‘I don’t think that’s relevant to the purpose of this press conference,’ says Sir Ian.
‘Right, yes. Nick, ITN,’ says Harriet, pointing to the back of the room.
‘Sir Ian, you are personal friends with the Home Secretary. Is he putting extra resources behind this investigation?’
‘I can answer that one,’ says Harriet. ‘All the resources of the police force are at our disposal in the search for Edith. This would be the case for any high-risk missing person.’
‘Is it true you’re looking for a body?’ shouts a voice into the room.
Manon sees Lady Hind flinch. The room buzzes with enlarged murmurings.
‘What’s your name?’ asks Harriet.
‘Tony Thackeray, Eastern Daily Press. Missing person, more than forty-eight hours, sub-zero temperatures. This must surely become a murder investigation at some point. And isn’t it also true that Cambridgeshire MIT has been criticised in the past for not upscaling a missing person to suspected homicide early enough? The case of Lacey Pilkington …’
‘Shit,’ whispers Manon.
Sir Ian and Miriam frown at one another and then at Harriet, who says, ‘Our priority is to find Edith.’
‘Aye aye,’ says Colin, nodding at the screen. ‘Here’s Officer Dibble back from ’is holidays.’
They all notice Detective Chief Superintendent Gary Stanton, who has come to stand at the edge of the room, his body leaning against the wall. The buttons on his white shirt are straining; his civilian suit sharp and navy. He has the look of a man who has just stepped off a plane: his face and bald pate basted brown like a cooked turkey and shiny with good living. His gaze is on Harriet and she bristles with it.
‘We are going to have to wrap things up, I’m afraid,’ she says, shifting in her seat. She’s eager to collar Will Carter, Manon can see it in Harriet’s agitation – that’s why she’s closed it down so quick. ‘Thank you all for coming.’
Davy
‘It was stolen,’ says Will Carter, pacing with a hand in his hair, the other on his hip. ‘Look, I know it looks bad but it honestly didn’t occur to me to mention it. I’ve been taken up with … just, you know, my whole mind is on Edie.’
Davy is stood with his back to the wall, behind Harriet and Manon, who are sitting at the table facing Carter. Davy has the sense that Harriet is using him as a ‘heavy’ though he doesn’t really have the face for it. He’s been told he always looks faintly embarrassed or surprised, so he’s trying to lean sardonically against the wall, as if he’s a mass of thick-set scepticism. Harriet is leaning, too – back in her chair, twirling a pencil about her fingers. The disbelieving detective. Manon, however, is sat forward, her position saying: I want to try to understand.
‘Go on,’ says Manon.
‘It didn’t seem important. I forgot about it.’
‘When and where was it stolen, Mr Carter?’ says Manon.
‘From my car. On Friday as I was preparing to leave. I left it on the seat, slammed the car door and ran in to get my bag. I was only going to be a minute, maybe it was more like five, but when I came out, it had gone.’
‘Did you see anyone – running away or near the car?’
‘No. I glanced in either direction but the street was empty. Maybe they were hiding behind a hedge or something, I dunno. I wouldn’t have gone after them anyway. I’m a coward when it comes to things like that – I don’t want to get punched. I think they must’ve been watching me and seized their chance when I went inside.’
‘And you didn’t think to report it?’ says Harriet.
‘I wanted to get on the road – my mum was expecting me. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think there was much the police could do. I thought it was my own stupid fault and I just had to suck it up. Anyway, I stopped at the Tesco phone shop in Kettering – it’s open late – and got a pay-as-you-go, just so I could give Edie a number, y’know, so she could call me in an emergency.’
‘Sorry, Mr Carter, but how did you not think this was relevant to our investigation?’ asks Harriet.
‘I don’t know. I just wanted you to find Edie. I was so worried, it didn’t occur to me.’
‘So you phoned Edith from Kettering?’
‘No, I texted.’
‘You didn’t want to talk to her about the fact you’d just been a victim of a crime?’
‘I tried to call her.’
‘You tried to call her,’ says Harriet, her voice dripping with exhausted frustration.
‘I did call but she was busy and she didn’t pick up. I knew she wouldn’t recognise the number so I explained in a text and she texted back saying “OK”.’
He has stopped in front of them.
Davy can’t see Harriet’s expression, but she is probably frowning. ‘Forgive me, Mr Carter, but perhaps you can see why we’re confused. You say everything’s perfect between you and Miss Hind, you say everything was normal in the run-up to her disappearance—’
‘OK, not normal.’