‘But what if she is a suspect? What if he’s called it all wrong? We’ve lost days, Matt. It’s unforgiveable for him to withhold this from us.’
There’s a pause. At last Mel looks up from her drink and Matthew’s trying to read his former colleague’s expression. He knows she’s just blowing off steam. If she really planned to arrest Ed Hartley, she would have done so already. But she does still look very tired.
‘You sure you’re OK, Mel?’
‘Just a bit tired. George has decided now’s a good time to become allergic to sleep.’
‘Oh dear.’ Matthew remembers the ‘no sleep’ phase all too well. Small child. Big case. Not an easy combination. Suddenly he understands why Mel’s not quite herself.
‘I’ll be fine. Just really need to get somewhere with this case.’
Matthew checks his watch. Gemma’s father has agreed to meet Mel at the police station around noon to answer questions about his first wife. It took all of Matthew’s negotiating skills to achieve even this. To be frank, he’s no idea himself what to make of this new twist; Ed Hartley shared only the bare bones of his story before dashing off in a huff to the hospital.
‘Look. You have the first wife’s full details now, Mel. We know there was some kind of mental-health crisis and Ed Hartley gave us the name of her clinic. So is there any word from Canada?’
Matthew has tried the clinic himself but drawn a blank – patient confidentiality. He’s praying Mel’s had more luck.
‘She discharged herself. A good while back.’
‘You’re kidding me?’ Now he understands her mood.
‘I wish. Also – the paperwork’s missing. The clinic’s had some bad media coverage lately over standards and security. Patients being released without proper supervision and follow-up. An undercover reporter did some secret filming, posing as a nurse. It’s been something of a scandal over there.’
‘Oh no, that’s not good. So do you know where the ex-wife is now?’
‘We’re liaising with the Canadians but you know how slowly those wheels grind, especially as I don’t yet have the full picture – proper grounds, I mean. They’re doing me a favour at this stage, checking the family address he gave you. But it seems out of date.’
Matthew twists his mouth to the side and narrows his eyes. ‘So why didn’t you arrest him, really? If you’re that cross. That worried. Why did you want to meet me instead?’
Melanie Sanders takes a deep breath and leans back in her seat. ‘OK. Cards on the table; I have something to ask you, Matt.’
He’s full-on curious now, widening his eyes to signal that she should continue.
‘As I said before I have the rare treat of a proper budget. They want this sorted so I have carte blanche to run this inquiry the way I want.’
‘Grief. The suits upstairs must really be worried.’
‘They are, Matt. We’ve got universities and tourist boards all over the country in meltdown. They know it’s not terrorism but some are worrying about copycats. They’re worrying about absolutely everything, to be perfectly honest with you. There’s loads of chatter online among students and parents, none of it good. And now I need to worry if someone in Canada is involved. So I need to work fast. And I need help.’
‘So?’
‘So I want to hire you, Matt. Officially. As a civilian expert. Profiler. Whatever you want to be called. I know I’m always joking about this but I’m deadly serious this time. I need you.’
Matthew pulls his chin back into his neck. ‘Can you even do that?’
‘On this one, I can do what the hell I like so long as I get the job done. Please say yes, Matt.’ A pause. ‘I really need you.’
Matthew feels a wave of something travel right through his body and cannot make out whether it is adrenaline, excitement or blind panic. Ever since he left the force, he’s wondered if there would be a road back one day but has always pushed the thought away. Setting up the business and working as a freelancer have created financial pressures that have demanded an entirely different mindset.
He looks at Mel and realises that deep down he’s hoped for this moment. But what about Sally? With Amelie playing up she’ll be wary, especially after the danger he put himself in at the cathedral.
‘This is a surprise, Mel. I honestly don’t know what to say.’ Fact is they’ve cooperated together informally on several cases and Mel’s forever joking about getting him ‘back on the force’， but never officially. Never openly.