Wednesday was another day and Julia wasn’t going to waste a minute of it when it came to searching for Christina. She passed the bakery on the corner of Redditch Town Centre, filling the air with the smell of fresh coffee. Her stomach turned as she thought back to the young girl at the morgue. She hadn’t eaten breakfast and she still wasn’t ready for any, fearing she’d bring it back up.

Before he’d left for work, Roy had left her one hundred pounds on the side with a little note.

Maybe that was his way of trying to make her forget that he was hiding something. It would take more than money. She’d settle for him being able to look her straight in the eye when he spoke of Christina.

He was right about one thing. That girl lying on the slab wasn’t her daughter. Her daughter was still out there somewhere and she wasn’t giving up on the idea that she was still alive. Regardless of what Roy said, she could feel it and she knew it. The flickering lights at the morgue had been a good sign, not the original bad sign she thought she’d felt in her gut. Tomorrow, she would go into Worcester again with her rucksack full of posters. She was going to spend this evening researching the homeless hotspots, where they were offered a meal or food, and she would speak with everyone she could. Someone had to have seen Christina. People don’t simply vanish. Maybe someone out there knew who Westley was. A description would be a start. If someone had seen Christina, he might have been with her.

She passed another charity shop and saw a homeless man sitting on the step, giving his little dog some water. She pulled a fiver from the money that Roy had left her and dropped it by him, offering a smile.

His grubby hands took the money. ‘Thank you. Bless you,’ he said, revealing his almost toothless smile.

Her hands began to shake. She had to ask. Redditch wasn’t too far from Cleevesford. She pulled the photo from her purse and kneeled in front of the man’s sleeping bag. ‘Have you seen this girl? She may be with a man, a man called Westley.’

The young man took the photo and concentrated. The little terrier nudged her arm, hoping to be petted. She stroked his nose and head. The tired dog lay down next to its owner, panting in the shade. ‘I don’t think I’ve seen her. Are you going shopping? If you leave it here, I can ask my mate when he comes by. Should be here in a few minutes, maybe half hour.’

She had many copies of that photo. It was the one she’d used when making the missing posters. ‘Of course. Can I have it back though?’ She didn’t need it back, but the thought of a stranger keeping a photo of her daughter made her shiver.

‘Of course. I’ll show it to my mate and you can take it back. I’m not going anywhere for a bit. He might have seen her, he’s a bit more switched on than me. Is she on the streets?’

Julia’s face reddened. She now felt judged by all. Did people suspect that her daughter came from an abusive family and had run away? Would this man be reluctant to say anything if he had seen her? ‘I love her. She’s a teenager and went through a funny time. Had problems at school.’ She hoped that explained things a little.

‘We’re all going through a funny time out here, except it’s never funny.’ He pulled a half drunk can of something she couldn’t quite identify from his weathered old bag and took a swig.

‘I meant, she wasn’t hurt at home. I love her and want her back.’ Why was she saying so much? Maybe she was judging herself. Had some of their arguments gone a little far with the name-calling? Maybe Christina had felt sidelined by Roy’s presence. Why hadn’t she seen the signs that Christina had been so unhappy? She hadn’t meant to be so angry all the time. Her mind wandered back to Roy. He said the right things, made the right moves, but something wasn’t gelling together well.

‘Leave it with me for half hour, an hour, maybe. Come back then. If I can help, I will. Little girls should be at home, not out here, alone.’

‘Thank you.’ She stood and left him with the photo.

She entered the Kingfisher Centre and began browsing in the shops. She passed New Look, Christina’s favourite shop. Whenever they came into Redditch, Christina had hassled her to go there before they did any real shopping. She spent ages looking through the teen section, trying on the new ranges, even checking out some of the more adult clothes in smaller sizes. That had been a sign of Christina saying goodbye to childhood. She’d smile and wonder if one day they’d share clothes or maybe she’d end up with Christina’s hand-me-downs. She wondered if they’d always go clothes shopping together, followed by hot chocolate and cake at one of the many cafes. She passed the sale rack and began mooching through, trying not to knock all the tightly packed clothes off their hangers. She stopped when she reached the black jumpsuit. Earlier that year, Christina had begged her to buy it for one of her friend’s birthday parties. It had looked so adult with its low-cut front but she wanted her daughter to be happy. She remembered looking and realising that the jumpsuit was a part of the adult range. She wouldn’t normally have agreed to it but she wanted to put an end to their arguments. At the time she thought that buying the jumpsuit would end the tension, but it hadn’t.

Her eyes began to fill as she gripped the piece of clothing against her chest. Don’t lose it in the middle of New Look. She shoved the jumpsuit back on the rack and shook her head as she left. She checked her watch. It was a little early but she was heading back to see if the man’s friend had turned up.

As she approached, another man was standing there, talking to the first man. He looked a lot older and walked with a stick. Limping as he moved.

‘I’m done in town,’ she said to the man she had left the photo with.

‘This is John, he’s not really called John, but he likes John, don’t you, John?’

‘Always John,’ he replied in a raspy voice, sounding like he had tonsillitis. ‘Here, no one cares what we’re called. I could be called Beetroot, no one cares. What’s your name?’

‘Julia, I’m looking for my daughter. Have you seen her?’

‘I was just getting to that. John gets around, spends some time in Birmingham and Coventry too,’ the first man said as he passed his friend the photo.

The older man scrutinised the photo and walked into the sunshine. ‘Sorry, I can’t see that well. Need some glasses but as always, can’t afford a thing.’ He squinted with an open mouth as he concentrated on the photo. ‘You know something. I never forget a face, not one as pretty as this anyway.’ Her stomach turned slightly. Had he found her teen daughter attractive? ‘I have a daughter. Haven’t seen her for years and your girl reminds me of her. I love her but what can I say, her old man is nothing but an embarrassment. She doesn’t want my drunken arse around the grandkids. The reddish brown hair and slightly thin top lip, that’s what makes me remember her.’

Julia exhaled. His comment was likely an innocent one.

‘You remember her?’ Her heart rate began to ramp up.

‘I saw her, if not someone who looks just like her, a few months ago. Probably in April. My diary keeping isn’t that good though so don’t take that as gospel.’

‘Was she with a man?’

‘No, she was with a girl. A little streetwise thing. There were three girls to begin with but after a while, I just saw the two of them hanging around. Other girl probably found her way off the street. I used to watch them thieving from shops. They were masters at it. I can’t be totally sure, you know. She looked like the girl in this photo, but the streets, they roughen you up, you know. People get grubby and their clothes turn craggy, I mean, look at me. I haven’t had a good wash since the snow in March. We were all brought in then by the do-gooding community, but people forget us at other times.’

‘Can you describe the other girl, or where she was?’

‘Well, I used to see them hanging around at the entrance of the Bullring. I used to hang out by the bull statue sometimes. I think they were mostly there trying to scrounge or shoplift, but then so was I.’

‘And the girl?’

‘The other girl. I’d say she was a bit older, sixteen to eighteen maybe. Always wore her hair in a cap. Quite a skinny thing and could pack a punch when someone harassed her. At night you see it all. We get harassed by the drunks, they like to abuse us. Don’t get me wrong, some of them are generous and can give big when they’re hammered but others, they can punch us, spit at us, piss on us. It ain’t any fun being out at night in a busy city, which is why I come back here. Sick of it in the end. Sick to the back teeth. And I was missing my mate ’ere, weren’t I?’ The man sitting with his dog passed his friend the can from his bag. He grabbed the can of cider and took a long swig before passing it back.

‘Were they based anywhere? Did they have a favourite spot or do you know where they slept?’

The older man shook his head. ‘I wish I knew more, I really do. I hope you get your daughter back, miss. Take care of yourself out there.’

Julia smiled and nodded. She held out the rest of her cash, ninety-five pounds. ‘Please, both of you buy some lunch and things you need and thank you so much.’

‘Bless you, but I didn’t say all that for the money. I really want you to find her. The streets are no place for a lovely girl like her and it looks like she has a family who love her. Don’t give up. Find her and take your little girl home, where she belongs.’

She pressed the money into his chapped hands and gave him a smile as she left. Roy was wrong when he thought throwing money at her would make everything better. She didn’t want it. For the first time in a while, she had hope. They had given her hope and that was worth everything she owned. As soon as Roy left for work the next morning, she was leaving for Birmingham in search of Christina.