‘Carol?’ Terry’s voice echoed up the stairs.

If he wakes Mum and Dad, I’m going to kill him, she thought as she jumped out of bed. The contents of her stomach rose to her mouth. Grabbing a tissue, she threw up in the bowl beside the bed. When would it ever stop?

‘Carol, get down here.’

‘I’m coming, you moron.’ Maybe it was a delivery of flowers for Valentine’s Day. That would be great. Maybe he was leaving his wife.

‘What’s all the racket?’

Now her dad was awake.

‘It’s for me. Go back to sleep, Dad. It’s Sunday,’ she said.

At the bottom of the stairs, Terry stood with the door open. ‘Someone wants to talk to you.’

‘You!’ Carol said, her jaw dropping almost to her chest. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘We need to talk,’ the man said, and turned away. ‘I’m parked around the corner.’

‘Give me five minutes. I better get dressed.’

---

The office was in uproar when Lottie entered. Desks were littered with mugs of coffee and half-eaten croissants, crumbs everywhere. People eating on the go.

‘What’s going on?’ she asked, stretching her arms out, imploring an answer from her animated team.

‘What are you doing here?’ Boyd jumped up from his desk and dragged her into her office. ‘Jesus, Lottie, you look a sight. You should be at home in bed.’

‘I don’t have a home, never mind a bed.’

‘And didn’t McMahon suspend you?’

‘He only thinks he did. I don’t care about him. Anyway, the chief super won’t want to get rid of me. Someone tried to murder my family last night. That’s all I care about. As soon as McGlynn has the evidence, I’m going to swing for the bastard who did it. So tell me, what’s all this about?’ She slammed the table, immediately wincing with pain. Her own news would have to wait until she found out what was going on.

‘Your hand, it’s hurt.’

She held up her bandaged left hand. ‘So it is, Sherlock. I didn’t realise how quickly flames could climb stairs.’

‘At least you got some clothes, even if they are a bit vintage.’

She studied Boyd’s haggard face. ‘You look awful. What’s going on?’

‘It’s Grace. She’s missing.’

‘What? Tell me.’

He explained about his mother’s phone call, and all they’d done so far without finding a trace of his sister.

‘She’ll be fine. Don’t fret.’ Lottie didn’t believe her own words.

Boyd’s breaths came in short puffs as he said, ‘She can’t be fine. Her phone and medication are at my place and I’m sure she’s wherever Mollie Hunter is. And if Mollie is already dead, then I’ll never see Grace again.’

‘One step at a time, Boyd. Breathe before you have a panic attack.’

‘Had one already. Passed out.’

‘See a doctor. Get checked out.’

‘Look who’s talking. I’ll be fine. Once I find Grace.’

‘Have you followed the protocol for a missing person?’

‘Yes, and more. I asked McMahon to talk to the media. In the light of all that’s happened this last week, he agreed.’

‘Okay. If Grace is linked to the current cases, we need to retrace our steps on Mollie Hunter’s disappearance and maybe that way we’ll find your sister. Agree?’

‘I suppose so. Are Chloe and Sean okay?’

‘They’re with my mother. Gilly is there. They’re fine.’

‘You should be with them.’

‘I know. But I’ll be like a hen on an egg if we don’t find Grace, so I’m better off here. My kids know me well; they understand.’

‘McWard is still refusing to say anything,’ he said. ‘We have him for another few hours and then it’s either charge or release.’

‘Forget McWard for the moment. I made a discovery earlier. It might throw new light on our investigation. The day Lynn O’Donnell vanished, there was a fire in the old waiting rooms over on the disused platform.’

‘What’s that got to do with her disappearance?’

‘When I gave him a nudge, Jimmy Maguire remembered that a man met her that evening at the station.’

‘Paddy McWard?’

‘Nope. Her brother.’

---

Carol pulled the collar of her coat tight to her neck and settled into the passenger seat of his car. She shoved her hands into her pockets defiantly.

‘You have some nerve coming round to my house. My brother will kill you.’

‘I’ll kill the little shit first. Fucking dope head.’

‘What do you want? I don’t see any flowers, so that’s not a good start.’

‘I can give you something much better than flowers. I missed you. Just wanted to see you.’

‘And risk my dad seeing you? What is this really about, Cillian?’ She twisted in the seat to get a good look at him. He appeared strained, his hands tense on the steering wheel. His eyes were rimmed with black circles. But he still looked stunningly handsome.

‘Let’s go for a drive,’ he said. ‘I know a quiet spot at the lake.’ He turned on the ignition without waiting for her reply. ‘There’s something important I need to tell you.’

Fuck it, thought Carol, she could do with a hug. She slipped her hand out of her pocket and caressed his leg as he drove out of the estate, down the road and on towards the lake.