Gina scoffed the packet sandwich they’d bought from the garage as she and Wyre waited for Annabel’s father to arrive back at the house. He’d taken Cally to his a few hours ago. The taste of pickle hung in her throat. She glanced up. Jennifer’s car was still parked on the road by their house, right where she left it. Gina took a mint from the centre console and popped it in her mouth.
‘I wonder how long he’ll be.’ Wyre finished the last of her tuna salad.
‘Hopefully not much longer. The lab are testing the blood sample now. We should get the results soon.’ Gina checked her phone and no one had tried to call. They had all the samples at the lab, it was simply a matter of seeing if the blood on the tissues matched Jennifer’s or Annabel’s which were left at the scene of the hit-and-run. Gina wedged the empty wrapper in the side of the car as an email popped up from Bernard. ‘Damn, I hoped for more. Nothing else of concern has been found at the cabin. The nub end was definitely weed. Swabs have been taken and will be processed at the lab. Great.’ She stared out of the window. The sun was going down and it was past teatime for most people. A car pulled up behind them. She wound her window down.
Evan, the neighbour, got out and walked over. ‘Have you found Annabel? I saw the appeal on the news.’
‘No, sorry. Thank you for going to the station and giving a statement earlier.’
‘No worries. I thought Doug would be here by now. He called me, asking if I’d look after Cally while he talks to you. Thought I’d take her to feed my rabbit. She loves Thumper. Would you like me to bring you both a drink, while you wait?’
Wyre shook her head and smiled as a car pulled in. Gina and Wyre met Doug and Cally on the pavement. Now that he had arrived, their work could begin.
‘Cally, love, would you go with Evan for a few minutes while Gramps talks to the police officers?’
Evan smiled. ‘Thumper is waiting for his dinner, Cally. I thought you could feed him.’
‘Yay.’ The little girl followed Evan into his house.
‘I hope you don’t mind. I didn’t want Cally around asking questions, not yet.’
Gina followed him down the path and into the house. ‘What have you told her?’
‘I’ve just said that she’s staying with me for a few days as Mummy and Daddy have had to work away. I didn’t know what else to say and I don’t think she believes me. None of this is normal and she knows it too. Is there any news?’
Gina stepped into the living room, out of the tiny hall. ‘We had a sighting of Grant earlier. When we headed over to where he was, he saw us and ran.’
‘I knew it. He’s done something to her. How could he? I know they weren’t getting on but she’s the mother of his daughter.’
‘As far as you are aware, do you know if Grant has ever taken drugs?’
The man fell into the chair. ‘Yes. My daughter denied it but I know he does. You can tell. He’s always fidgeting, doesn’t sleep and that disturbing wide-eyed stare he does, it’s creepy. One of the reasons he hates me too is that I caught him snorting something when I was over at Christmas. He didn’t lock the door to the loo and I had no idea he was in there. I don’t know what it was that he was snorting but he went for a long run afterwards. Cocaine, maybe. I did have a go at him, told him that Annabel was far too good for the likes of him and that it wasn’t right that he did that in his home, around his daughter. Of course, I told Annabel and she told me she’d deal with it and asked me not to go on. I was worried about Cally, being around a man on drugs, but I didn’t want to push Annabel away. I couldn’t bear to not be in their lives. I thought maybe Grant had learned a lesson but it looks like he hasn’t if you’re asking me about drugs.’
‘I know this is hard on you but with Annabel missing and Grant literally on the run from us, we have a warrant to search the house.’ Gina placed it on the worktop, leaving it with Doug. Gina kept the news of the bloodied tissues to herself. It was too early to alarm the man with news like that.
‘Look around for anything that might lead you to my daughter. I want her back. Cally is missing her and I don’t know how much longer I can keep giving her excuses as to why Annabel isn’t around.’ The man leaned forwards and put his head in his hands. ‘I can’t be here right now. Is it okay to go next door with Cally and Evan while you do what you have to do?’
Gina nodded. ‘We’re so sorry for all you’re going through. I’ll knock when we’ve finished. Do you have the dog?’
‘Yes. My neighbour is keeping an eye on him. You know where I’ll be if you need me.’
‘Thank you.’ Gina watched him leave. ‘Right.’ She pulled a couple of crime scene suits from her bag and passed one to Wyre. ‘Best not to contaminate anything, just in case.’ They both pulled them over their shirts and trousers before snapping on some gloves. ‘I’ll head up to their bedroom, you see what you can find here. Give Smith a call. See if a couple of officers can relieve him and Kapoor of sentry duty. Someone else can take a turn in watching Grant’s car. We’re going to need their assistance.’
Wyre nodded. ‘Will do, guv.’
Gina took the creaky stairs one by one. The wall was dotted with photos in a variety of frames, each one a different size and colour. There were lots of photos of Cally, some school photos and some that looked like they were taken in a studio. Then there was the family in happy times, together at the zoo, at a theme park, at the beach, riding horses. As she reached the top, she faced the bathroom. Peering in, she went straight for the medicine cabinet but all it contained was moisturisers, toothpaste and dispenser soaps, amongst a few bobbles that were entangled with hair. The bin was full of empty toilet rolls and that was it. She headed out and pushed a door open. She passed Cally’s room then stopped outside the next bedroom. Pushing the door, it opened with a squeak.
The lack of personal belongings and an old desk at one end of the room told Gina that she was in the spare room, the room that Grant had been sleeping in. The quilt half lay on the floor exposing the single bed mattress. A pile of dirty clothes had been thrown into a corner of the room. If Grant was using drugs, Gina could guarantee that he wouldn’t keep them in their shared bedroom. She glanced out of the window at the set-back garage and wondered if Annabel went in there often.
Kneeling, she began to lift the mattress and feel along it. She then bent down and saw that there was nothing under the bed. Then, she searched the drawers, the bedside table and the wardrobe and found no sign of drugs at all. Standing on a chair, she checked the top of the wardrobe. That’s when she spotted the air vent with the missing screw. On the desk was a screwdriver. Hurrying, she grabbed it and stood back on the chair, stretching her arm over the top of the wardrobe before unscrewing the rest. The grill clanged onto the floor and she reached in, straining to feel if anything was in there. Her hand reached a bundle of cloth. She pulled the canvas bag out and took it over to the desk. As she unfolded it, about thirty baggies of white powder fell out. ‘Wyre, I’ve found the drugs.’
Wyre began running up the stairs.
‘We need to get these to the lab. Looks like Doug was right. Either Grant was dealing or he has a big problem with methamphetamine.’ Gina glanced up at the recess. ‘There’s something else in there.’ She stood on the chair again. ‘I can’t reach in. Can you pass me something? There’s a ruler on the desk. That might help.’
‘Here.’ Wyre passed it up.
It took several attempts but Gina managed to drag the package out. She passed it to Wyre. ‘Check that.’
