The police sergeant snorted. ‘Not enough. As usual.’
Kay turned to watch a second group of officers cross the lane and head east towards Maidstone, and took a step back in surprise as a group of teenagers handed out bottles of water to them as they passed. ‘There are teenagers helping, too.’
Harry smiled. ‘Not all of them are stuck indoors playing computer games. It seems that when Peter rang around to ask some of the parents to help, the older siblings decided to come too. They’ve taken it upon themselves to set up a social media group and deliver leaflets around the housing estates in that direction.’
‘There’s hope yet,’ said Barnes. ‘Is there anything we can do?’
Shaking his head, Harry tugged on his cap and folded the map. ‘No, but thanks. It’s all under control. I’ll give you a call if I have anything to report. I’d imagine we’ll be here for a few hours yet by the time we’ve worked our way through this grid pattern.’
‘I’ll call you if we find out anything that might help you,’ said Kay.
He raised his hand in farewell, then jogged away across to where two of his officers stood talking to Maureen and Peter.
Kay turned to Barnes, who wore a haunted expression as he watched the last of the search groups leave the recreation area.
She had no words of comfort to give him – the little girl had been missing too long already without news of her whereabouts or a sighting. She wondered how many parents had volunteered out of a sense of duty, and how many had signed up out of a sense of fear because someone in their midst had brutally slain a man before taking a child and disappearing without a trace.
Kay frowned. ‘Ian? We’ve been assuming that whoever shot Greg Victor panicked. What if all this was premeditated?’
‘Annette said she hadn’t received any ransom demands.’
‘What if it’s not about kidnapping? What if whoever took Alice has no intention of giving her back?’
Barnes’s eyes darkened. ‘You mean––’
Kay gestured towards the car. ‘Phone the incident room while I drive us back there. Have them go through the sex offenders register again to see who’s closest to this location or the Victors’ home in Tonbridge as a start. After you’ve done that, get on to Hazel. Find out what social media accounts Annette and her husband have, and whether they’ve ever posted photographs of Alice outside of their group of friends.’
Her detective sergeant had his phone to his ear by the time she’d thrown the car into gear and was bumping it over the rough surface of the car park behind the school.
As she listened to him speak, she recalled another conversation and shoved the car into a lower gear.
The car surged forwards as she overtook a slow-moving camper van with her foot flat to the floor.
The conversation beside her ended, and she clenched her jaw.
‘Kay? What’s wrong?’ said Barnes.
‘What if Gavin’s right, Ian? What if whoever took Alice escaped with her by boat?’
Barnes ran a hand over his eyes before he answered.
‘She could be anywhere, guv. They could have taken her out of the country by now.’
Fifteen
Four hours later, Kay gathered together the notes she’d spread across her desk as Sharp walked through the door to the incident room, and pushed back her chair.
‘Front of the room, everyone. Let’s get the briefing underway,’ she said. ‘I know some of you have been here a while today so the sooner we can get through this, you can head home and get some rest.’
‘How’re you doing?’ Sharp murmured as he joined her at the front of the room.
Kay ran a hand over tired eyes, and fought down a yawn. ‘All right, in the circumstances. We’ve got a lot of information coming in after yesterday’s press conference. Debbie and her team have started getting statements and other details from the searches and house-to-house enquiries into HOLMES2.’
She turned her attention to the team of police officers who had corralled themselves at the end of the room closest to the whiteboard. It never ceased to amaze her how many people could be involved in a major investigation, and she saw that many of her colleagues were having to stand – all the chairs and available desk space was taken.
‘We’re going to need a bigger room,’ she said to Sharp.
‘I spoke to the Chief Super on the way over here,’ he said. ‘We’re going to move the investigation next door over to headquarters so you can use that space as well. I’d have preferred to move you lot over to HQ, but she’s of the opinion that you’re more centralised here so if any members of the public want to drop in with information to help, then they can. You’re a bit more accessible to the town centre for anyone who doesn’t drive.’
‘Okay, thanks, guv.’ She cleared her throat, and then turned to Barnes. ‘Ian, could you start and give us an update on your conversations with Hazel this afternoon?’
The detective sergeant loosened his tie, and flipped through the pages of his notebook. ‘Annette Victor confirms that she’s never posted photographs of Alice on social media. Annette only has a couple of accounts and hasn’t used those much. Said she doesn’t have time, and that it’s not her sort of thing. She doesn’t think her husband, Robert, has ever had a social media account.’
Kay frowned. ‘What about Greg Victor?’
‘We had a bit more luck there,’ said Barnes. ‘He’s got a social media account but hasn’t posted anything to his timeline since leaving Nottingham. Not that what’s on there is of much use anyway – it’s mostly reposted jokes, videos, things like that. No photos of Alice, and no mention of him moving down this way. His personal details still show his location as being Nottingham.’
‘Has Robert Victor been in touch yet?’ said Sharp.
‘No-one’s heard from him, guv.’
‘Wasn’t he due back last night?’ said Kay.
Barnes shrugged. ‘Annette told Hazel that sometimes he gets delayed – or another meeting gets added on to the end of his trip at the last minute. She doesn’t have an alternative phone number for him, either.’
‘What about the hire car he was driving? Can you get those details from his office as well? They must have booked that for him before he flew out, so we might be able to trace him that way.’
‘I’ve got a note to do that.’
‘Thanks, Ian. Okay – who’s looking into the sex offenders register and previous convictions for assault in relation to local names?’ said Kay.
‘Me, guv.’ Debbie West raised her hand, then moved to the front of the room so everyone could see her. A police constable with considerable experience and an uncanny way with the HOLMES2 database, she was always someone Kay could rely upon.
‘Right,’ she said. ‘There were fifteen names on the sex offenders register, and we coordinated with uniform to interview those over the course of this afternoon. We’ve also spoken to anyone with previous assault convictions as well as those on warrant and awaiting sentencing. Long story short, none of them have been in contact with the Victor family, nor have they been anywhere near that stretch of the River Medway. Two of the men on warrant are away from home at the moment – one is visiting his mother in Cardiff, and the other is at his brother’s house in Penzance. Local forces spoke with them, and confirm that they haven’t been in the Kent area for the past two weeks.’
‘Dead end, then,’ said Barnes, his voice glum.
Kay wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or frustrated. ‘Thanks, Debbie. Good work. Who was looking through the Tonbridge side of things?’
‘Over here.’ PC Phillip Parker raised his hand. ‘I’ve spoken to the head of the kindergarten where Alice has been continuing to attend twice a week until she starts school next month. It’s quite an exclusive place, with a limited number of children there over the summer holidays. She can’t recall her staff reporting anyone hanging around outside the gates or acting suspicious in recent weeks. There haven’t been any incidents or upsets amongst the par
ents or kids, and she isn’t aware of any threats to Alice or any of the other children. We’ve been working through the list of friends and acquaintances that Hazel got from Annette, and we haven’t come across anything untoward from that angle. I’ve made a start adding statements from their neighbours into HOLMES2, and I’ll finish that before I leave tonight.’
‘Thanks, Phillip,’ said Sharp. He raised his chin as the door opened, and Alistair pushed his way through the gathered officers. ‘Any news?’
The PolSA shook his head, his brow furrowed.
‘The last group from the search teams got back twenty minutes ago and are being debriefed by Harry at the recreation area,’ he said, ‘but we’ve got nothing. There’ve been no sightings of Alice. The residents out that way have been fantastic, checking their sheds again and putting up posters, but––’
He broke off with a helpless shrug.
Kay turned to Gavin. ‘Piper, get on to that boat hire company in Allington first thing in the morning. We have to refocus our search on the possibility that Alice was kidnapped and taken somewhere by boat now that the land-based searches haven’t turned up anything conclusive.’
‘Will do, guv.’
‘Has anyone got an update from Harriet?’ said Kay. ‘What’s the latest from the team down at East Farleigh?’
‘The divers have completed their search of the river and the lock,’ said Debbie. ‘No sign of a discarded weapon. They’ve been working on Greg Victor’s car this afternoon. Harriet’s assistant, Patrick, spoke with the boat hire company at Tonbridge and they’ve confirmed no-one’s been back to try to collect the car since he left it with them on Friday morning. Patrick’s report will be emailed over first thing tomorrow morning, but he confirms they found blonde hair on the material covering a child seat, and there were toys in the footwell.’
‘Did the divers or Harriet’s team find anything to suggest what might have happened to Alice?’ said Kay.
‘Nothing,’ said Debbie. ‘Nothing at all.’
Sixteen
Carys reached across the desk for the china mug emblazoned with the logo of an animated film franchise, then wrinkled her nose in disgust after taking a sip.
The tea was stone cold.
Turning the page of the witness statement she’d printed out along with four others, she ran her finger over the text and blinked through bleary eyelids.
Beside her, PC Laura Hanway’s fingers pecked at a computer keyboard while she worked her way through another collection of CCTV footage received from the digital forensics unit at Headquarters, her mouth set in a fine line.
Three o’clock in the morning – over forty-eight hours since Alice had gone missing – and still no answers.
Carys raised her arms above her head and stretched, then glared at her watch.
‘God, I need a break,’ said Laura. ‘Do you want another cuppa, ma’am?’
‘Please.’ Carys handed her the half-empty mug. ‘Cheers – and don’t worry about the formalities in here. Carys will do.’
‘No problem, thanks.’
‘How come you got the late shift?’
‘I, er, I volunteered.’ Laura stood next to her chair, her eyes downcast for a moment. ‘I wanted to help.’
‘You’ve applied to become a detective, haven’t you? Do you want to work in major crimes when you’ve completed your exams?’
‘I’d love to.’ Laura’s voice faltered. ‘But I know how hard I’ve got to work. And I’m not doing this just to make a good impression with the DI. I want to find Alice.’
Carys smiled, and pointed at the two china mugs. ‘Grab the tea, then. We’re going to need more caffeine.’
‘Right.’
Exhaling, Carys turned back to the paperwork she’d spread out over her desk and resisted the urge to sigh. She’d undertaken to review the statements from the previous day’s house-to-house enquiries along the towpath and other footpaths and byways that led from the river.
Uniformed officers had worked with Alistair Matthews to ensure every property had been accounted for, but it was now her responsibility to double-check each one and find out if there were any anomalies or clues that might lead to a breakthrough.
She twirled a blunt pencil between her fingers as she pored over the information, keeping notes about anything she wanted to cross-check as she worked her way through, and determined to find something to give Kay and Barnes when they walked in the door at seven o’clock.
She’d seen the strain her two colleagues had been under since attending the crime scene the previous day, despite their best efforts at keeping their emotions to themselves.
Both had experienced pain and trauma in their lives, and she knew that Barnes especially would be haunted by Alice’s kidnapping and that of his own daughter only a few years ago.
‘Here you go. Tea.’
Laura’s voice jerked her from her thoughts.
‘Thanks. How’s it going with the CCTV images?’
The police constable sank into her chair. ‘Slow, but I’ve managed to discount anything from the streets around Tovil and that side of the river. I’ve just got the remnants of footage from private residents and business owners to go through now. There’s no sign of her, Carys. Nothing at all.’
Carys bit her lip, the other woman’s despair cutting into her.
‘Keep going. Even if we don’t find anything on camera, we have to discount it. It’s still important work, all right?’
Laura nodded, and turned back to her computer screen with renewed determination in her eyes.
Sifting through the last of the witness statements, Carys shuffled them into a stack and then reached into her tray for the next batch. She noticed that these had been taken from the employees of the wine merchant business that Robert Victor worked for.
All had been shocked at the news that his daughter was missing, and it became evident as Carys read through the notes that Alice had been a regular visitor to the offices in Sevenoaks.
Most of the interviews had been conducted by phone call, with two requiring home visits by uniformed officers earlier that day when employees hadn’t answered their phones. The final interview had been conducted at five o’clock on Saturday afternoon, only hours before Carys had started her current shift.
A fresh wave of exhaustion threatened, but she squared her shoulders and forced herself to concentrate.
She reached the third statement in the pile, noted the officer’s name at the top of the bespoke questionnaire that had been created for the purposes of the investigation based on knowledge gleaned to date, and ran her eye down the now familiar pattern.
Frowning, she reread the response to the penultimate question, and then snatched up the second and fourth statements.
‘That’s weird.’
‘Hmm?’ Laura’s chair squeaked as she shifted her weight.
Carys didn’t answer, and instead rose from her desk and hurried across the incident room to Sharp’s office.
She paused as she heard him speaking in a low voice, and knocked twice on the door that was ajar.
‘Guv?’
Sharp looked up from his phone screen and beckoned her in. ‘How are you doing, Carys? Holding up all right?’
‘I’ve been better.’ She hovered at the threshold. ‘Have you got a minute?’
‘Of course. Come on in. What have you got?’
In reply, Carys held up Melissa Lampton’s witness statement. ‘Robert Victor’s personal assistant told uniform that he landed in Paris at Charles de Gaulle airport on Monday morning. She said she spoke to him on Thursday to confirm some last-minute details.’
Sharp frowned. ‘And?’
‘Annette Victor told Kay and Barnes that she hadn’t heard from her husband since he left the country,’ said Carys. ‘What sort of man speaks to his PA, but not his wife? I mean, even if he was busy with meetings and things, wouldn’t he still want to speak to his daughter? Barnes said there were photos of Alice all over the place in Robert’s stud
y at the house. He obviously dotes on her, so why hasn’t he been in touch?’
Sharp tapped his ballpoint pen on the desk and leaned back in his chair, the ancient springs protesting as he shifted his weight. Finally, he spoke.
‘I agree, it does warrant further investigation,’ he said. ‘Do any of the other statements from employees give you cause for concern?’
‘No, but I wouldn’t mind speaking with Melissa Lampton,’ said Carys. ‘It may be nothing––’
‘But it’s worth making sure.’ Sharp tossed the pen onto the desk and clasped his hands. ‘I agree, it’s worth following up.’
‘I’ll take Laura with me and head over there before clocking off this morning,’ said Carys. ‘Hopefully they’ll be open early, and we’ll get some information to pass on for the day shift to work through.’
‘If anyone can find a lead it’s you, Miles.’ Sharp managed a smile. ‘I can’t think of a better mentor for our new recruit out there.’
Carys swallowed, a prickle of heat flushing her cheeks. ‘Thanks, guv.’
Seventeen
Kay shoved her car keys into the side pocket of her handbag, then swiped a pile of messages from her desk.
As her eyes skimmed the notes, she reordered them into what would take priority and what could wait.
She frowned as her gaze fell upon her colleague’s thin coat hanging on the back of the chair opposite.
‘Is Carys still here?’ said Kay.
‘She took Laura with her and headed over to Wilkinson’s Wine Merchants just before you got here,’ said Sharp, emerging from his office. ‘She was reading through the employee statements last night and found out that Robert Victor’s PA spoke with him on Thursday. Annette Victor told you she hadn’t heard from her husband since he left for his trip, right?’
‘Yes.’ Kay frowned. ‘That’s odd, isn’t it?’
‘Carys thought so, too. She said she wanted to follow it up first thing today before clocking off, so I cleared it.’ He managed a rueful smile. ‘You know what she’s like once she gets an idea into her head. Better to let her get on with it than get in the way.’
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