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the German shepherd, who responded by jumping out of the cab with a whining bark of pure delight.
    Reynolds took a step backwards, eyeing the dog a little warily. Daniel took no notice – Taz was a particularly big shepherd and he was used to that kind of reaction.
    â€˜It said in the paper that he’s an ex-police dog.’
    â€˜Yeah, a friend of mine’s a copper,’ Daniel replied. ‘The dog was injured and had to retire. I took him on.’ Both statements were true, even if the whole was a little misleading. His years with the police had left him habitually close with information, and his reasons for leaving the service were something he certainly had no intention of sharing with a total stranger.
    â€˜Your wife isn’t here?’ he asked in his turn as he took a long tracking lead and a padded black webbing harness from a holdall behind the seat. The harness was trimmed with fluorescent strips, which shone brightly in the light of the cab. Since the episode with the deaf child, Daniel had taken to carrying it with him, just in case.
    â€˜No. The girls’ mother and I have separated, but my brother is here.’ Reynolds waved a hand to indicate the other man and continued, ‘I’m afraid he won’t come any closer. He was badly bitten by an Alsatian once.’
    â€˜Fair enough.’ Daniel gave the man a brief nod before turning back to Reynolds. ‘So, whereabouts are you from?’
    â€˜Bristol.’
    â€˜Do the girls normally live with you?’
    â€˜No. With their mother.’
    Reynolds’s reply was terse and Daniel reined in his curiosity; after all, he was no longer a policeman and it was no business of his.
    Eager to work, Taz pushed his head through the harness when Daniel held it out, and it only took a moment to clip it on.
    As he straightened up, he glanced around. ‘It’s quite a remote spot. What brought you out here?’ He directed his question at the second man, but it was Reynolds who answered.
    â€˜We came for a walk and a picnic. There was a bit of a disagreement, something quite trivial – you know what kids are – but Katya stormed off, taking Elena with her. I thought they’d be back when they’d cooled down, but when they didn’t come, I started to get worried . . .’
    â€˜What about a mobile phone?’
    Reynolds shook his head. ‘They haven’t got one.’
    Daniel was surprised. A teenager without a phone was a rarity these days, especially as the 4x4 signified that money probably wasn’t an issue.
    â€˜Oh well, it can’t be helped. Mobile coverage on the moor can be a bit hit and miss, anyway. In a steep-sided gully or on the wrong side of a tor, there’s no signal at all. Look, could they possibly have found their way home – to where you’re staying, I mean? Where is that?’
    â€˜A caravan park. Er . . . The Pines.’ Reynolds waved his hand vaguely. ‘No, it’s miles away, and anyway, they set off in the wrong direction.’
    â€˜You said on the phone that one of them isn’t strong? In what way? Is she ill?’
    â€˜Elena has asthma.’
    â€˜And you told the police that?’ Daniel probed, still more mystified about their apparent indifference.
    â€˜No . . . Yes, I think so . . . I can’t exactly remember. I got rather angry,’ Reynolds admitted.
    Daniel zipped his leather jacket up to the neck and fastened the Velcro tabs of the high-visibility waistcoat. ‘Well, we’ll make a start, but I suggest you get back on the phone and explain your daughter’s condition. I’d be very surprised if it didn’t make a difference. Besides, it must be over an hour now. OK, where’s the glove you said you had?’
    â€˜My brother has it.’ Reynolds turned and beckoned to the other man, who came forward cautiously, holding out a red mitten. He didn’t take his eyes off