‘Did she ever mention Callum Nelson?’
‘I know she thought it was funny and sweet that Callum had a crush on her. I suppose that was one of the personal things she told me. It was obvious to us all though. He looked at her with puppy dog eyes and took more than his fair share of turns to make the coffee, but he meant no harm. I know you guys ransacked his flat at the time but he hasn’t got it in him. He’s a sweet boy, he really is and he was devastated when Debbie disappeared.’
Gina made a note. It would be easy to investigate Callum again and look deeper into his affairs, but he wasn’t coming to the forefront of her mind as the person that could’ve snatched Deborah. The old case notes flashed through her mind. Maybe Nelson had lured her to his home, but why was her shoe left in the road, not far from where she worked? Would Deborah walk a further ten minutes in the rain, wearing only one shoe, to go to Callum’s flat? Callum had no transport, and she was sure Deborah had been taken in a motor vehicle. Could Avery have sourced a van for Nelson to use? She noted that question on her pad.
‘Was there anything else on her mind?’ Jacob asked.
‘I did tell you guys at the time. That bloody Avery bloke at the pub she played pool at, he attacked her. I’ve never seen her so jumpy at work. She was worried that Luke wouldn’t believe her and that Samuel would spin what had happened and say that Debbie was sleeping with him and coming on to him. Vile man, he was. I wouldn’t be surprised if that tosser had something to do with all this. He sexually assaulted her, you know.’
Despite being at the airport, Samuel Avery certainly was cropping up everywhere in this case. Gina realised she’d been so tense at the mention of Avery’s name, she’d made a hole in the paper with her pen.
* * *
‘Was the visit really worth it?’ Jacob asked.
‘We need to get back and find out where we are with all this. I didn’t expect to dredge up much that would be of any use, but that damn Samuel Avery keeps cropping up like a dose of herpes,’ she said as they both got back in the car. Hailstones began to fall, bouncing off the roof and bonnet of the car. A message came through on her phone. It was Wyre, telling her that Luke Jenkins’ DNA results were back.
She opened the email, read it and gave her a call. ‘We’re just leaving Deborah’s workplace,’ she said. ‘Can you call Callum Nelson in and interview him again? We’ve just confirmed he had a crush on our Deborah Jenkins. He also thinks he recalls seeing a white van on the night of her disappearance. While you’re at it, call in Toby Grove, Clive Henderson, Lukas Bosko and Vernon McGuire. I just want you to go over their stories. I didn’t want to disrupt the company any further during working hours… Thanks. See you in a short while.’
Jacob shivered. ‘I feel dog rough.’ Gina put the car into first and drove out of the car park.
Thirty-Four
Jacob went ahead into the station. Gina checked her phone as she sat in the warmth of the car. She had a text from Briggs.
Dinner later?
She didn’t reply. It would be hard for her to ever trust again. Terry’s memory flashed through her mind. She could hear the control in his sentences that she’d once mistaken for love. No way was she ever being scared little Gina again. She knew that Briggs wasn’t Terry, but then again, she thought she knew Terry – until it was too late.
Gina grabbed her folder off the back seat of the car and ran to the station door. As she opened her office door, she peeled her soaking coat off. Someone had left a hot coffee on her desk. She smiled and sat in front of her computer.
She looked over the DNA test results. Luke Jenkins was definitely not Baby Jenkins’ father. She’d known all along, but this could now be placed on file. Another email told her that there was no forensic evidence left at the scene following the attempted break-in at Luke’s house. That didn’t come as a surprise either. She picked up the coffee and headed towards the incident room. Wyre was sitting in front of a computer screen, alone in the room. Jacob soon followed. ‘Hope the coffee was welcomed,’ he said as he took a seat next to Wyre.
‘Thanks. It most certainly was,’ said Gina. ‘No O’Connor today?’
‘He booked the day off, but he’s coming in to help me with the interviews later. At your request, I’ve organised for them to come in after work. Nelson wasn’t best pleased,’ Wyre replied. ‘Unfortunately, we’re a bit understaffed today. I think this weather is making people take all their holidays. Who wouldn’t want a duvet day today?’
‘Can I have a duvet day?’ Jacob asked as he wiped his nose.
PC Smith walked in and took a seat next to Wyre.
Gina grinned and took a sip of coffee. ‘Duvet days aside, I have an update. We’ve got the results back on Luke Jenkins. He is definitely not the baby’s father, which we all knew, I suppose.’
Wyre walked over to the board and noted the results next to Luke’s name. ‘This is all so weird. I feel so sorry for them. I don’t know how they’re coping.’
‘I know,’ said Gina. ‘It must be hell for them. I’m going to pop by to speak to Luke in person in a while.’
Jacob sipped his drink. ‘Do you want me to come with you?’
‘No. I think you really should go home early and get some rest, maybe a hot bath and an early night. That poor family don’t need your germs as well. You were right when you said you looked dog rough. Maybe Abigail will come over and give you a bed bath or something.’
Wyre sniggered and nearly spat her coffee out.
‘I don’t need telling twice,’ he croaked as he did his coat up and headed to the door. ‘If you need me, just call. I’ll have my phone on and I’ll be working from home.’
Gina listened to Jacob’s heavy footsteps echoing through the corridor as he headed to his desk before leaving for home. ‘Any more news on the case?’ she asked Wyre.
Wyre looked at her computer and scrolled down her report. ‘Nothing new, I’m afraid. I can’t believe that no one has seen her in all these years but she’s alive and well somewhere. Even the calls have dried up on the baby appeal.’
‘Thank you. Is Briggs still in? I suppose I should update him before I head off.’
‘He left about half an hour ago. You just missed him.’
‘Any news from the vets?’
‘Only that there are dogs with black fur registered everywhere. We’re compiling a list at the moment of all the owners in the area and cross-referencing them against local farm owners. As you say, it may be useful later on.’
‘Thanks. Right, I have some paperwork to catch up on. When I’ve done that, I’m going to head to Luke Jenkins’ house. Let me know straight away how it goes with Callum Nelson and the others. I don’t think there’s much to garner from Toby, Clive, Lukas and Vernon, but Callum… I’m annoyed he didn’t mention the van or his crush on Deborah. I know we checked him and his whereabouts at the time, but I want the details he missed out of his original statement on file. I’ll type up my notes from this morning and forward them to you before you speak to him. Smith, are you okay to be there when they arrive, to assist Wyre and O’Connor? Call me straight away if you find any connections to any of them with the Angel Arms or Avery.’
Smith nodded.
‘And one last thing. I know we’re all stressed and we could do with more people assisting, so thank you for everything. Thank you for the extra hours and all the hard work. When we find Deborah, it will have all been worth it. Maybe we’ll all deserve a duvet day then.’