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match his rear tyres.’

      ‘Did he notice a vehicle he’d not seen before?’

      ‘We pushed him but he wasn’t clear. Said he was tired. Couldn’t wait to get home. Eventually he said there must have been an outsider’s car but he couldn’t be specific.’

      ‘Nothing else at all?’ asked Saunders.

      ‘Well … he did say that one of the parked vehicles may have been larger than a normal car.’

      ‘How about the other houses, especially those near the grass and those near the junction of Victoria Road and Cogans Terrace?’

      From a grunt and movements at her side, Ed realized Potts was revving himself up to take over. About time – he was the senior officer responsible for house-to-house questioning.

      ‘Nothing of any value, Brian, but we’re asking about ten o’clock on a Friday evening. People were at home or in town. Only one person admitted looking out. A woman on St Mildreds Place. She was putting her milk bottle out. Said she saw nothing unusual.’

      Saunders let out an exasperated breath. ‘So, nobody saw anything remotely significant?’

      Ed trod carefully. ‘There was the guy on Elham Road …’

      ‘About the right time,’ agreed Potts. ‘He wasn’t clear. Nothing precise to go on.’

      ‘At the moment we’ve nothing to go on.’ Saunders turned to Ed. ‘What did he say?’

      ‘He’d just walked back from the pub. He was putting his key in the front door when somebody drove by. He glanced round but didn’t pay much attention.’

      Saunders leant forwards. ‘What time was that?’

      ‘About 22.00. He aims to get back for News at Ten.’

      ‘What about the vehicle?’

      ‘That’s the problem. He thought it was a van. Then he changed his mind. Said it was like a van but different. He was very apologetic. Didn’t think it important at the time and didn’t pay attention.’

      ‘Colour?’

      ‘It was dark, the street lighting’s poor, grey was the best he could do. But there was one thing he was sure about. The vehicle was coming down Elham Road, going towards Hollowmede.’

      ‘At last.’ Saunders sat up with a look of satisfaction. ‘It’s not much but it’s the right time and the vehicle was going in the right direction.’

      ‘That would tie in with the guy on Hollowmede. A vehicle larger than a car parked in his spot by the grass,’ said Jenny.

      ‘So there was a vehicle in the area at the right time that was larger than a car and like a van but not a van. Maybe it was a minibus. What would you do next, Ed?’

      Saunders had put her on the spot again. If her reception hadn’t been so frosty she’d believe he was giving her a chance to shine or, at least, to show she was competent. Ed looked round the table. Saunders was the reliable professional but his nose must be severely out of joint. They all blamed her but the transfer had been out of her control. She could have turned it down but, at the time, she didn’t know what was happening in Canterbury. And if she had? Would she have sacrificed her career for his? Unlikely. Ed looked at the others. When Saunders left, Potts, Borrowdale and Eastham would be her team. She had to get to know them quickly and get them on her side if she was to make a success of her transfer.

      ‘Ed?’ It was Saunders prompting her.

      ‘Sorry. I was thinking. I’m new here.’ Don’t state the bleeding obvious. ‘I’ll talk it through in the light of my experience on the Met.’ Brilliant, remind them that the big boys parachuted you in and spoilt their family party.

      ‘Abductions without a ransom demand are usually a nasty business. To be successful we need to find the victim within a day or two. If that doesn’t happen, should they ever be discovered they’ll be dead and we can only hope death came quickly.’

      At these words, Jenny compressed her lips and frowned while Ed continued with her disturbing prognosis.

      ‘With Lucy Naylor the signs aren’t good. A ransom demand is unlikely; the Naylors aren’t in that league. If it’s sexually motivated then we’re probably already too late. She’ll turn up traumatized or we’ll find her body. If it’s not rape then we may have longer to find her but God help her.’

      That was better, but she was telling them what they should already know. If they were going to have any chance of finding Lucy quickly she needed to motivate them.

      ‘Think of her, Lucy Naylor, just 17, young for her age, a bit naive perhaps, one close girlfriend, no boyfriends, not much of a socializer. This young woman was poised between school and university, about to make her way in the world. Right now should be one of the great times in her life but where is she? Raped? Dumped in a ditch? Something worse?’

      Ed paused, looking at each of her future team. Potts and Borrowdale were sitting up and taking notice. Jenny Eastham looked concerned, almost upset, but determined.

      ‘And it’s not just Lucy. Think of her parents, Simon and Rachel. Think what they’re going through. They’ve lost a daughter. It’s our job to find her. For Lucy’s sake and her parents, we have to find her fast.’

      Saunders’s face was expressionless. Had she gone too far, doing his job for him? Sod it, he’d asked and she responded. The Super wanted it cleared up quickly. Of course she did – she was thinking of her statistics. Ed and Jenny, perhaps Saunders, and now maybe Potts and Borrowdale, were thinking of the girl. This is why they were in the job. They were doing it for the girl and if, God forbid, she turned up dead they were doing it for the parents, to get them justice. Ed glanced at Saunders and he nodded for her to continue.

      ‘So far we don’t have much to go on, but there are four lines to follow. First, we need to speak to all close friends and family. The perpetrator is often somebody close to the victim. Second, this may be the abductor’s first but often they’re serial attackers so we should check for similar cases in a reasonable radius, say 30, perhaps 50 or even 75 miles.’

      ‘We’ll do Kent and East Sussex,’ said Saunders.

      ‘Third, we should check the register of sex offenders for any likely suspects, and fourth, assuming it could be serial and local, have you had any similar cases in the last five to ten years? I’ve not included the vehicle because the description’s so vague – larger than a car, van-like and grey when seen in poor light – but, if we get a suspect, we should check ownership or access to something like a minibus.’

      ‘I’ll go along with that,’ said Saunders. ‘If we don’t solve this quickly it’ll be your case anyway and the Super will be on your back because I’ll be away to Maidstone. I’ll put a call out to neighbouring forces for information about similar cases. Nat, search records for any local cases. Also check the sex offenders register. Mike, start organizing interviews with friends and family, use Jenny to help. Ed, come Monday, go to Lucy’s school. See if the Head knows anything the Naylors and Shaxteds don’t. Or maybe something they’re keeping from us.’

      Saunders gathered his papers together but, before rising from his seat, he added, ‘All of you take a break for a couple of hours. Back here at 20.30 when we’ll take Ed on a tour of Canterbury’s less than salubrious bars.’

       12

      The circular route via Ashford, Maidstone, Chatham, Gillingham, Sittingbourne and Faversham took him more than five hours. He didn’t shop in Canterbury but at each of the other towns he visited supermarkets, buying a few items at each, always using the self-checkout and paying with cash.

      At the building in the woods he slipped the reed into his mouth, knocked on the door and called

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