Ruth phones Nelson. She can hardly believe it when she doesn抰 hear his voice on the end of the line. Nelson always answers his phone. But maybe he抯 driving and has forgotten to put it on hands-free. Maybe he抯 home with Laura and has switched his phone off, the way she does when she has Kate by her side. What should she do? After pacing the room for several minutes, watching Father Christmas and Batboy join the Armadillo, Ruth looks through her contacts at the Serious Crimes Unit. She can抰 ring Judy, for obvious reasons. Clough is no longer on the team. In the end, she clicks on the name 慣anya?
慣anya Fuller.?The no-nonsense voice is a relief.
慣anya. It抯 Ruth. I抳e had a rather worrying message and I can抰 reach Nelson.?
慣hat抯 weird,?says Tanya. 慣he boss left an hour ago. I抦 still at the station,?she adds, rather self-importantly.
慣hat is strange,?says Ruth, feeling the first stirrings of real concern. She tells Tanya about the message from Janet Meadows. 慖抳e tried to ring her, but the message goes straight to voicemail.?
慦here does she live??
慡he抯 staying in Steward抯 House in Norwich.?
慔ave you linked to her location via Find My Phone??
慛o,?says Ruth. Her phone is only linked to Nelson抯 because Kate did it.
慡hall we go to Norwich? Have a look at this Steward抯 House? You can meet me at the station.?
慖抣l have Kate with me.?Ruth isn抰 about to leave Kate on her own at night.
慣hat抯 OK,?says Tanya. 慣ony can babysit.?
Nelson stops the car in a lay-by and rings Leah. No answer. The voice on the phone had been high and frightened. The plea had been genuine, he抯 sure of it. He looks in his contacts to see if he has an address for Leah. She lives in Gaywood, which means going back the way he came. He considers calling for back-up but thinks it might be better to check out the situation for himself first. Nelson starts the car again and performs a screeching U-turn.
Ruth half expects to see Nelson on the road but the only vehicles she passes are delivery vans. Kate is excited by this change in their routine.
慦hy can抰 I come with you to Norwich??she asks.
慖t抯 against the rules when the police are involved,?Ruth extemporises.
慣here are a lot of rules now,?Kate mutters.
慣hey抮e to keep us safe,?says Ruth. She抯 noticed a tendency in Kate to flout regulations. She doesn抰 get this from Nelson, who believes strongly in the rule of law, even if he flouts it when it suits him. It must be from Ruth抯 side of the family.
She reaches King抯 Lynn in thirty minutes, which must be a record. The town centre is quiet but there are lights in the upstairs rooms of the police station. It抯 half past seven.
Ruth texts Tanya, who comes down to let her in.
慡till no word from Nelson??asks Tanya.
This was going to be Ruth抯 first question too. 慛o,?she says, trying to squash down her anxiety.
慦ell, let抯 go and see what抯 going on,?says Tanya. Tony appears behind her. Ruth has only met the DC a few times but he seems pleasant enough. Very young, of course, but isn抰 that what all middle-aged people say about police officers and doctors?
慔i, Ruth,?says Tony. 慔i, Katie.?
慖t抯 Kate,?says Ruth.
慔i, Kate,?Tony grins at her. 慏o you want to play battleships with me??
慜K,?says Kate, allowing herself a slight smile.
慦e won抰 be long,?says Tanya. 慖t抯 probably nothing.?
Ruth doesn抰 know whether to be reassured or offended.
Nelson has keyed Leah抯 address into his satnav but still gets lost in the suburban streets of Gaywood. Eventually, the smug voice tells him, 慪ou have reached your destination.?Nelson parks outside a semi-detached in a cul-de-sac very like his own. The curving street, like every other street he has passed, is completely deserted. It抯 not yet dark but the street lamps have come on, casting unnatural, theatrical shadows across tidy lawns and neat hedges.