“You’re paving the way. It takes time to build a case. Your work won’t go to waste. We OK?”
“We’re OK,” Kelly confirmed.
Elea opened the office door. She needed every member of the team onside. “And Kelly?” Elea said, as she walked past. “Go and see your mum.”
Elea sank intothe passenger seat of the car as tiredness swept over her. Her limbs felt heavy, and a dull ache pulsed behind her eyes. She’d turned down Swann’s offer to drop her to her hotel. Mitch could drive her back. If Swann insisted on pairing them up, then that’s exactly what he would get. She was still pissed with Swann for the way he’d treated her today, but she knew how to play him and would assert herself in time. At least the office dynamics had improved, and Mitch seemed content to allow her to take a leading role—in and out of bed.
She massaged her temple as she inhaled the new-car smell. “Have you had it long?” She glanced across at Mitch, who was reversing out of the space. “The car,” she added. Elea hated small talk, but it was better than sitting in awkward silence for the drive home.The words “small talk” weren’t part of the Finnish language. The concept of chatting for the sake of filling silences was a bit of a cultural oddity. But Elea recalled enough of her father’s English ways to understand the differences between the cultures.
“I bought it yesterday.” Mitch glanced her way. “But you’re not interested in cars...remember?”
A splinter of a memory returned: Elea, slightly drunk at the time, bluntly informing Mitch that he was boring her when he mentioned that he’d bought a car.
“Mmm.” Elea nodded, letting down the window a touch. The cool evening air and change of scenery offered a welcome break from the office. It was odd how police HQ was nestled in the Lincolnshire countryside, a few miles away from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Soon they were heading out of Nettleham and towards the city of Lincoln. They drove in silence, passing under orange streetlights as tiredness washed over them both.
“Long day, huh?” Mitch stifled a yawn as he waited for the traffic lights to change from red to green.
“Yes, you look tired.” A smile tugged at the corner of Elea’s mouth. “Someone keep you up late last night?”
His lips formed a grin. “Yeah, and they kicked me out of bed in the early hours to do their milk round.”
“Milk ladies lead such busy lives.” Elea exhaled a tired laugh. “You won’t be seeing her again.”
“That’s a crying shame,” Mitch said wistfully, as the traffic lights changed. “I’m missing her already.”
Silence fell between them once more, but it was becoming a comfortable one. Elea gazed out of the window at the darkened streets. Was her daughter’s kidnapper holed up here somewhere?Tomorrow would be a big day, which is why they’d all been sent home to get some sleep. In the morning Elea and Mitch would speak to Sophie and hopefully glean some information about her kidnapper. Then, if needed, they’d turn their attention to the suspects named on Hobbs’s list. TheDivisional Intelligence Unithad already confirmed that some of them were known for using the Dark Web, with dealings both nationally and internationally. Elea had no doubt that it was a strong lead.
Mitch’s car rolled to a stop outside a row of terraced houses. “This is Yarborough Crescent.” He leaned forward and pointed out of the window. “Over there. That’s Sophie Miller’s home.”
Elea studied the red-brick detached building, which looked like any other house on the street. “She’s just an ordinary child,” she said softly.
“That’s what makes it so frightening for the people around here.” Mitch pulled slowly away from the kerb. “There’s no telling who could be next.”
Elea couldn’t think about it anymore. “We should head back.” Her stomach grumbled. She had barely eaten all day.
“Right you are.”
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She glanced at Alice’s text, blinking to ensure that she’d read it correctly. Sighing, she typed a quick response.
“Everything all right?” As he headed towards the Brayford, Mitch threw her a curious glance.
“Just an offer I can refuse.” She slipped her phone back into her pocket and gazed out at the darkened streets.
Chapter 16
Elea was sweltering in the office heat. She’d noticed a pattern: the radiators blasted out warmth in the early hours, despite ongoing budget cuts. By morning the air had thickened with the stench of congealed takeaway that was lingering in the bins shoved into the corners of the room. Scents had always stood out to her. The sharp tang of a fine wine, the lingering spice of expensive aftershave, the crisp, resinous scent of pine needles during her walks in the Finnish forests. But this? This was an assault on the senses. She resisted the urge to throw open every window. She glanced at Mitch, who was signing out a job car. They would be leaving soon. This morning’s briefing had been short and perfunctory as they were each allocated their jobs.
“We’ve gone from a stinking office to a smelly car.” Elea wrinkled her nose in disgust at the grease-lined takeaway wrapper in the passenger footwell as she got in. “What is it with you Brits and your takeaways?” She was partial to a pizza on occasion, but not every single day.
“It’s just come in from a night shift,” Mitch informed her. “I’ve driven worse job cars. At least it’s got a full tank.” He navigated the frost-kissed roads of Lincoln, slowing as a group of schoolchildren crossed the road. “Blimey, it’s Baltic today.” He turned up the heating in the marked police car.
“You call this cold?” Elea snorted. “This isn’t cold. Where I’m from, the chill seeps through you like ghosts passing through walls.”
“That’s very...um...poetic.” Mitch threw her a grin.
Elea should have known that the words would be lost on him. They were something her daughter once wrote in a poem. She carried bits of Liisa around with her, unpacking them from her memory whenever the opportunity arose. She could not bear the thought of losing even the smallest piece of her.
“What’s it like?” Mitch interrupted her thoughts. “Living in Helsinki, I mean.”
