‘No,’ she answered, although neither of them yet expected a response. Stacey had been told to try and track down Lucinda Butler. In between attempts to raise her on the phone, the constable was researching her background for family members and other clues.
Kim raised her head once the towers were far behind them.
Bryant said nothing as he parked the car close to the last row of maisonettes.
Kim’s attention was drawn to a figure standing at the front door of the end house. From Penn’s description, it was clearly Lyra Chance, but she lived at the next property along.
As she unbuckled her seat belt, she watched Lyra walk away and enter her own home.
‘Stay here,’ Kim said as Bryant made to exit the vehicle. She didn’t trust a car as tempting as his to remain there for long. At the very least, its wheels would be taken with the speed and accuracy of a Formula One pit stop team.
‘You sure?’ he asked doubtfully.
‘I’ll be right back,’ she said, closing the door behind her. She stepped away from the car, narrowly missing a soiled nappy by the front wheel.
* * *
The door was opened by the woman she’d just seen go in. After a quick up and down appraisal, Lyra frowned, astutely identifying her as a copper.
Kim took out her ID to confirm what the woman already suspected.
‘Detective Inspector Kim Stone. May I have a word?’
‘Why?’ Lyra asked, not stepping aside.
‘Final welfare checks for Ava,’ Kim lied.
‘For what? The kid’ll be here at five.’
Her stomach churned. She had known it was pretty much a done deal, but knowing there was an exact time filled her with fear.
‘And why’s a DI involved? A bit below your pay grade, ain’t it?’ Lyra continued, showing a bit more intelligence than Kim had given her credit for.
‘Extra precautions since she’s the child of a murder victim. We have to ensure her safety until the murderer is caught,’ Kim said, lying again, although she had to admit that was a good one.
‘Oh, I suppose so,’ Lyra said, moving aside. ‘But you’ll find nothing here to harm her. We’ll protect her like she’s our own.’
Given how Penn said they’d reacted to their eldest child’s injury, that was what worried her.
The rest of the family were in the living room. All three children were sprawled on the sofa watching some kind of slasher film that was clearly too old for them. Warren sat on the armchair, wearing nothing but underpants.
‘What now?’ he asked, looking up from his phone with no embarrassment at his state of undress.
‘Final checks, Mr Chance,’ Kim said, making no effort to sit down.
‘What is she – fucking royalty?’ he asked before laughing at his own joke.
‘I’ve already explained to your?—’
‘Fine by me. Look around. One last tidy-up and the place will be…’ His words trailed away as the sound of a slap cracked in the air. It was immediately followed by a cry.
Kim’s gaze went to the children on the sofa.
‘She bit me,’ the eldest child exclaimed, holding up his forearm. He waved it around the room so everyone could see his injury. Sure enough, there were two red arcs that had almost broken the skin.
‘I’ll bite yer as well if you don’t pipe down and watch the film,’ Warren said.
The girl stopped crying. A red mark was forming on her cheek.
