms around him, accepting his embrace. ‘We can’t lose him,’ she said in a whisper.

Briggs didn’t offer any words of comfort. He knew her too well to come out with some rubbish like it was all going to be okay. Instead, he just rubbed her back like a caring friend would. It touched her that he still cared. She hadn’t seen that side of him in a while and she couldn’t help but think of Brodie. It shouldn’t have felt so good to be that close to Briggs again but it did. Her emotions were all over the place. She wanted it to work with Brodie and she was going to do all she could to make sure it did.

A moment later, he pulled away and just as he was about to fill the kettle up, Jacob burst through the door. ‘Guv, sir, Garth needs us in the incident room now. Operation Big Picture – we know what it is.’

Sixty-Three

Gina

Garth had linked his laptop to the large screen he’d wheeled in. Wyre, Kapoor, Jacob and Briggs all sat around the table with Gina sitting the closest to Garth. She knew her eyes were red but so were everyone else’s. Everyone loved O’Connor. If he was with them now, there would be cakes in the middle of the table. He’d be munching on an iced finger or a giant cookie he’d quickly bought from a petrol station. Whatever the hour, either him or Mrs O had made sure they had sugar to keep them going. It was hitting them all equally as hard but there was more to come and they had to do their jobs – for Harry.

After a bit of clicking and shifting through screens, Garth turned around to face everyone. ‘Operation Big Picture has revealed itself.’ He opened up a screen that showed himself as his fake person dancing embarrassingly around a room in a sexy way, with leather pants on.

Garth pointed at the screen. ‘This is the “embarrassing” video of fake me that I left in the computer, the one I let OpenMeSmiler into. Approximately fifteen minutes ago, I received an alert saying, “from watcher to watched. Now the world will see who you really are.” When I entered again to check it out… actually, let me show you.’ He navigated along the dark path, through some confusing whirls until he reached a door marked Tavern. A few more weird screens later, he reached an end. ‘Now you can see, there are thousands of thumbnails that instantly start playing when you’re in. The videos are of people in their rooms, doing personal things. They are the watchers, the ones who have loyally been following OpenMeSmiler. The tables have turned on them. They’ve been exposed. The videos have been posted on all social media sites, on loads of forums. They’re garnering masses of clicks which are going up exponentially as we speak. They’re being shared, commented on and more than likely downloaded. Edwin Hammond set out to make them pay and this is all a part of his big plan. This is Operation Big Picture.’

Gina cast her eyes over some of the videos that kept automatically playing on a loop. She spotted Brian in one of them and looked away. Then there was Spencer alone in his office; Abel in his bedsit on his bed; Jackson sitting on the edge of his bed. Around them – hundreds of others in the same predicament.

Garth clicked another link showing the live feeds of the watchers in their homes, their faces showing varying expressions of horror. Mouths opened. They hit their keyboards. They threw blankets over their screens and the man with the popcorn spat a mouthful out. Some ran out of the room.

Back to the previous screen. A big message filled the page.

I won’t stop until I destroy you all – Freaks!!!

Gina leaned back. There was nothing she could do to stop thousands of people’s personal videos going live. Whatever they did it would be too late. All they could do was watch it all unfold and trust that Garth was there to pick up the pieces after.

‘Shit,’ Jacob said as he looked away.

Gina took a deep breath as Garth reduced the screen. He stepped in front of it. ‘This is huge. I guess our perp did what he aimed to do and nothing we can do will reverse all this.’

Nothing they could do. Sitting around being flabbergasted was now pointless. ‘I need to get to the hospital.’ A part of her didn’t care about all the sickos that had been watching the humiliation and suffering of others. She couldn’t shift her disappointment in Brian, who hadn’t seemed like a bad kid. She realised, like OpenMeSmiler or Edwin, she too was disappointed in the world. All she could think about right now was lovely, innocent, Harry O’Connor and she wanted to be close to him. When he woke up, she was going to be there.

Sixty-Four

Brian

He sat in a hospital bed, in a stupid gaping gown as nurses came and went, but at least he had his own room. He didn’t like that there was a PC out there but PC Smith had been nice enough. He’d even gone and bought Brian an energy drink and a Mars bar, which he was more than grateful of. He’d asked about Aunt Claudia but no one had told him anything.

Someone knocked at the door and came in. ‘Tabby,’ he said as his little sis ran over and sat on his bed.

‘I thought…’ She swallowed and stifled her sobs. ‘I thought we were going to die. When you wrenched me over in that chair, I saw the floor and waited for us to go up in flames.’

He was grateful that the universe had been on his side. The candle had narrowly missed him but they had taken a hard thud to the floor after rocking back and forth to get further away from it ‘Everything’s okay. We got through it and we’re going to be fine.’

He kept thinking about Edwin’s threats and he wished he hadn’t eaten chocolate because he felt nauseated now. He stared at the cardboard bowl that the nurse had left on the bedside table. No, he wasn’t going to be sick because everything was okay. The police had to have found Aunt Claudia and they had to have stopped OpenMeSmiler from whatever had been planned next. He shivered as he thought of all the message chats he’d had with Cody. Cody was never real but he missed him so much. He’d seemed real. Brian clenched the sheet, angry at how gullible he’d been.

Tabitha lay on the bed next to him and hugged him. ‘Come here. Love you, dipshit.’

‘Love you, dumbass. If you ever use the internet again, I’ll kill you myself. It won’t take some psycho to do it.’

There was another knock at the door. Tabitha sat up and the DI walked in. He couldn’t remember her name but she’d questioned him and Curtis at his house. It had all been a blur but he was sure she’d been there at the unit, when he and Tabitha were on the floor.

‘Brian, Tabitha. I’m DI Harte. Do you remember me, Brian?’

A man followed.

‘This is DS Driscoll,’ DI Harte said.

Her eyes seemed puffy. There was a bruise on her chin and scratches on the back of her hands. Her coat looked like she’d been dragged through a hedge with its slightly torn sleeves and her hair had half come out of an elastic band that she’d been using to keep it up. She looked how he felt. He cleared his throat of the cloying sugary chocolate that still coated it. ‘Can we see Aunt Claudia? Is she in this hospital or is she at the police station?’

The DI’s head tilted and the DS stayed by the door and looked down. They didn’t have to say anything. Brian already knew but she started speaking in a gentle voice. ‘I’m really sorry to inform you that your aunt died a short while back. Is there anyone we can call for you?’

He shook his head. His aunt was all they had.

Tabitha lay back down next to him and sobbed into his chest. Aunt Claudia had taken them in when they had nowhere to go. She’d been kind, loved them almost like she was a big sister rather than a mother. She’d done everything for them and now she was gone, just like their parents were. He held Tabitha tightly and cried with her, knowing that at eighteen, it was his turn to step up. He’d done things he wasn’t proud of recently but now it was time to change all that. He was never going to be parted from Tabitha or let her go into care. He had a job. It was time to grow up. Whatever happened, he was never going to go down any form of dark path again, ever.

Sixty-Five

Gina

Jacob passed her a coffee as they stood outside the operating rooms. She sipped the hot liquid, drinking even though it was slightly burning her throat. Seeing the look on the kids’ faces when she told them that their aunt had died had been etched into her mind. They had no one else and despite what Claudia Forster had done in her past, she’d obviously cared for them and looked after them well. Not all was black and white in life. Bad people weren’t all bad and good people weren’t all good. She thought about her own feelings and how she’d have liked to have killed Edwin and how she did actually end Terry’s life. To the world, she fought crime, she was good. To herself, she knew where her bad lay and to her daughter, she was mostly bad but with some chink of good. Jacob paced and kept staring out of the window at the frosty hospital courtyard, only lit up from the corridor light.

‘I tried Mrs O again but she still isn’t answering,’ he said.

‘I’ll try again in a minute.’ She felt weak at the thought. Her gaze fixed on the doors that led to the ward where Harry O’Connor was being operated on, fighting for his life. No one had come out and no one had gone in for ages.

A woman dressed in a blue tunic and trousers removing a face mask came through. Gina ran over to her. ‘Is DC O’Connor okay? Are you bringing him out to a recovery ward or ICU soon?’

The woman frowned. ‘Sorry, I think another team have been operating on him.’

‘Can you find out if there’s any news?’

She raised her brows and walked back towards the doors. ‘Of course,’ she said, glancing back smiling sympathetically as she used her pass to buzz back in.

The waiting continued. Gina checked her personal phone. A message had been sat there for fifteen minutes. It was from Brodie.

I’m at yours. I’ll see you in a bit. Thinking of you and let me know if there’s anything I can do. Anything at all. Xxx

She put her phone away. Her work phone started ringing. She snatched it from her pocket. It was an international number. ‘I think it’s O’Connor’s wife.’ She hesitated, knowing that once she answered, she’d have to give Mrs O the news. A lump formed in her throat. ‘Hello.’

‘Harry? Sorry, I’m half asleep. Who’s this?’

‘It’s DI Harte. Gina.’

‘Gina, is everything okay?’ She paused.

Gina cleared her throat and walked away, leaving Jacob to wait outside the ward doors. She leaned against the cold window and stared out at the courtyard again.

‘Gina?’

‘Sorry. There’s been an incident tonight.’

‘What kind of incident?’ Gina heard Mrs O’s voice break up.

‘Harry was stabbed while chasing a suspect. He’s being operated on as we speak.’

‘Is he going to be okay? He’s hurt but he’ll be okay, right? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?’

Gina glanced over to Jacob who was walking towards the doors to speak to the woman again. She wanted to say yes, Harry was going to be okay, that he was looking forward to seeing her but she could see by the look on Jacob’s face that he wasn’t going to be okay. Jacob placed a hand over his mouth as if stifling his emotions. He caught Gina’s eye and slowly shook his head.

She hiccupped a sob, knowing exactly what Jacob was communicating to her.

He mouthed two words. ‘He’s gone.’

Epilogue

Gina

It had been two weeks since Harry, her lovely colleague, had died, and Gina still felt hollow. The night she’d told Mrs O, she’d broken down as soon as the call had ended. The team would never be the same again. They’d all gone back to work, they had to. Crime didn’t stop because they were grieving.

Edwin Hammond had been further charged with Harry’s murder. She took a deep breath and exhaled. Thinking about him was enough to bring tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

She sat up in bed, staring at the wall opposite as her cat, Ebony, snuggled up on her lap and stretched a paw out. It was as if she could feel Gina’s pain. She kissed Ebony’s soft head and stroked her head.

Then there were the other charges. Sharing all those intimate films online had brought forward ninety-seven victims so far with many more to still be identified and contacted. Hammond had been charged under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Each charge separate but Gina knew those charges were the least of Hammond’s problems.

A huge bag of cash, along with a fake identity, were found in Hammond’s car. It had been handed in to evidence but Gina knew that nearly all of it would have been Carmen’s. At some point she’d get her money back through the official channels.

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs sent Ebony jumping on the windowsill, where she peered out at the field opposite in the same way she often did for hours on end. Brodie nudged the door open with the tray. The smell of toast soon filled the bedroom. She peered up and saw two plates of poached eggs on toast and two coffees, black, just the way they both liked them.

‘Are you hungry? You must be hungry.’ Brodie placed the tray down on her chest of drawers. He’d been so lovely over the past couple of weeks, staying when he could and calling her to see if she was okay when he was back on duty. She’d kept telling him that she was okay but she wasn’t.

‘I’m not sure if I can manage the food. I’ll take the coffee for now. Thank you.’ She forced a smile, grateful for his kindness.

He passed her the coffee and got into bed next to her.

She placed it on her bedside table and lay next to him, looking into his eyes, taking in the creases around them, knowing that she had creases, too. Life was delicate, precious and over all too easily. She touched her nose to his and kissed him.

‘Do you know when the funeral is?’ he asked.

She shook her head. ‘Harry’s body hasn’t been released yet.’

He nodded. Not wanting to push her too much. It was still hard to talk about him and not cry when she did.

‘What happened to the kids, the ones whose aunt was killed?’

‘They, err…’ She frowned, trying to remember the details. ‘Their aunt left them her house and money and there was some money in trust from their parents. They’re staying in the house. Brian, the brother, is eighteen and he’s looking after his sister. I went to see them yesterday, to update them on how the case was coming along.’

‘And?’

‘They’re grieving. Brian is suffering. Since those videos went live, he’s barely been out of the house. He said as soon as the estate is sorted, he’s going to have to sell it and they want to move. I can understand that.’

She thought of how Edwin had sent all those videos out into the world. Spencer Grey had upped and left. The blood found in the motorhome turned out to be menstrual blood. Spencer had done nothing but have an affair with Mindy. Ursula was on her own now. Gina had been to see her and she’d been glad he’d left. She’d also been shocked to hear that the man who was setting up a shop next to hers, a man who had become a friend, had been behind it all. ‘You know, the perp spoke more after his confession. He’d been absolutely smitten with Ursula. When we searched his house, he’d got photos up of him and her in all kinds of exotic places – of course, none of them were real. He’d used AI to make them. Creepy.’

Brodie lay on his back. ‘I keep thinking about the case and the things you’ve told me. There’s a price to pay for unkindness in life, isn’t there? And people get caught in the crossfire, like poor Harry.’

There were those that on the surface seemed to deserve what they had coming to them. If Edwin Hammond had been telling the truth about Dustin and Mindy being nasty to a woman they didn’t even know on social media, were their deaths any great loss? Can people ever change? Had Claudia changed from the person she’d been at school? Maybe some of the people who weren’t as directly involved had learned a lesson. Would Abel be a better person, or Jackson and Curtis? Would they be better people? She wondered if they’d also move out of the area soon, too. She’d seen the for sale sign up outside their house. The thing is, she knew there was nowhere to run. They couldn’t hide from what was on the internet. It would come back to haunt them forever, but she knew that’s exactly what OpenMeSmiler had originally been about. Edwin had got his revenge and it couldn’t be reversed. Once out of the bag, those videos were never going back in.

Abel was now well and on learning all that had happened, with his own video being released to the world, he’d broken down like a child. Lives had changed forever. Even the toughest of them were reduced to a life of fear and distrust when it came to future relationships.

Lives had come to an abrupt end. Lonnie Carson, brother to Mindy, was preparing his sister’s funeral. Mrs Fuller would have to be Dustin’s carer for life. He no longer even knew who he was. Two teenagers had not only lost their parents, but had lost the aunt who took them in.

Mrs O was going to have to carry on without the man she had always loved, a love that most people could only have ever dreamed of. Life was full of loss.

After leaving the hospital, Tabitha had pleaded with Gina to ask Garth if he’d seen any photos of her flying around after Operation Big Picture. Garth looked everywhere online and couldn’t find any. It looked like Edwin had deemed her innocent in all this and spared her.

‘Come here.’ Brodie turned back on his side and stroked her hair.

She touched his face and kissed him. When all felt like it was lost, there was still the future and love.

Love had to count for something and she was sure she loved Brodie. She wanted to leave thoughts of the dark path behind, along with all the vengeance and hatred. She had a future with an amazing man and that had to count for everything. She had a chance to have a perfect relationship and the more she looked into his eyes, the more she knew that the chance she’d taken to open her heart to Brodie was the best decision she’d ever made. When he smiled, she still saw that fun young rookie who she trained with.

As for the case, no one won in the end. She was going to grieve, she was going to get through this and she was going to be as strong as she could for her team and, most of all, when she had time to come up for air again, she had her own path to tread – a brand new path in life. She let a tear slide down her cheeks. That path wouldn’t have Harry O’Connor in it, though, and what a great loss to them all.

* * *

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Books by Carla Kovach

Detective Gina Harte series

The Next Girl

Her Final Hour

Her Pretty Bones

The Liar’s House

Her Dark Heart

Her Last Mistake

Their Silent Graves

The Broken Ones

One Left Behind

Her Dying Wish

One Girl Missing

Her Deadly Promise

Their Cold Hearts

Her Hidden Shadow

Her Last Goodbye

One Last Prayer

Then She Vanished

Their Deadly Truth

Watch Them Disappear

Standalone Novels

The People Next Door

My Husband’s Wife

On a Quiet Street

The Houseshare

Find Me

What She Did

Meet Me at Marmaris Castle

Whispers Beneath the Pines

Flame

AVAILABLE IN AUDIO

Detective Gina Harte series

The Next Girl (Available in the UK and the US)

Her Final Hour (Available in the UK and the US)

Her Pretty Bones (Available in the UK and the US)

The Liar’s House (Available in the UK and the US)

Her Dark Heart (Available in the UK and the US)

Her Last Mistake (Available in the UK and the US)

Their Silent Graves (Available in the UK and the US)

The Broken Ones (Available in the UK and the US)

One Left Behind (Available in the UK and the US)

Her Dying Wish (Available in the UK and the US)

One Girl Missing (Available in the UK and the US)

Her Deadly Promise (Available in the UK and the US)

Their Cold Hearts (Available in the UK and the US)

Her Hidden Shadow (Available in the UK and the US)

Her Last Goodbye (Available in the UK and the US)

One Last Prayer (Available in the UK and the US)

Then She Vanished (Available in the UK and the US)

Their Deadly Truth (Available in the UK and the US)

Standalone Novels

The People Next Door (Available in the UK and the US)

My Husband’s Wife (Available in the UK and the US)

On a Quiet Street (Available in the UK and the US)

The Houseshare (Available in the UK and the US)

Find Me (Available in the UK and the US)

What She Did (Available in the UK and the US)

A Letter from Carla

Dear Reader,

Thank you so much for reading Watch Them Disappear. I loved writing it and I’m happy and grateful that you chose to read it. The online world is a big, scary place so I hope you have some good security set up when you’re browsing social media and the net. At the very least, I’d definitely recommend sticking some tape over the camera lenses of your devices. The internet is a place full of scams and people trying to infiltrate your life. Stay safe all!

If you enjoyed Watch Them Disappear and would like to keep up-to-date with all my latest releases, just sign up at the following link. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time. You’ll also get a free story.

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I’m on Facebook and Instagram and occasionally, TikTok, as it’s fun to hang out with other writers and readers. As a writer, this is where I hope you’ll leave me a review or say a few words about my book.

Thank you,

Carla Kovach

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Go back to where it all began for Gina Harte…

The Next Girl

Detective Gina Harte Book 1

IF YOU ONLY READ ONE BOOK THIS YEAR, MAKE IT THE NEXT GIRL...

You thought he’d come to save you. You were wrong. 

‘Absolutely the best thriller I’ve read this year!’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars

‘I absolutely, totally and utterly LOVED reading The Next Girl… has to be one of my top reads.' Ginger Book Geek, 5 stars

‘Oh my goodness! This was gripping and fast moving from page one.’ Southern and Sassy Wine Lady, 5 stars

Deborah Jenkins pulls her coat around her for the short walk home in the pouring rain. But she never makes it home that night. And she is never seen again…

Four years later, an abandoned baby girl is found wrapped in dirty rags on a doorstep. An anonymous phone call urges the police to run a DNA test on the baby. But nobody is prepared for the results.

The newborn belongs to Deborah. She’s still alive... 

THE GRIPPING THRILLER EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT – if you like Lisa Gardner, Robert Bryndza or Clare Mackintosh, you will absolutely love this. A completely unputdownable page-turner with an ending that will blow your mind.

Get it here!

Her Final Hour

Detective Gina Harte Book 2

THE BOOK EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT…

Do you really know the family next door?

‘Bloody brilliant!’ Bonnie’s Book Talk, 5 stars

‘Wow… one of my favourite reads this year!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘BOOM… What a twist… Fantastic.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

Melissa Sanderson is the perfect wife and mother. She dotes on her daughter, and lives in her dream home in a quiet cul-de-sac in the suburbs.

But looks can be deceiving.

Something is amiss in that house – all the neighbours think so. Some say Melissa is having an affair. Others say she’s been drinking too much.

Then one night, sirens wake up the whole neighbourhood.

Melissa Sanderson is dead.

AN ABSOLUTELY UNPUTDOWNABLE THRILLER WITH A BRILLIANT ENDING YOU WON’T SEE COMING – if you like Lisa Gardner, Robert Bryndza or Clare Mackintosh, Her Final Hour will keep you reading well into the night.

Get it here!

My Husband’s Wife

Five years ago I buried my husband. Today I saw him with his new wife.

‘Thank you for agreeing to be our wedding planner. Theo is on his way,’ Madison says as we meet to plan her dream wedding. The moment her fiancé enters the room, a newborn baby in his arms, my whole world shifts and I grab hold of my desk to stop myself from falling.

Theo shakes my hand as he introduces himself, but I already know who he is. He’s my husband. The man I thought had died five years ago.

‘Lovely to meet you, Eva,’ he says, carefully avoiding my frozen stare. I’d recognise his smooth voice anywhere.

I want to scream, ask him why he’s doing this to me. But I know just how good a liar my husband is. And he knows my darkest secret. I can’t risk him destroying everything I’ve worked so hard for.

At the end of the meeting, I watch the happy little family walk away, and I don’t miss Theo’s eyes staring at me just a second too long. He knows I’m onto him. But only I know what I’m going to do next…

Readers who loved The Housemaid, The Perfect Marriage and Gone Girl will love the jaw-dropping twist in this absolutely gripping psychological thriller.

Get it here!

Acknowledgements

I’d like to say a massive thanks to everyone who worked on Watch Them Disappear. Editors, cover designers, people working in all aspects of publishing from admin to management – you’re amazing.

My editor, Helen Jenner, has been a star and I appreciate all she’s done for me. Thank you, Helen.

Huge gratitude to cover designer, Lisa Brewster, for another corker. I’m always in awe of the covers she creates.

The Bookouture publicity team are brilliant. Publication day with them is always special and I appreciate all their hard work.

Big thanks to expert, Stuart Gibbon, of Gib Consultancy. He answers my policing questions and without his knowledge, I’d definitely mess up the police procedures. Any inaccuracies are definitely my own.

Huge gratitude to the blogger and reviewer community for choosing to read and review my books when there are so many out there. Thank you also to the Fiction Café Book Club on Facebook. They’re amazingly supportive of authors.

Mega appreciation to my beta readers, Su Biela, Jamie-Lee Brooke and Vanessa Morgan. Anna Wallace helps me at the proofread stage so much appreciation to her, too.

Jamie-Lee Brooke, Julia Sutton and Abigail Osborne. I love our, ‘Hot Dog Cringey Crew’ support group.

Lastly, special gratitude to my husband, Nigel Buckley, for the tech advice in this book. Also, for the coffees, the admin, dealing with my website, photography at events, and all those other jobs I’m useless at, and mostly for being with me throughout.

Publishing Team

Turning a manuscript into a book requires the efforts of many people. The publishing team at Bookouture would like to acknowledge everyone who contributed to this publication.

Audio

Alba Proko

Claire Cowan

Hannah Wilson

Commercial

Hannah Richmond

Imogen Allport

Cover design

The Brewster Project

Data and analysis

Mark Alder

Editorial

Helen Jenner

Ria Clare

Copyeditor

Jane Eastgate

Proofreader

Shirley Khan

Marketing

Alex Crow

Ashleigh Scott

Eleanor Pilcher

Cíara Rosney

Martyna Młynarska

Operations and distribution

Russell Antcliff

Joe Morris

Kiah Tooke

Production

Hannah Snetsinger

Nadia Michael

Publicity

Noelle Holten

Jess Readett

Sarah Hardy

Rights and Contracts

Richard King

Saidah Graham

Peta Nightingale

Izzy Beaumont

Dear Reader,

We’d love your attention for one more page to tell you about the crisis in children’s reading, and what we can all do.

Studies have shown that reading for fun is the single biggest predictor of a child’s future life chances – more than family circumstance, parents’ educational background or income. It improves academic results, mental health, wealth, communication skills, ambition and happiness.

The number of children reading for fun is in rapid decline. Young people have a lot of competition for their time, and a worryingly high number do not have a single book at home.

Hachette works extensively with schools, libraries and literacy charities, but here are some ways we can all raise more readers:

Reading to children for just 10 minutes a day makes a difference

Don’t give up if children aren’t regular readers – there will be books for them!

Visit bookshops and libraries to get recommendations

Encourage them to listen to audiobooks

Support school libraries

Give books as gifts

There’s a lot more information about how to encourage children to read on our websites: www.RaisingReaders.co.uk and www.JoinRaisingReaders.com.

Thank you for reading.

Published by Bookouture in 2026

An imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

Carmelite House

50 Victoria Embankment

London EC4Y 0DZ

www.bookouture.com

The authorised representative in the EEA is Hachette Ireland

8 Castlecourt Centre

Dublin 15 D15 XTP3

Ireland

(email: info@hbgi.ie)

Copyright © Carla Kovach, 2026

Carla Kovach has asserted her right to be identified

as the author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

eBook ISBN: 978-1-80722-037-2

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organisations and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.