“Keep our eye on it,” said Helen, handing over the surveillanceto Sanderson and marching over to DC McAndrew, who stood with her mobile clamped to her ear.
“What have you got?”
McAndrew held her hand over the mouthpiece as she replied:
“WestKeys is owned by an Edward Loughton.”
“So Ben Fraser is just an employee. Can we raise Loughton? If he can give us a home address for Ben Fraser, then we might still be able to save Ruby.”
“Loughton died three years ago. He’s got a sister who lives somewhere locally. We’re trying to track her down.”
McAndrew resumed the call, spelling out the name of the woman they now sought. As she did so, Helen paced up and down. Every delay, every setback would cost them dear now. They were so close to unmasking him, but would it all be for nothing? Thoughts of Alison and Jonathan Sprackling arrowed into her mind now—she could sense their desperation, their longing to be reunited with the girl they had rescued all those years ago. Helen refused to believe that their kindness had been for nothing, that Ruby could be snuffed out as cruelly as the other girls. But she was powerless to influence matters, and the fact that the shop had been shut early filled her with alarm. Any deviation from his normal routine was bad news for them.
And bad news for Ruby.
128
Helen stopped in her tracks as soon as she entered the lobby of the Great Southern. She had been in a world of her own, walking automatically toward the lift bank, but the sight of Daniel Briers at reception brought her to a halt. He had a suitcase with him and by his side stood a tall lady with long dark hair and an elegantly swollen belly.
“Daniel?”
He turned and on seeing Helen smiled—but the look was forced and unconvincing.
“Are you leaving?”
“I am,” he replied, failing to look her in the eye. “I wanted to stay for the duration as you know. But obviously I’ve got other responsibilities, so... This is Kristy, my wife.”
“DI Helen Grace. I’m running the investigation—”
“I know who you are,” Kristy Briers said, shaking hands cursorily with Helen.
“You’ve got all our contact details, haven’t you, in case there’s any news...?” Daniel continued. His concern and interest were genuine, but Helen could sense he just wanted to be out of this conversation.
“Of course. In fact, I was just coming here to update you. There have been some significant dev—”
“Do you always update people in hotel rooms? At night?”
Kristy’s question was delivered calmly but had an edge to it that was hard to miss.
“No, but I made your husband a promise to keep him up to speed with the very latest developments. And I was honoring that promise.”
Helen’s tone was even but firm. She had undoubtedly put herself in an awkward position by handling Daniel Briers personally, but they had done nothing wrong, so why should she be castigated for showing compassion?
Pulling the couple aside, Helen told them about the police search for Ben Fraser and her hope that they would soon make an arrest. Daniel asked a few questions, but the conversation swiftly came to a natural conclusion. There was nothing more to say.
“Thank you, Helen. For everything. It would mean the world to me to see justice done.”
He spoke from the heart, but the words still sounded strange to Helen. Everything was slightlyofftonight. Daniel shook her hand formally and with a brief look back walked toward the awaiting car. Kristy made to follow, then paused, turning back to Helen.
“Don’t feel too bad. It happens to them all in the end.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’ve been with Daniel for over ten years now. I know what he’s like—”
“Kristy, I really don’t know what you’re allud—”
“The thing about Daniel is that he likes attention. Loves to have a pretty face staring up at him, an arm round his shoulder. Or someone to keep him warm at night. It’s like an addiction. There’s no other way to explain it. But you should never take it personally. It’s not you he’s interested in. It’s himself.”
