Behind Closed Doors Read Free

was.’
    Yes, he probably should
. ‘What did you think of him?’
    Barry shrugged. ‘He seems a regular sort of bloke, worried out of his mind . . . They both are.’
    If the father turned out to be on the level Andee knew she’d have all the time in the world for him. She always had time for fathers who cared. The father of her children cared a lot, about them, if not about her, but that was behind her now, she was moving on. ‘How long’s she been gone?’ she asked.
    Clearly expecting the question, he said, ‘They think about a week.’
    Andee’s eyebrows rose. ‘So not that worried,’ she commented drily.
    ‘Apparently the stepmother thought she’d gone with her father – he’s a long-distance lorry driver, and was away most of last week. And he thought she was at home.’
    ‘Didn’t they speak to one another during that time? It surely didn’t take an entire week for them to realise the girl wasn’t with either of them.’
    ‘No, but when it did become apparent they assumed she was hiding out at a friend’s house to try and put the wind up them, so the stepmother tried to find her. Then the father received a couple of texts from the girl telling him to stop looking.’
    Andee’s eyes narrowed. ‘When was that?’
    ‘He received the first one last Wednesday, just after the stepmother turned up at the best friend’s house to see if she was there. It seems reasonable to assume this visit prompted the text, although the friend is swearing she doesn’t know where Sophie is.’
    No surprise there.
    ‘The second text,’ Barry continued, ‘was sent the next day. In it she’s claiming to be with friends he doesn’t know, so he might as well stop looking because he’ll never find her.’
    Imagining how well that had gone down, Andee said, ‘So what prompted them to get in touch with the police now, rather than straight after receiving that text?’
    ‘Apparently they kept calling her and sending messages, certain she’d give in eventually and tell them where she was, but she hasn’t. The father got home last night, half expecting her to turn up once she knew he was back, but still no sign of her and no more texts.’
    Andee sat with it for a moment. ‘Do they know exactly when she disappeared?’ she asked.
    ‘They can’t put a precise time on it, but it was last Sunday night.’
    Andee checked her watch again. She ought to be back at her desk by now, and as if acting as a reminder her boss, Terence Gould – Terry’s All Gold as most of her colleagues called him – put his head round the door. He was a good-looking man in a severe sort of way, with a gaze that seemed to cut straight through a person’s defences and a bark that could be every bit as fierce as his bite. Though his demotion from a higher rank had happened before Andee’s time she knew all about it, everyone did, and no one considered it deserved.
    ‘Am I getting an update on these robberies this afternoon?’ he enquired, his flinty eyes fixed on Andee.
    ‘I’m on it,’ she assured him.
    ‘Three o’clock, my office.’
    As he left Barry murmured, ‘You know he’s got the hots for you, don’t you?’
    Pretending not to hear, Andee said, ‘So your girl – Sophie, was it?’
    He nodded.
    ‘I’m guessing the Force Incident Manager isn’t ranking this any higher than medium risk.’
    ‘Correct. No sign of foul play, no history of abuse in the family – although that’s still being checked.’
    ‘Has she ever run off before?’
    ‘Apparently not for more than a few hours.’
    ‘What did your instincts tell you about the parents?’
    He inhaled slowly. ‘They seem pretty much on the level, but I’m still worried. A week’s a long time and if it drags on . . .’
    ‘If it does it’ll be recategorised as high risk and you’ll get all the backup you need. For the time being I’m guessing you’ve got the door-to-door inquiries under way?’
    He nodded. ‘Of course. I’m just about to go back