Staggering forward, Kate’s legs were like jelly as she hoisted them over the wooden railing, stumbling perilously across the uneven ground, craning her neck forward as much as she dared. She held her arms out to maintain her balance, her feet edged slowly forward, but the buffeting wind wouldn’t allow her conscious mind to move any closer. Daring to look down at where she could hear waves crashing against rocks, she could see nothing but the abyss-like darkness, stretching forever.

Kate finally let air back into her lungs, as loose rocks trickled off the cliff face, as her foot edged her closer to peril.

‘Ma’am, ma’am?’

Kate wobbled at the calling of her name.

‘Ma’am – Kate – come back!’

Kate stumbled backwards, adrenaline flooding her system as her outstretched arms made contact with the wooden railing again.

Laura gripped Kate’s arms and held her in position. ‘Ma’am, I thought you were going to… never mind, what’s going on? Why were you staring over the edge? Who was here? Where’s Daisy?’

Kate stared wide-eyed at Laura. ‘I-I-I don’t know. He didn’t…’

‘He? He who, ma’am? What happened here? Was it Phillips? Was Phillips here?’

Kate shook her head vigorously.

‘Was it Vardan?’

Kate searched Laura’s face for answers. ‘Didn’t you see?’

‘See what, ma’am?’

Kate gesticulated to the edge of the cliff, but the words couldn’t escape her mouth. ‘He-he-he…’

Laura leaned over the railing as much as it would allow. ‘Someone went over?’

Kate nodded frantically, not even believing her own memory of events. ‘One minute he was there, and then…’

‘Ma’am, you should come back to this side of the railing. It’s not safe out there.’

Patel rushed over to them, each taking one of Kate’s hands and helping her back over the top. Kate bent forward, away from the cliff, willing herself not to throw up, as the adrenaline began to subside and her mind came to terms with what had happened.

Patel crouched down in front of her, tiny glitter-like snowflakes catching in his beard. ‘Can you tell us what happened? Take your time.’

The image of Watkins leaping flashed through her mind again, but she still couldn’t bring herself to admit what she’d witnessed.

Laura lowered Kate so they were sitting on the railing. ‘Who was here? Where’s Daisy’s phone?’

‘W-w-watkins. It was Neil Watkins. He had the phone… he sent the hearts… it was Watkins.’

‘Watkins?’ Laura checked, her face cloaked with confusion. ‘The groundsman from the school?’

Kate was nodding, but the memory was swiftly becoming a blur.

Laura looked over Kate’s shoulder. ‘You saw Watkins here? Was he leaning over? Did he lose his footing?’

Kate shook her head, blinking back the tears that were beginning to pool at the edge of her eyes. ‘Didn’t you see? He jumped.’

‘He jumped?’ Laura repeated, unable to keep the surprise from her tone.

Kate straightened up, feeling lightheaded. ‘One minute we were both here, and then he-he-he was over the railing and gone. Where were you two? Didn’t you see him?’

‘When we reached you, you were leaning over the edge,’ Laura said. ‘I thought you were going to fall, so I raced from the car, screaming your name. Didn’t you hear me?’

‘He must have panicked when your car approached. He was terrified. He wanted to tell me what’s been going on, but he couldn’t. Someone was making him keep quiet.’

Patel straightened, staring into the gulf of black. ‘I don’t understand, ma’am. What does Watkins have to do with Jackson and the other two?’

Kate clamped her eyes shut trying to order her thoughts into a logical sequence. ‘All I know is: Neil had Daisy’s phone, and he came here to switch it on. I think he wanted me to find him. He was terrified that whoever’s been manipulating him was a danger to Daisy. He said he was trying to keep Daisy safe.’ Kate’s eyes snapped open. ‘She must be close. That must be why he chose this place. We need to get everyone here straight away. We need the Coastguard, Search and Rescue, SSD, we don’t have long.’

---

The floodlight on the boat bobbed up and down as it rode the waves, lighting the foot of the cliff as a team of divers worked just beneath the surface of the water. Kate, Patel and Laura watched from the viewing platform nearby, as close as they could be without getting in the water. Kate’s eyes fell on the awkward shape of Neil’s body, his legs at opposite angles, splayed on three jagged rocks sticking out of the sea, waves crashing against them, sending white foam into the air and landing like snow on his torso. The drop must have been eighty feet at least, but she couldn’t remember him making a sound as he’d vaulted into the open air, like a trapeze artist expecting to be caught by a partner who didn’t appear.

At least he was at peace now, oblivious to the activity carrying on around him. The divers were working to identify whether he could have buried the chopped body parts of his victims nearby, but they wouldn’t be able to excavate properly until morning when the sea had moved back to reveal its secrets.

‘Coastguard has been up and down the shoreline,’ Patel advised, coming off the phone, ‘but there’s nowhere obvious he could be holding her. If this wind passes soon, the chopper is ready to go up and use heat-seeking equipment, but they’re still not cleared for take-off. Apparently, there’s a maze of caves around these parts, but with the tide in, it’s virtually impossible to search them. There’s not a lot else can be done until morning, ma’am. The supe wants us to get back to Southampton and wait for news. Personally, I think that’s the best idea. It’s freezing out here.’

Kate knew he meant well, but she didn’t want to leave until she found Daisy. ‘You two go. I want to wait.’

‘Can you remember anything else he said?’ Laura tried. ‘Any kind of clue where specifically he could have taken her? Given how cold it’s been this week, would he really hide her somewhere so exposed to the elements?’

‘He was too trusting,’ Kate said. ‘He was easily duped. A couple of boys convinced him to buy alcohol for them at the school once. It wouldn’t have been hard for one or all of the others to convince him to do their dirty work. But which one? What if Daisy witnessed what was going on at Abbotts Way? He couldn’t let her go to the police and blab everything, but if he told his partner what she’d seen, would the partner have ordered him to kill Daisy? He wasn’t a killer, I’m certain of it. Someone else is behind all this, and was using Neil. But who?’

Patel held his phone up. ‘Word from Humberidge is Vardan and Phillips are now in custody. Rogers picked up Phillips at his apartment. Why don’t we head back to the station and ask them all?’

Kate stared back out at the Coastguard’s boat, knowing she wouldn’t find the answers here. But determined that she would do whatever it took to bring Daisy home.