As she was lost in her thoughts, the music went silent and Jessica heard the sound of the television, volume raised, crackling through the speakers. Everyone stood and looked towards the screen as Big Ben appeared and the countdown began. Jessica joined in half-heartedly before the cheering began. Adam didn’t seem bothered by her lack of interest and kissed her before pulling her in close. She could feel the vibration on her ear lobe as he whispered ‘Happy New Year’ softly. Jessica didn’t reply but hugged him tight. She knew she was a hypocrite after everything she had said but, as the first line of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ began, she made a silent resolution that, no matter what, she wasn’t going to mess things up with him again.

30

Jessica wasn’t enjoying her first week back after New Year. A case which involved a string of street robberies over the Christmas period had been dumped on her while everyone seemed to have conveniently forgotten that somewhere out there Benjamin Sturgess had an accomplice.

She was sitting in the station’s canteen picking at a plate of chips when Rowlands dragged a chair across to sit opposite her. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked.

‘Yeah, I just can’t get this Sturgess guy out of my mind.’

‘Izzy told me you asked her to look into some things quietly. She’s not been able to get away to see you but she says she hasn’t found anything.’

‘Me neither. I just wanted to re-check the guy’s past. See who he used to be friends with, that kind of thing. I’ve been trying to look into Deborah too.’

‘The wife?’

‘Yeah, what did you think of her?’

Rowlands shrugged before taking a chip from Jessica’s plate and biting it in half. ‘I dunno really. Hard to read.’

It was exactly how Reynolds had described Deborah Sturgess after interviewing her and Jessica would have used the same expression too. ‘I’ve not found anything,’ she admitted. ‘I checked her and her husband, the marriage, the divorce, all of it. They’re just so normal. If he hadn’t crashed that car we would never have found any of this.’

‘Why would he wait so long?’ Rowlands asked.

‘How do you mean?’

‘We’re assuming it was him who kidnapped and killed Toby. If that was the type of thing that got him off, why would he wait fourteen years to do it again?’

‘Iz was looking into that a few weeks ago because I thought the same. We couldn’t find anything to connect him to any other disappearances from the past few years. Honestly, I don’t know.’

‘There wasn’t anything to connect him to Isaac though, was there?’

Jessica nodded reluctantly. ‘I guess . . . I just . . . how could he go undetected for so long if he was taking other kids during that time? I don’t understand why you would kidnap a child just to kill them.’

Dave stole another chip. ‘Who knows why half these nutters do what they do.’

Jessica winced. ‘It’s more than that. Think about the cases we examine and the motives people have. These aren’t the first children to be snatched, but there’s always a reason, even if it’s only in the perpetrators’ own twisted heads. There are sickos who do it for sexual pleasure – but Isaac wasn’t abused in that way. Maybe you do get off on killing – but why would it be specifically a child? There would be so many easier targets. Look at all the people who live on the streets, or even those who walk home on their own after dark. If killing people excited you, wouldn’t you be more likely to choose a different situation?’

Rowlands held up his hands open-palmed. ‘I don’t know. Maybe he liked killing kids? Perhaps it was a challenge to get away unseen?’

‘I thought of that but it still doesn’t really make sense. Think of the list we found. Why write their names and addresses down? Why that order? Isaac was at the top, so was he planning to kill all nine but do it from the first name to the last? If you just got off on killing children, why would you bother with all that formality? You’d do your homework, watch the schools and check what time everyone left and so on, then you’d strike. Even if you had access to those details – and we’re pretty sure Sturgess didn’t – then why would you go through all that effort?’

‘And the map too.’

Jessica nodded. ‘Exactly. I’ve been banging on about that ever since we found it. You only need a map if you don’t know where you’re going. Even if it was Sturgess who was responsible for Toby Whittaker’s disappearance all those years ago, he didn’t know where the clothes had been left. If he did, he would have just gone there.’

‘So do you think his ex-wife was in on it?’ The constable didn’t sound convinced by his own question.

‘I don’t know, maybe. I’m not convinced she told us everything. She gave us just enough to wrap things up neatly from her point of view. She’s not a suspect but she didn’t really dish the dirt on her husband either. It’s just very . . . tidy.’

Rowlands nodded and Jessica could see his mind working. ‘Have you told the DCI all this?’

‘Sort of. I spoke to Jason but I don’t think it’s up to either of them. From the outside we look successful. It’s only us who know how shit we’ve done.’

Rowlands gave her a weak smile. ‘It’s good that you care, Jess.’ She looked back at him and thought about how much he had grown up over the past couple of years, then realised she had too. He must have been able to tell she was feeling uncomfortable because he quickly spoke again. ‘Is there anything else?’

Jessica sighed. ‘Not much. Results have started dribbling in on everything that was recovered. Forensics say there are traces of Isaac on the carpet from the shed but we expected that. No blood though, curiously. Adam’s working on it, so he’s already told me – even though it isn’t official. The search team didn’t find anything at Sturgess’s house other than the computer and phones. All the emails he sent to Nathan Bairstow were recovered, so we know he was telling the truth.’

‘Is he going to be charged anyway?’

‘I’m not sure, it’s with the CPS, but probably. We have the evidence and a confession. Forensics reckon there’s nothing else they can recover from the phones while the number those two texts were sent to is apparently untraceable. Whoever had that SIM card hasn’t used it since we found out about the number.’

Rowlands finished the final half of the chip he was holding before reaching for another but Jessica batted his hand away. ‘They probably ditched it after whatever they were planning came off,’ the constable added.

‘Exactly. Either way, that’s about all we’re getting. With Deborah’s statement about Benjamin using the name Glenn Harrison, the allotment key being found on Sturgess’s body and Nathan’s statement – plus the emails they recovered – that’s it done.’

‘Did Jack tell you to stop working on it?’

‘Not as such, they’ve just given me loads of work to try to ensure I don’t have time to do any more.’ Jessica picked up the final chip and held it out. Rowlands took it from her, swallowing it in one.

‘Thanks,’ he said with a mouth full of potato.

‘I don’t know how Chloe puts up with you.’

Rowlands grinned. ‘Have you been back to see the parents?’

‘I spoke to the liaison officer who was with Kayla, Isaac’s mum. She’s doing okay, just a bit shaken by the way everything came out. Our lot wanted to get it across the news over Christmas to make them look good, but they didn’t bother to think of her feelings. I spoke to Esther from the kidnap team a couple of days ago. She checked in with Rachel, Marcus and Lloyd Corless and reckons they’re about as back to normal as they’re going to get, considering how dysfunctional they all seem.’

‘What about Toby’s mother?’