“It’s Chelsea. Chelsea Hobbs.” Elea’s tone was heavy with sadness. “She’s got a mole, here, near her left eye. It’s like a birthmark. See?” Elea tilted her head to one side, slipping into detective mode. “Her nails—they’ve been bitten. Chelsea used to bite her nails.”
Swann didn’t remember reading that in a report, but it was the sort of thing Elea would have asked her mother about. She had spoken to Karen Hobbs a few times now, picking up details and storing them in a memory that was superior to his.
Elea looked up at Swann, her blue eyes glistening with raw emotion. There was a battle going on behind those eyes, but she was holding it together. “I’m ninety-nine per cent sure this is Chelsea Hobbs.” She stepped aside as the freezer door was closed, a small whoosh of cold air escaping the child’s resting place. She had to be protected from minute degradation that every passing second would bring.
This freezer would not be unplugged. They would use a generator and transport her remains, for the coroner to gain forensic samples. Swann already knew every step of each process they would need to take. The house would be swept for trace evidence: fibres, hair, blood and fingerprints. Ultraviolet light would be used to detect what wasn’t visible to the naked eye. Careful handling would be needed when transporting the freezer to ensure the temperature was kept consistent throughout. Controlled thawing would be part of the process, as the body was preserved in a way that achieved the best evidence for the police. The coroner would look for patterns such as bruising or tissue damage to ascertain a potential cause of death. Once the body was fully thawed, a complete autopsy would be performed to determine the actual cause of death. Blood, tissue, DNA and fluid samples would be taken for toxicology tests. Then a full DNA analysis would be completed, checking hair and skin cells as well as testing cavities and beneath the girl’s bitten fingernails. But while Swann was working out their next steps, Elea’s thoughts were firmly with the victim.
“Poor Karen.” She exhaled a sad breath. “She’s going to have to identify her.” Elea looked around the room. “Any chance that he’ll come back?”
Swann shook his head. “The house has been cleared. He left in a hurry. He’s long gone.”
“He?”
“It would seem so. The property was rented out long-term to a man. A Mr. John Smith.” He raised an eyebrow. “I know. Very original.” Sarcasm bled through his words “But we’ve got lots to go on here.” He gestured at Elea to follow him out. “It won’t be long now.”
Elea didn’t disagree.
Chapter 46
Elea sat in her car, enjoying the precious time alone. She was parked on the street, outside the home of Chelsea Hobbs. Bruised clouds loomed over the horizon like a threat, and all her senses told her that this wasn’t the end. Today had been emotionally draining. It felt like every minute of her working day was spent being observed. Had she such a reputation as a hothead that she had to be permanently watched? Then she thought back to her last year in Finland, and how her frustrations with her daughter’s case had led her down some dark paths. She had been reckless. She could have killed someone.
Her stomach grumbled. At least soon she would be able to cook for herself. In the meantime she would have to make do with supermarket food. She nibbled at her tuna-and-sweetcorn sandwich, pausing to sip her water. As she sat in an easy silence, her thoughts drifted to the past. The case of Tuomas Lehtonen had almost cost Elea her job. He was a supply teacher, a single man in his fifties who travelled over Helsinki and beyond. He’d been arrested after he’d stopped on Peltokyläntie to offer twelve-year-old Frida Laine a ride home. Her school was located on Sammontie, and she had finished for the day. The area was residential, with fields on either side, dotted with pretty silver-birch trees. It was an active neighbourhood, but on that day in January the roads were thick with snow. Frida had sensibly declined the offer, but Tuomas had been insistent to the point where he had followed her in his car. It was only when Frida’s mother turned up that he’d driven off. She’d been concerned enough to report the incident to the police. Elea had not been assigned the case, but it had not stopped her trying to beat a confession out of Lehtonen on his way home from the pub one night. Had her boss, Heikkinen, not been driving past searching for her, that night could have ended very differently. She cringed as she recalled the memory. How she had bruised her knuckles. How she’d wished that she’d had her gun. Heikkinen had loaded Lehtonen into his truck and brought him home. Her boss never told her what had been said, but he bought Lehtonen’s silence that night. The teacher hadn’t taken her daughter, but the similarities had been there, and it had been so satisfying to knee him in the groin. Tuomas Lehtonen was now on their radar, and he would think twice before offering any child a lift home again.
Elea drained the last of her water. That was enough reminiscing for now. Her belly full and her feet rested, she got out of the car. She couldn’t put this off any longer. It was time to break the news. Mitch had offered to task a uniformed officer—it was protocol, after all. But Elea couldn’t allow that to happen. She had made Karen Hobbs a promise. She would not renege on it now. She took confident steps up to the doorway. The cathedral bells sounded in the distance. How things had changed since her last visit here. Phil Hobbs had been bailed, pending further investigation, and was living in Grimsby now. Karen was working with social services to get her children back. All except one.
Each time Elea saw her, she looked a little healthier than before. Her sweatshirt fitted a little better and her jeans were clean. Her hair was tied up from a face that was make-up-free. But today she would be taking long strides backwards in her progress.
“Ella,” Karen said, allowing her inside, “I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”
Elea allowed the name mistake to pass. Karen had enough to contend with. She followed her through the hall. It still smelled strongly of chip fat and cigarettes, but was cleaner than before. The threadbare carpet had been hoovered, and the school pictures on the walls were free of dust. Elea recognised Chelsea in one of the images; she was standing next to the Alton Towers sign. She wished she was coming with better news.
“Can I make you a cuppa?” Karen asked, watching her intently. She clasped her hands together, taking in Elea’s expression.
“Why don’t you sit down?” Elea guided her towards the old leather sofa.
“No,” Karen said quietly, her legs giving way as she fell back onto the couch. “Whatever you’re going to say, I don’t want to hear it.” Tears misted her eyes. “I’ve got the place all shipshape now.” Her chin trembled. “My girls are coming home. All of them.”
Dammit, Elea thought,I shouldn’t have hesitated. Passing on news of a death was a plaster that needed to be ripped off. “We’ve found a body,” she said, sitting next to Karen. “There’s a chance it might be Chelsea.” Elea dipped her head as she waited for her words to sink in. “I’m so sorry...”
“No!” Karen covered her mouth with her hand. “I told ya, I don’t want to hear it. It’s not her! It’s not my Chelsea! I’m gonna...” She wiped her nose on the sleeve of her jumper. “I’m gonna put things right.”
“We can’t say for sure yet, Karen. She’ll need to be identified.”
“But you’ve seen her, yes? Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”
Elea nodded.
“You said you’d find her, and you did. Now you’re here, like the fucking Grim Reaper, telling me my little girl is dead. All because of that vile piece of shit!” Her words were engulfed by a howl. Karen buried her head into her hands.
Elea’s heart hardened towards the man who had made this happen. She would kill the bastard when she found him. He deserved nothing less.
Chapter 47
“I’m sorry, love, it’s going to be another late one, I’m afraid.” Swann listened as Alice sighed on the other end of the line. “We’ve had a breakthrough,” he continued. “It’s a big one.”
“Have they found her? Liisa, I mean.”
“Not Liisa, no.” Head lowered, he stood in his office, the aroma of takeaway food wafting in through the door. His team had ordered pizza. Elea had paid, as a thank-you for the hours they’d put in.
