Jacob stepped from one foot to another, over and over as he rubbed his hair. ‘She’s not going to die. How can you say that? You don’t know.’
‘You’re right. I’m truly sorry. I don’t know.’
‘What if I never see her again? I can’t cope with that thought. I love her so much, more than anything. I should have said those words more.’
Gina sat on the wall and he sat next to her. The morning sun was just coming up and a few birds had lined up on a pylon above. Another message pinged through. It was Wyre hurrying her up. She placed her phone in her pocket. Wyre could wait another couple of minutes. ‘We’ve all wished we’d said or done things differently but hindsight is a wonderful thing. No one could have predicted that this would happen. Jennifer knows you love her and that’s all that matters. You have to be there for her now. Whatever happens, I’m here for you. You can call me or I can come over and we can talk any time of the day or night. We’re all family here, you know that.’ She swallowed.
‘Thank you.’ He puffed a couple of breaths out. ‘Right, I have to stop wallowing in self-pity, we have a job to do.’
‘What?’
‘I’m on this case. I am going to help find out who did this to Jennifer and who took Annabel. It’s the least I can do. If Jennifer could talk right now, she’d be telling me to catch the bastard who put her in a coma.’ He brushed his creased clothes down.
‘Jacob?’
‘What?’
‘You know the drill. You’re too close to this case.’
‘That hasn’t stopped you in previous cases.’
‘Touché.’ Jacob was right and he’d assisted her at times when she should have stayed away from a case because it got personal. She owed him.
‘I’m not going home and I’m not needed at the hospital. What use am I to her right now? Find me a role.’
Gina checked her phone. Wyre had tried to call. They had to hurry to Taylor’s and she was losing precious time on the case. ‘Okay. No groundwork, you’re office based. We should start getting calls through soon. Sift through everything. Follow up by phone and interview any witnesses that come in.’
‘Thrilling.’ The sarcasm in his tone was something Gina had never experienced but she understood his frustration.
‘But it’s a job that needs doing and one that could lead to finding Annabel and catching the person who hurt Jennifer. What we do isn’t all about busting down doors and getting into dangerous situations, you know that. Besides, if the hospital calls, you’ll need to go straight away.’
He blinked and wiped his sleep-filled eyes. ‘You’re right. I’ll catch up with you later at the briefing.’
Gina nodded. ‘See you later.’
As Jacob made his way back to the station’s main entrance, she grabbed her vibrating phone. ‘Wyre, I’m on my way.’
‘Guv, it’s Annabel’s phone. The tech team have taken a look.’
‘What is it?’
‘They’re struggling to download everything from the broken phone but they have found a tracking app that was put there by her husband. It’s even registered in his name. He would have known exactly where she was last night. There are a few text messages but nothing of any help to the case.’
‘I’m on my way. Hopefully he’ll be at the childminder’s and we can bring him in for questioning.’
‘I’ll meet you at the car. Let’s go get him.’
TEN
The satnav instructed Gina to take the next left and then they were there. This was meant to be where Taylor lived. ‘Look out for number seventeen.’
Wyre nodded. ‘As usual, no one has numbers on their houses. Wait, I think I see it. It’s that one, there. The one with the extension.’ Gina pulled up against the kerb. The house on the corner was just one of many on the pristine estate. Pruned hedges edged every garden and the ornate street lighting told her that it was an expensive place to buy.
‘I’m impressed with Cherry Drive. So this is where Taylor lives. Do we have a surname?’
‘No. We only know that she lives here. Look, guv. There are two front doors under the same number.’
‘Looks like an annexe. We’ll knock at the main door first.’ Gina stepped out, putting her bag strap around her head before tucking the bag under her arm. She walked across the perfect block paving and grabbed the shiny pewter knocker.
