Izzy snorted with laughter. ‘It’s going to happen, Jess. You’re married. It’s kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, the lot from now on.’

‘My mum’s been dropping hints,’ Jessica confessed. ‘After she got over us flying to Vegas, she started talking about us figuring out somewhere more permanent to live so we can “sort out the spare room”.’

Izzy giggled knowingly as Dave kept a straight face. ‘Are you still living at your mate’s flat?’ he asked.

The house Jessica had lived in with her boyfriend Adam had burned down and they had been staying in an apartment owned by Jessica’s oldest friend. ‘For now,’ she replied. ‘We’re looking for places but it’s bloody boring . . .’

‘. . . And you wouldn’t know which name to write on the mortgage,’ Izzy interrupted.

Jessica tried to stop herself smiling but Izzy’s mood was infectious. ‘There’s nothing wrong with keeping your own name,’ she insisted.

‘Adam could take yours,’ Dave suggested unhelpfully. ‘Adam Daniel.’

‘I did mention that but it didn’t go down well.’

Izzy swished her long red hair behind her and tied it tightly. ‘I’ve missed all of this.’

‘What, winding me up?’ Jessica said.

‘Pretty much, yes.’

Jessica grinned. ‘At least you’re honest. How is Amber?’

Whether it was deliberate or not, Izzy shuffled in her seat until she was sitting up straighter. Her smile widened. ‘I’m missing her. I know her grandparents are looking after her fine but you get used to spending every day together.’

‘When I saw you last, it didn’t look as if you’d slept in a week,’ Jessica pointed out.

Izzy shrugged. ‘Amber’s sleeping a bit better now and doesn’t wake up so often in the night. You get used to it.’ She paused for a moment, before adding with a wink: ‘You’ll get used to it.’

Jessica ignored her. ‘My mum reckons she used to give me a tiny amount of whisky on my dummy whenever I couldn’t sleep. You should try that.’

‘I’m not giving my baby alcohol to make her sleep.’

‘It didn’t do me any harm.’

‘Aside from the chronic wine intake nowadays, you mean.’

Jessica ignored the dig. ‘Are you sure it’s not just a massive scam to get extra presents? Not only do you get gifts for Christmas and birthdays, you now get Mother’s Day stuff as well. It’s one big cycle of getting free stuff.’

‘Yeah, you’re right,’ Izzy replied sarcastically. ‘That was my first thought when I found out I was pregnant.’

Jessica grinned. ‘You’re quiet,’ she said to the other constable.

Rowlands, who was fiddling with his empty mug, shrugged dismissively. As Jessica took another chip, he locked eyes with Izzy. There was an awkward silence as Jessica glanced up and caught them.

‘What?’ she demanded, wondering what she was missing. Dave quickly looked back at the table. ‘Are you two up to something?’ Jessica persisted, although neither of the constables replied.

‘So are you going for Jason’s job or not?’ Izzy asked.

Jessica paused for a moment, wondering whether to let the obvious subject change go. After a very deliberate pause to let her friends know she was onto them, even though she wasn’t, Jessica replied. ‘I’ve been asked to apply but I don’t think it’s for me.’

Both constables groaned together. ‘Jess, you’d be perfect,’ Izzy said. ‘You practically do the job already.’

Jessica shrugged dismissively, although she knew it was true. Ever since Detective Inspector Jason Reynolds had been suspended for leaking sensitive information to the media a few months earlier, his workload had been spread out among his colleagues – with Jessica and Detective Sergeant Louise Cornish taking the brunt.

Their bosses had already been looking for an additional inspector but whoever got that position would end up doing it in place of DI Reynolds instead of alongside him. That was until the results of his disciplinary were through, which would be months, if not longer.

‘They’re interviewing over the next few weeks,’ Jessica said. ‘But I don’t want to end up sitting around here all day. I’d rather be out there annoying people.’

‘You are very good at being annoying,’ Rowlands replied.

Jessica wiped up the remaining brown sauce with her final chip and bit it in half. ‘Thanks, I’ll take that as a compliment.’

‘So you’re definitely not going for it?’ Izzy continued.

As she finished the final part of her lunch, Jessica pushed the plate away. ‘Nope. I’d be jealous if anyone else got to order Dave around. That’s my job.’

‘It’s not because you’re thinking about the pitter-patter of tiny feet, is it?’ Izzy asked with a smile.

Jessica rolled her eyes. ‘You’re not going to let it go, are you?’

Before Izzy could reply, Jessica saw Detective Chief Inspector Jack Cole striding into the canteen. He didn’t need to speak before she was on her feet. ‘What’s up?’ she asked.

He was biting his bottom lip, unsure how to phrase his words. ‘I’m not sure,’ he finally admitted. All three officers were now standing. ‘It’s good to have you back,’ he added, turning towards DC Diamond.

‘Thanks, Sir.’

‘What do you need?’ Jessica asked.

The chief inspector cleared his throat. ‘You know the usual policy on missing persons is to wait a day but we’ve had something this morning that is a little different . . .’

Jessica kept one eye on the road as she tried to glance sideways to see Izzy’s expression. ‘Are you going to tell me?’ she asked.

‘What?’

‘What’s going on with you and Dave? Or, more importantly, what’s going on with Dave? He’s been moping around for ages now.’

Izzy sighed slightly. ‘You should probably ask him.’

‘I have, he gives that blokey “nothing” reply, then carries on sulking.’

‘It’s probably just the Chloe thing. Ever since he split up with her, he hasn’t quite been himself.’

Dave had broken up with his girlfriend a few months previously but Jessica hadn’t had much of a chance to talk to him about it because she had been dealing with her house fire at the same time. She flicked on the indicator and turned left, impressed by the fact she knew where she was going.

‘Didn’t he break up with her?’

‘Yes.’

‘So what’s the problem?’

Izzy replied after a short pause. ‘I don’t know.’

Jessica didn’t think it sounded too convincing but didn’t want to push her friend so soon after her return from maternity leave. She manoeuvred her way through a selection of side streets, pulling up outside the address Cole had given her. With the absence of anywhere to park, she blocked in whoever was on the driveway and then, with Izzy a few steps behind, walked up the small set of steps before ringing the doorbell.

Almost instantly, a man opened the door. He was tall, with slightly greying hair tucked behind his ears. He was attractive in the way some men were when they reached a certain age, his delicate wrinkles displaying a wisdom and kindness as he stood hesitantly on the top step. He pushed himself up onto tip-toes looking over the officers towards the road and then, eventually, inviting them in.

Jessica had been on many call-outs with Izzy in the past and, given the woman’s bright red hair and good looks, she was almost always eyed – even briefly – by the men they visited. After confirming his identity as Cameron Sexton, Jessica knew instantly something strange had happened because he barely gave the constable a second glance. Instead, he invited them into the living room, pointing them towards the sofa and continuing to pace.

‘Are you all right, Mr Sexton?’ Jessica asked.

He was wearing a jumper over a shirt, which was half-untucked from his jeans. He fiddled with his sleeve for a moment before stopping and sitting in an armchair opposite, fixing Jessica with a stare. ‘I don’t know if we should be angry or worried,’ he said.

Cameron went on to explain that he and his wife had come home from an evening out to find their front door open and the babysitter missing.