“How’s the princess?” He pointed at Helene who was setting out a range of stuffed animals as if they were having a picnic.
“Waiting for her new friend to get here. Your niece, I’m led to believe.” Drew frowned. “I didn’t know you had a niece.”
This meant he was now questioning the people he paid to get info. Sadie Grace wouldn’t have appeared as being his niece as biologically she wasn’t.
“Rayah’s fiancé has three kids.”
“Ah, Jonny Graham. The firefighter.” Drew nodded as if all the pieces of the jigsaw had finally clicked into place. “What can I get you both to drink.” His eyes landed back on Abby. “I’m assuming that Alex has told you who I am, and you know more about me than most, given your circumstances.”
Abby took the hand Drew had extended and shook it. “He’s told me a little. Thank you for helping out.”
Drew shook his head then his gaze snapped round as Helene let out a scream.
It was a scream of delight as she held out her arms and did a strange little dance, Sadie Grace running towards her with the same outstretched arms.
“Best friends for forever after meeting each other three hours ago,” Drew mumbled.
“Sadie may drag your daughter into all sorts of mischief. Be warned.” Alex heard Rayah shouting behind them. “She’s already caused Ray’s first grey hair.”
Drew sighed. “I wish I was waiting for someone to cause my first one.” He gave his short hair a brush through with his fingers. “Want to see inside the yurt. It’s so awesome that I might move into it permanently.”
They followed him inside, Sadie and Helene running around the area at the front of the yurt looking like they were badly choreographing a dance that involved teddy bears. Rayah was somewhere nearby watching and Alex knew there would be at least two yurts full of disguised security because that was how Drew rolled.
“Any more news of your sister? I know Indy was hacking into places she shouldn’t be.” Drew passed them both beers from the fridge inside the yurt.
The place was anything but a tent. There was a wood burning stove and what appeared to be a full-size sectional sofa. Three additional rooms came off the main lounge and there were two other rooms with the doors closed which Alex figured led to bathrooms, one more bathroom than he had in his own place.
“I don’t think Indy could access the notes, but we do think it was definitely her.” There was elation in Abby’s words.
It had only been a couple of hours ago since Indy had called, using yet another number that Alex didn’t recognise. Abby had listened in on speaker phone as Indy talked through the process she’d used to match the images from the security cameras to the video footage Abby had sent her. It wasn’t a hundred percent, but as good as.
If it was Tilly, then she had walked in the hospital freely. She'd been looked after and the medical staff hadn't been given reason to suspect anything was amiss - something they were trained to do. These were facts Abby was clinging to.
They just needed to find where Tilly was or make it so Tilly could find Abby. Safely.
“Indy accessed something else though.” Drew’s eyes had settled on Alex, darkening. “Has she told you?”
“I haven’t spoken to her for a couple of hours.”
Drew gave a nod. “Do you know a Lena who lives in Severton?”
“Everyone knows everyone in Severton. It really is the town where everyone knows your name. What about Lena?”
“She was the main term in a man called Dennis Wilcox’s google search history.”
“When was that?”
“About two weeks ago. Have you heard of Sean Tassaker before?”
Alex felt Abby take hold of his hand and grasp it tightly. She believed that this was how Kenny Gallagher or whoever had become aware of her: she’d been asking Lena questions about the cult and who lived there.
“He’s one of the gang members who is hiding out in Severton. One of Alfie Fletcher’s crew.”
“He’s Kenny Gallagher’s second cousin. Long, complicated family story, remind me to bore you with it sometime. Anyway, he was doing a bit of research on this Lena girl – nothing to be found. It was Indy who put two and two together. Then she started looking into what our other friends have been up to.” Drew grinned and Alex saw the old gangster who he was pretty sure was responsible for ending the lives of one or two people. “Sean went to school with Nicky Bamford. The two fucking hated each other. Bear with me here, lots of names and you don’t need to remember them. Indy had a nosy at what Nicky had been looking at online and along with a lot of porn – the guy has a serious issue – he also searched for Lena. And then came to look for her here.”
“Why would he look for Lena?” Alex had a feeling he knew the answer to this already.
“When your sister-in-law ended up trapped in caves – I know you won’t have forgotten that or which one I mean - there was a bloke who was arrested for kidnapping Lena. The same one who took Lois. That was Harry Bamford. Nicky’s brother. He was…”
